NiteRaven
01-03-2011, 23:03
After a lot of foot work and trying on lots of shoes from Inov-8, Adidas, ASICS, Merrill, Montrail, and probably others I finally found my starting shoe for my 2011 thru-hike: La Sportiva Raptors! La Sportiva wasn't really on my radar, in fact I was going in looking to pick up some Inov-8s, but a local shop was carrying these. I did some searching and La Sportiva has only been mentioned a few times here.
The Raptors are light weight but feel like a very substantial shoe. They have great heel support for carrying a load and mold around my feet, keeping my heel and foot snug and well contained. They feel like an extension of my foot, almost as if I wasn't even wearing them. The cushioning is pretty good and the sticky rubber on the bottom is supposed to grip wet rocks like no other, here's hoping.
In case these weren't on your radar - I highly suggest checking them out! I'm glad I did.
http://www.sportiva.com/products/prod/499
The Raptors are light weight but feel like a very substantial shoe. They have great heel support for carrying a load and mold around my feet, keeping my heel and foot snug and well contained. They feel like an extension of my foot, almost as if I wasn't even wearing them. The cushioning is pretty good and the sticky rubber on the bottom is supposed to grip wet rocks like no other, here's hoping.
In case these weren't on your radar - I highly suggest checking them out! I'm glad I did.
http://www.sportiva.com/products/prod/499