La Sportiva Ultra Raptor Trail Running Shoe - Men's reviews and deals for sale

Great Trail Runner for Backpacking

Great trail runner shoe for backpacking. Great traction - both up and down hill. Drains well after rains. The shoe runs small so size up a full size. Also, I have a average width foot so it works for me; it may not work if you have a wide foot.

Best trail runner I've used

I've used Salomons trail runners for a long time and this has surpassed it. Light and nimble, but very supportive and durable. Very comfortable and great looks!

So nice and comfy

I ran these shoes into the ground. They were shredded to bits when I sadly gave them up to the trash. The shoe feels so nice to run in. Kind of like your foot is in a squishy gel with low impact. I can say these shoes are durable too. The number of sharp boulder fields they went through was very high. They’re also great for scrambling and using its edges while climbing. Great… read more purchase.

Envy

I bought these as a gift, for my brother. He talked them up so much, that I recently bought myself a pair. I have not put them to the test yet, but initial impressions are good .

Wear and Tear

For urban travel with the occasional trail run/hike, these are great shoes. The rubber grips well in a myriad of conditions(Utah Spring/Fall- alternating rain, snow, mud, shine), but holds up well to daily concrete and asphalt usage. It ventilates fairly well, which is rather important to me. My pair haven't had the lace eyelets give out, which is good, but my padre's pair had the… read more eyelets die after a few months, which is just curious. As others have mentioned, this is a narrow shoe. While that may be a downside for others, for me it's a bonus- I have narrow feet, and these are some of the few shoes I've found that fit comfortably and securely.

Great first impression

After trying the shoes on and doing a little jogging in them, I decided these would be the shoes I trained for a Trail Marathon in. After a few runs in them, I started to notice how narrow they were. Overall, they are phenomenal trail runners that are great on any terrain, they are just slightly uncomfortable after a long run.

NARROW

Narrow, runs small,, i used the same size on wild cat ( 42.5) and ultra raptor runs like a half size small, i should have ordered size 43,,, all the rest great shoes for trail running, super grip even on wet rock ¡ ,, the four stars are bcause they are a great shoes,, only u need to get at least half size bigger

Mountain Running

I'm on my second pair. I use these for trail running, peak bagging, and backpacking. They are stable for long days in the mountains. Though the outsole is less durable than competing shoes in the category, the grip is the best I've ever found on granite (wet or dry). They've been around a while, aren't the lightest, and the styling is an acquired taste - but from a functionality… read more standpoint I couldn't be happier with these shoes. Will continue to buy until they stop making them.

Best Trail/ Peak Destroyers

These shoes are ridiculously awesome! I have had 2 pairs of them, one I still have and use as a river/water shoe. First pair (2014) I had I punished over a year straight in the rainforest and mountains of Hawaii. Honestly one of the roughest environments as far as tearing apart shoes and clothes I have ever been in. In and out of water and mud and miles stack on top of each… read more other several time a week. Brought them out to Colorado and staked a quick 200 miles on them in a couple months which finished them off. Second pair I picked up early 2016 over a Spring/Summer/Fall I stacked well over a 100 summits on peaks over 13000 ft. These shoes made love to my feet every mile. The ability to stack back to back days of peak bagging and have your feet happy after weeks is unbelievable! To many days out not in these shoes hating life at mile 15 in the day. Not these bad boys! I’m currently in another couple pairs of La Sportiva trail runners and love them also but the stiffness of this sole is perfect. I can land on a sharper point of granite mid foot were most shoes will buckle and fold over till your foot takes to much weight in one spot and the Raptors take it and spread that impact over a wider area causing your foot to work less and take a less of a beating. These are just a touch heavier due to the stiff sole but still a light runner/hiker. These Raptors are straight Beasts! I’ll be picking up a 3rd pair for this summer.

Great Hybrid Trail Runner/ Hiker

I originally bought these for trail running, and they work well for that. They are definitely on the heftier side of trail running shoes, so if you prefer a shoe that makes you forget you're wearing it, you could probably find better. But if you want a low top hiking shoe, or a confidence inspiring trail running shoe, this is a really good one. It excels in the downhill due to the… read more unique tread on the bottom, and that includes descending down snow covered trails and mud. They are not waterproof through the top at all, so they are definitely more suitable for drier climates or Summer hiking.

Still a great light hiker

Just got a new pair after one of the webbing lace hooks failed on my old ones. The outsole on the new ones feels like it rocks to the outside less than did my old ones. Otherwise, fit is very familiar. I've been walking quite a bit on cold and sometimes frozen or snow-covered sidewalks for exercise. The outsole had impressive grip in the snow. The lugs aren't deep, but very well… read more defined; they dig in and grip. Also, the outsole material feels like it has pretty good grip on ice. I've felt comfortable on those glare ice patches, even going downhill. The sole feels rather unforgiving, less cush than I'd expect from a running shoe. Perhaps dedicated trail runners won't mind. For walking on dirt, gravel, even rock they seem fine. The midsole feels supportive enough for me to consider these for backpacking, which I will try out this spring. Still very pleased with these shoes. 2/4/2019 update Still very pleased with these after much more use time. I still can't believe people trail run in these; compared to my Bushidos the Ultra Raptors feel big, heavy, kind of clunky. However, as HIKERS the Raptors rock - sturdy, better protection than the Bushidos - for the shoes themselves and for the feet inside, wonderful grip on all sorts of surfaces, and the rounded toe gives my toes room to sprawl. As light hikers I really like these. Looking forward to trying out for backpacking.

