How to Choose Hiking Boots

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The burly La Sportiva Eclipse GTX men's hiking boots carry you through tough hikes over rugged terrain and in fickle weather with no-nonsense traction and protection from rain and jutting rocks.
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View all La Sportiva Men's Day Hiking BootsBest Use | Hiking |
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Footwear Height | Over-the-ankle |
Footwear Closure | Lace-up |
Waterproof | Yes |
Type of Waterproofing | GORE-TEX Extended Comfort 3-layer waterproof/breathable laminate |
Upper | Rough-out leather/Vibram rubber rand and toe cap |
Lining | Textile |
Midsole | 4 mm OrthoLite Approach/injection-molded EVA |
Support | 2 mm polypropylene stiffener |
Outsole | Vibram XS-TREK rubber compound with Impact Brake System |
Weight (Pair) | 2 lb. 5.3 oz. |
Gender | Men's |
Sustainability | From a Climate Neutral Certified brand |
34 EU | 35.5 EU | 36.5 EU | 37 EU | 37.5 EU | 38 EU | 38.5 EU | 39 EU | 39.5 EU | 40 EU | 40.5 EU | 41 EU | 41.5 EU | 42 EU | 42.5 EU | 43 EU | 43.5 EU | 44 EU | 44.5 EU | 45 EU | 45.5 EU | 46 EU | 46.5 EU | 47 EU | 47.5 EU | 48 EU | 48.5 EU | 49 EU | 49.5 EU | 50 EU | |
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U.S. Men's | 2.5+ | 4 | 4.5+ | 5 | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 6.5+ | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 8.5+ | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | 10.5 | 10.5+ | 11 | 11.5 | 12 | 12.5 | 12.5+ | 13 | 13.5 | 14 | 14.5 | 15 | 15.5 | 16 |
U.S. Women's | 3.5 | 5 | 5.5+ | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 7.5+ | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 9.5+ | 10 | 10.5 | 11 | 11.5 | 11.5+ | 12 | 12.5 | 13 | 13.5 | 13.5+ | 14 | 14.5 | 15 | 15.5 | 16 | 16.5 | |
EU | 34 | 35.5 | 36.5 | 37 | 37.5 | 38 | 38.5 | 39 | 39.5 | 40 | 40.5 | 41 | 41.5 | 42 | 42.5 | 43 | 43.5 | 44 | 44.5 | 45 | 45.5 | 46 | 46.5 | 47 | 47.5 | 48 | 48.5 | 49 | 49.5 | 50 |
Mondo | 24 | 24.5 | 25 | 25.5 | 26 | 26.5 | 27 | 27.5 | 28 | 28.5 | 29 | 29.5 | 30 | 30.5 | 31 |
For boots: Add one half size to your street shoe size. You should be able to slip one finger behind your heel when you are standing up with the boot unlaced and your toes touching the front. If the boot is too short, your toes will get smashed walking downhill. Too long and your heel will slide up and down and give you blisters.
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I bought these boots after wearing out a pair of Lowa renegades. Excellent boot right out of the box. The La Sportiva eclipse wears very much like an approach shoe with a very secure feel and no side to side movement. The boot has a very sticky sole. My last hike was off trail and paired the boots with some spikes for a trip through mud and snow. The boots performed perfectly and were easily cleaned. Don’t forget some Nikwax before heading out the suede leather will soak up the moister but the gortex will keep you dry as a bone. Great boot!
I have used these boots for about a 1.5 years until they began breaking on me. The metal hooks used to secure the laces around the ankles broke on both shoes, so not they cannot be tightened high enough for reliable support. Would have preferred to use these for another year or two for the price, but what can ya do! Waterproof note: Feet get wet when boots are in water longer than 2 minutes
These boots bridge the gap between light weight hikers and the traditional stiff and (typically) heavier backcountry/backpacking boots. They have a stiff undersole, but light weight uppers that have a phenomenal waterproofing. The GTX GoreTex uppers and rubber lower outsole combine for a proven waterproof boot. I spent a number of hikes trouncing through mud, streams, in snow too and left at the end of the day with dry socks. These are not the warmest boots. They don't have much in the way of buffering from temperatures. These are not winter hikers. I tried a few different socks with different thermal ratings, and still was cold on the feet. They also run narrow so finding the right sock combination for my wider-than-average feet is a challenge. I could see with a new insole with a higher arch and some added cushion would add a lot to these boots as the stock insole is not helpful. But the vibram outsole is top notch and grips to all sorts of rocks and great traction in wet, slippery, muddy terrain. The stiff sole gives great stability on rocky surface and did well to keep my feet over rubble-rock terrain. Overall this is a good, solidly made boot, with excellent waterproofing and with a few modifications would do well on longer distant light backpacking trips.
