La Sportiva TX2 Approach Shoe - Men's reviews and deals for sale

Trash, zero durability

Completely destroyed after a couple months of normal use. Laces on both shoes are broken, biner attachment point broken on one shoe, uppers on both have big holes. I expected shortened lifespan in exchange for weight savings, but these deteriorated far faster than any product meant to be used outside should. I reached out to ls warranty with no response. These shoes are totally… read more disposable.

Great shoe

I read reviews, usually taking most of them with a grain of salt, there is usually a repeated concern, or positive aspect you will find from many different people. One off concerns, or issues with an item doesn't always turn out to be credible and giving you something that you will need to be concerned about. These shoes.. They make so much sense in the overall usage and the way… read more they have been designed. I am not a rock climber, will these shoes ever be crammed into a crack or taken to a climbing gym? Maybe? I love how light and compact these things pack down, they are super comfortable and for a travel shoe, or a shoe that can be taken along, or worn until you swap into your rock climbing shoes, or mountaineering boots. Hell yeah, they are awesome and they shine at being a very smartly designed approach shoe. I don't always agree with the reviews and ratings from Outdoor gearlab, but on this shoe I absolutely do. I have owned and abused the hell out of my other La Sportiva approach shoes and they have held up great. Do I think these will be as durable? No, but that isn't what was being designed into this shoe, If you want a light, comfortable approach shoe that packs down so you can bring an extra shoe along with you. Yeah, I would highly recommend these shoes. I am super stoked to take these shoes on our trips to Europe, I like to take a dress shoe and then a more rugged shoe. This one will be awesome for that role. I am a 10.5 in all my other shoes, but I always go up a half size with La Sportiva, just because they are on the narrow side compared to other manufacturers, I got these in an 11 and I am kinda surprised how comfortable they are without any real breaking in. The only place I feel any sort of discomfort and why I will break them in before any long distances in them. The top of the heel, which is the only place my other La Sportiva approach shoes are worn through, right at the top of the heel, but that was after years of abuse.

Wore them twice at the climbing gym.

Very preliminary review. Hopefully I'll remember to update this as I use them more. The climbing ability is very good, somewhere in between a rental shoe with the slick grey toe protector rubber, and my comfortable lace up Scarpa Helix's. I normally do 5.12a/b at my gym in the helix's and was able to climb 5.11c/d clean in these. Above that, the rubber was sticky enough, but was… read more too flexible to take the tinier holds. As for comfort, plenty wide in the toes and supportive for walking around. The lacing system goes down to the toes, and the mesh really lets you synch them down for climbing, and loosen them up for walking around. I can't speak for hiking in them yet, and I can't speak for their durability beyond two days at the climbing gym not damaging them. Addendum 1: I wore them on the 2 approach to a sport climbing crag. it was a little in places where streams crossed the path, and the traction was good, not what a cleat would be, but good enough to feel comfortable on the slick sloped ground. The heel gives a good amount of support and cushion, like a running shoe, but is stiff like hiking shoe, and comfortable for rucking in 20lbs of gear. At the crag, I warmed up on a 5.7 while wearing the TX2's and they gripped the rock well. The lack of point made edging on the faces of the limestone an upper body endeavor, and while stiff, they aren't in the league of a dedicated climbing shoe. I lead the climb comfortably, but I probably would begin feeling uncomfortable on a 5.8 at this crag where I normally feel uncomfortable in climbing shoes on a 5.10. Since we spent a little too much climbing, to keep on schedule, we jogged back to the car, which was a steep downhill, about 1.5 miles of flat, followed by a moderate uphill section for a total of 2 miles. The TX2s ran like tennis shoes, with no mugginess on my feet like leather hiking boots. I hope to take them on longer hikes soon and will report back.

Do not kneel in these shoes

Decent shoes if you are only going to do normal walking or running in them. However, if you are like me and do other things like sit or kneel or whatever these shoes will damage your ankles. The stiff back is too high and causes a hyper-extension of the ankle if you are kneeling at all. I couldn't walk for a full day during recovery without severe pain. Would burn these shoes… read more if I wasn't able to return them.

Ok Approach Shoe

Great shoes, once they are broken in. Otherwise they are very stiff out of the box and take some time to shape to your feet. Once they do they provi4:de great grip and the rubber around the toe box is very comfortable. The strap on the heel is kind of gimmicky. Fit true to size.

Major durability issue (lemon?)

I loved these shoes so much for a few miles. I bought these for a trip to Red Rocks and the rubber was great for the scrambling approaches I came across. However, as the photo shows, I had severe durability issues. The laces are intended to wrap under the yellow cord and through eyelets in the mesh upper. But the mesh upper started pulling almost immediately I estimate that I hiked/scrambled… read more a total of 5 miles before I pulled the laces out and ran them through the cord only to prevent the mesh from giving out entirely. The photo shows the damage on the left shoe which was the worst, but the right shoe is similar. I was very surprised that they held up so poorly. I would have assumed the sandstone would have caused more of a problem for the mesh than the laces. I'll definitely be reaching out to Backcountry and La Sportiva to get a refund. Update: BC was great about getting me a refund but they don't have my size. I ordered a new pair elsewhere because I was convinced that putting the laces under the cord and not through the fabric eyelet might avoid the problems I experienced. Not true. Did about 5 miles of approaches and the fabric has started to fray on this pair as well. La Sportiva makes these in leather which is what I'm going to try next because I really love the fit and performance of these things.