Burly trail runner/hiker

I bought these hiking and casual wear. In the past 2 years they've gotten heavy use hiking in Colorado and Utah, and trail walking in Scotland. They've become favorites for that application. The uppers are light and very breathable, yet surprisingly tough. A band of plastic (?) reinforcement runs around the shoe above the sole, which helps to protect against abrasion. The sole… read more wraps forward into a toe cap that protects the front of the shoe. Not a huge amount of cushion in the sole, but I'm usually running orthotics so it doesn't matter. There's some sort of midsole, which gives more side-to-side stiffness than you'd expect, and also means you don't notice the rocks nearly as much through the sole as with other trail runners I've used. The outsole has good traction on dirt, sand, rock (impressively so). Some have complained about poor grip on wet rock, but that hasn't been an issue for me. Rock type maybe? Anyway, middling traction in snow, but these are non-GTX, so if you're wearing them in the snow you have bigger problems. The soles have held up well for me, and overall the shoes feel agreeably sturdy, if a bit heavier than some I've used. They also dry quite quickly if they get wet, which is nice for rainy days, soggy ground (I'm looking at you Scotland!), and stream crossings. Fit is narrow, though not so much as my last pair of La Sportiva trail runners. I have narrow, low volume feet, so I like the fit. This shoe has a bit more width in the forefoot, which is good, and a narrow heel. The sole doesn't flare out from the upper, so these are nimble compared to shoes that do flare out. The soles feel like they rock my feet to the outside, as others have noted. This is annoying because I don't need it. I'd prefer a neutral last. The one failure I've experienced is that one of the webbing "eyelets" broke. To that point I thought the webbing loops an acceptable substitute for actual eyelets or those plastic loops used by other trail runners. However, the loss of this eyelet drastically changed the feel of the shoe. I reshuffled the lacing pattern, but the result is not nearly has secure. My foot moves around more, and I've noticed a couple blisters, the first ones these shoes have caused. Having one of those webbing loops fail on a backpacking trip would be a serious problem. Given that, I would still bring these shoes on a backpacking trip. The support is good, the shoes themselves are pretty tough, they have great traction, and they're so LIGHT compared to boot alternatives. The outsoles have a shallow ridge between heel and forefoot, so you can wear actual gators, not those runner ones that velcro to the back of your shoes. For me the Ultra Raptors are the best trail runners I've used. A note about fit. Numerous people complain that these run small. I can't speak to that. I learned long ago that a 46 La Sportiva boot or shoe would fit me, and these are no exception. For me they're true to size. However, these are typical La Sportiva fit, which is to say a bit narrow and low-volume compared to more traditional brands. As I said, I have narrow, low volume feet, so this is fine with me. If you don't, check the fit carefully. I will note that I have a pair of Scarpa trail runners; in that shoe a 45.5 was the good fit...

Decent but Narrow

The Ultra Raptor is a good shoe in many ways but not for me. It has good cushioning and heal support. The laces work well to encase the shoe like a glove without feeling a pinch point. It is comfortable. But the front is narrow. It also it more of an anti-pronation shoe than neutral. You will feel that when you try it on. It does keep the foot from rolling inward with significant… read more stability. I am neutral and feel it move me toward the outside. That could be a problem for a neutral foot or if you are concerned about ankle roll. With a narrow front it feels as if there is little in the front to keep me from rolling over. If you compare the shoe to a Merrell Moab or other shoe with a wider, more stabile front, the Merrell will seem to resist rolling over to avoid injuring the ankle. I did not want to worry about ankle roll while on the trail, so I returned them. I consider it odd how that so many shoes have reviews identifying one issue, such as being narrow, but they fail to make an adjustment.

Good Running Shoe

Good Running Shoe. Comfortable. Fit true to size. I have 28.8 cm and purchased 45 size. The only negative is the strong smell of China. It disappeared in a week. But the next time when I buy shoes I'll buy scarpa

best trail-runner in years

I have a narrow heel-cup and a wide forefoot. When appropriately sized up, these shoes fit great. They are easily the best trail runners I have had since the hallmark Montrails 10+ years ago. Lots of support and cushion, great traction on a wet, dry, or rocky trail with lots of protection. They are simply...very solid and should be able to take a beating.

Bad Ass!

I really dig these shoes! I just purchased my second pair. They are super comfy and have great protection on the toe box for rock and trail debris. The soles are super solid in both steep accents and descents. They do run small and I get a half size bigger than other brands I run in.

Excellent shoe!

I bought these for my wife and she is impressed with them so far... I have owned multiple pairs of them and done the Grand Tetons via owen spalding and exum ridge and they are a very capable trail shoe on exposed terrain.

Great shoe

This one was a gift and the owner is satisfied he really like to do hiking and trail running and these ones are really comfortable and have great traction

Is the sizing the same as the wildcat? I have those in a 45 and they fit great so I'm wondering if I should get the Ultra Raptor in the same size. Thanks in advance.

A lot of you reviewers said this shoe fits small... My feet are 8. 5 US 4E (extra wide). I went ahead and ordered the Ultra Raptor GTX versions in size 42 Euro, which is directly equivalent to size 9 US, width D. Did I make a mistake? I would've went with a bigger size but I wasn't comfortable with potentially ordering too big. And anyway, the online site I ordered from didn't… read more have the 42.5 Euro (9.5 US) in stock. Any comments?