While I'm generally happy with these "Hiking" boots, I have to say I'm disappointed that they provide very little ankle support. Other than keeping water out more effectively if you have to step in a stream or something, I don't see much benefit over a lower-cut hiking shoe. They feel like a very comfortable low-cut hiking shoe with taller sides than a true hiking boot. Advantage of having thin/flexible uppers is they are very lightweight. They are great for going for a 4-5 mile hike on a trail (this is how I've used them so far), but I wouldn't want to hike on rougher terrain or carry much weight in a pack without more stiffness and ankle support. While I miss the support my old Asolo FSN95 GTXs gave me, I have to say I like the rubber compound on the Vibram soles better on these LaSportivas - these are much better on frozen hard-packed snow or ice as the rubber compound isn't nearly as hard. My old boots felt like ice skates on icy trails. Since I don't plan to use these for backpacking, I'm OK with the compromise of support vs. lighter weight and good traction. Time will tell how well the softer rubber holds up as the miles accumulate.
I haven't had good luck with La Sportiva boots in the past, since I have a somewhat wide forefoot, and Sportiva's have mostly been known for being narrow. But I decided to give these a try anyway, having seen some favorable reviews. I usually wear size 10 US boots, feet measure 9.5-ish. I prefer a thin liner and midweight smartwool socks, and typically also use green Superfeet footbeds. That combo seemed to work with these in size 43 (same as I usually wear in Scarpa). These are pretty stiff at first, and to break them in I walked around the house in them for a week or so, then went for some walks in the neighborhood, and finally got out hiking in them. I wasn't sure they would work out at first, but they seem to work for me. Decent ankle support, and pretty good underfoot cushioning. They might also work for lightweight backpacking trips (I have bad ankles due to some old fractures). Certainly I'd use them for dayhiking with a heavyish pack.
One of my favorite things about La Sportiva is the sizing since I usually run somewhere in between a 12-13. Often times a size 12 in a hiking boot is too small. Resulting in cramped toes and usually very uncomfortable hiking downhill. The thirteens tend to be too big resulting in the feeling of my feet swimming inside the hiking boot. La Sportiva offers several options and I’m very pleased with the size 12.5+ in the La Sportiva Men’s Goretex Hiking Boots. The boots are a good balance of support and functionality without feeling too minimalist or overkill. I do a lot of hiking in trail runners and have a pair of La Sportiva leather mountaineering boots from 2006 that are way too heavy for trail hiking. The Eclipse Gtx are an excellent compromise for when I may opt to hike in a lighter weight boot are need something more sturdy then trail running shoes. I may even try these boots out later this Spring to see how they perform with crampons. Overall, I was skeptical that these boots would either be too narrow or the sizing would be off. I’ve hiked in dry, muddy, and snowy conditions and have been happy with the overall performance and feel of these boots. I also found that they’re pretty comfy right out of the box. The tread is nice and provides confidence in all types of terrain. I’m looking forward to putting more miles in...
The day I received my boots I immediately put them on. At first the tow box felt a little wide for my foot. When I laced them up the feeling of having a wide toe box was gone and the boots fit perfectly. I wore them around my house for the day to see if there were any places that rubbed or caused discomfort. After wearing them for 3 hours they felt fine on my foot. The next day I wore them on a 3 mile hike along the trails by my house along the river. The route was mainly rolling terrain with elevation changes of no more than 200 feet. The boots did great for a little break in walk and caused me no problems to my feet by the time I was done. The next test I put them through was an off trail hike where I had a pack with me. I went out to where my brother and I hunt to scout for the upcoming Turkey season as well as check on some of our game cameras. The total trip was about 9 miles with an overnight stay in the woods. The ground was wet as the snow was melting and my feet stayed dry in these boots. The traction was great and I had no slipping issues going from dirt trails to grass and onto rocky terrain. My last hike was a 12 mile trail hike. I started this from my house and headed to the lake for an out and back day hike. I had no issues with these boots on this hike either. I am looking forward to wearing these through the summer on a few overnight hike in fishing trips I have planned. I am sure they will be perfect for these trips into the mountain lakes and streams I will be going to. I do not have any complaints about these boots and have worn them almost daily since I have received them. This is also the first pair of La Sportiva that I have tried and have to say that I am very impressed with the product. These are a boot that I would purchase again in the future when this pair is worn out.