Lightweight!

The TX2s are super lightweight.

Awesome shoe not for me

My last pair of shoes were Helios SR with the footbed removed. I ran in them till I wore through the sole and into the padding. I got these to replace them for trail running and flatiron scrambles and they were everything I could have wanted. Ultra minimal no padding and felt great with no footbed. Very roomy in the tie box and I sized up half a size than my normal running shoes… read more and they were perfect. Only problem was they were very narrow where my arches should be. I flat feet and it put a lot of pressure on them when I tried to move with them. So I returned them and got a different pair of shoes. If it wasn't for the arch issue I would have worn these for a long time.

Greta approach and slab climbing shoe

Broke these in on Looking Glass Rock NC yesterday. Climbed 10 pitches on the nose wall exclusively in approach shoes. Loved the sticky rubber. Climbing in approach shoes forced me to use and think about very precise foot placment. But when I pressed the shoes where great. Broke in pretty easy, they definitely fit snug like a climbing shoe. My street shoe size is 10.5, Got… read more a 43.5. Wore on looking glass with a thin sock.

Incredible lightweight approach shoe

Surprised to see so few reviews of these, and wanted to give my impression after ~9 months because I want Sportiva to keep making them. I hate heavy approach shoes--they make me feel clunky in scrambling situations when I want security. Previously my favorite approach shoes were the original Guide Tennie and the original Evolv Cruzer (insole removed). The TX2s climb and hike better… read more than both, and the detailing is just more thoughtful. CONS: They run hot and narrow--the rubbery interior of the shoe, while glove-like, is sweaty (not slippery though). I shredded the sheath on the chord lace somehow, which is annoying, but the lace still functions. If you don't have a narrow foot, they might not fit well (I pre-taped my pinky toes for the first month before some longer scrambles and had no issues.) THE GOOD: -Best laces on a shoe I've ever had, hands down. 10 miles hikes, no double knots, no unties. -Amazing rubber. I've followed 5.9 in these easily and I'm far from a superstar. They're soft for edging, but you can smear into almost anything. -Durable and comfy for a lightweight shoe. I took these up the East Ridge of Mt. Russell in a day and didn't want anything more. Great for easier sections of multipitch. I've worn these a ton and they still look newish aside from the lace I tore. -The finish: Compression bands are great for stacking on the harness, heel pulls are minimal but you can actually get your finger into them (unlike most shoes.) Just great design all around. In conclusion, if you're like me and sometimes slip your Moccasyms back on for a hairy J-Tree downclimb because you don't trust your heavy hiking shoes, get the TX2s. They are so confidence-inspiring. Seriously love this shoe--they've turned my beloved Cruzers into streetwear.

great for short, moderate approach

I wear a 10.5 in most brands and ordered the same for the TX2s and they were more-or-less true to size, slightly on the snug side. I have average width feet and they did feel a bit tight at the outer bulge near my little toe. It doesn't help that I typically wear thicker socks (standard cotton athletic socks) but I don't always have that problem in other shoes. The second time I… read more wore them with no socks and they felt better. I was impressed with how good they felt barefoot and will likely wear them without socks going forward. That said, I've only worn these a few times for short approaches of .5 miles or less and that is typically the distance I hike into the crag. If I were to make a longer approach in these shoes, I can't say how they'd hold up without socks or if the mild pain on my outer foot would increase. I'll have to update this when I do. They're definitely great for wearing while belaying and hanging at the crag. The laces are great (both on the tongue and on the heel); easily switch from tight enough for the hike to loose enough to very comfortably slip on and off. I haven't really put the toe to the test yet, but the vibram sole grips great. I had no problems hiking around on slick granite.

TX2 vs TX3/4

I ordered the TX3 and the TX2, and I tried on the TX4 locally. The TX4 and TX3 fit almost identically. They seem to be the same shoe, but with a leather upper on the TX4 and synthetic upper on the TX3. The forefoot on the TX3/4 is pretty wide, and it fit my wide forefoot well. Better than most Sportiva shoes, and way better than the Ganda. The TX2's upper is much lower profile… read more than the TX3/4. You can see it clearly in the photo I attached. In addition, the TX2 was much more snug on my wide forefoot. My 6th toe pushed outward uncomfortably on the TX2's upper. I didn't notice it on the TX3/4. There is a weird bit of rubber on the sole at the outside of the ball of the foot as that I can image would help folks who supinate. Would be a detriment for people who over-pronate. None of these shoes are as precise as the Ganda, and they probably won't climb as well. But they all should hike much more comfortably for me. I wound up returning the TX2 and keeping the TX3, despite the TX3 being heavier. A single size 45 TX2 weighed 10 ounces on my scale, and a size 45 TX3 weighed 13 ounces.

Anyone tried these with a strapon crampon?

Can anyone who owns these shoes offer some sizing info? What sizes do you wear in other popular shoes, e.g. La Sportiva Solution? Thanks :)