6 miles into a 20 mile hike and the top of the toe area became wet. I was hiking at North Cascades National Park in Washington. I was hiking on a trail with some ground cover. There was no rain when I was hiking, just water from the ground cover made the top of my socks wet. The other reviews on here state otherwise as to it’s waterproof capability. Maybe I just received a pair of defective boots.
In the process of reviewing these boots I took them through a break-in process and then through their paces in city and on trails. FIRST IMPRESSIONS I found the boots to be minimalist and a bit plain looking. Some of the materials look sorta cheap. That said the boots are quite lightweight and appear to be well-constructed. I'm not particularly fond of unrelieved grey and black, so these aren't the kind of boots I would choose based on looks. If they're good, though, they're good, and how they look won't matter. FIRST TRY-ON AND WEAR AROUND HOME The included shoelaces are way too short. I'm used to having a bit more length to play with. With my custom orthotics inserted the internal volume of the boots was quite reduced. While the length felt as good as before, there was no space left over the top of my foot. The sizing—length and width—feel accurate. On the foot for the first time the boots are pretty comfortable and the heel lock is fantastic—as good as my usual Lowas. I'm definitely feeling the low volume over the top of my foot. I'll have to try lighter weight socks. By the end of the day there was no significant difference in fit or feeling. WALKING AROUND OUTDOORS On wet pavement the boots display very good traction. I did notice, right away, that they have far less padding around the collar and tongue than what I'm used to. I'm also feeling some tightness across the top of my toes. WALKING AN EASY TRAIL The traction is confident on a variety of wet surfaces including dirt, rock, and wood planking. The latter, especially, was a welcome surprise. The low external volume means normal gators feel loose over the top and collar of the boot. The wide-spaced lugs do a good job of not collecting mud. Swishing off mud and sand in a convenient stream showed the water beading off the leather and my feet stayed completely dry inside. The design of the tongue is great for keeping water out, even when you walk through quite a bit of it. My feet did get a little cold, though, which isn't too surprising considering that they're pretty thinly built and don't have any insulation. I'd put them squarely in the category of day hikers, since I don't think their lightness or flexibility are designed for carrying a heavy pack for long distances. AFTERNOON AND EVENING CASUAL WEAR With lighter weight, non-hiking socks, the volume of the boots feels better, even with my feet being somewhat swollen, late in the day. ALL DAY WEAR AT WORK AND WALKING URBAN TRAILS *** multiple days *** These boots are as comfortable as hiking boots ever are in this situation. They're not really designed to be comfortable standing around on hard surfaces or walking on pavement. There is some constriction midway down the sides of the foot when going down steep hills. Generally, though, they're pretty comfortable. HIKING A LONGER TRAIL WITH PLENTY OF UPS AND DOWNS *** 10 miles, 1,300 feet, mixed surfaces *** During a multi-hour hike on rolling terrain I found the boots to have the same, great traction, I had observed before. On top of that they were light and fast on my feet. Some of the hiking was on paved surfaces, which was a little painful, but on natural surfaces the comfort was great. CONCLUSION I still don't think very highly of the appearance of the boots and I wish they had a bit more internal volume, but as far as comfort and performance goes they are top notch. Everyone's feet are different and no one can ever say, for sure, that a boot will fit right, but if these boots fit you then you absolutely cannot go wrong choosing them.
I first wore these boots straight out the box for four straight days, and used them in various terrain including snow, ice, rock, scree, and mud. I was expecting some tightness in the toe area given the design, but quickly discovered that was not an issue. They require no break-in time and did not have my feet yearning to get out of them late in the day like other boots I use. Because of that comfort, I keep using these on multi-day adventures. I really like the understated look, and the clean design helps avoid build-up of dirt/debris on the outside of the boot. The wrap-around toe and side protection is great at protecting my feet and toes from the impacts of rocks and scree. In freezing temps, I wear these with only one pair of wool socks and experience no cold toes. In slush and water, they were great at keeping my feet dry. I have other boots that I really like, but these are now my favorites and the first ones I grab.