La Sportiva  Karacal Trail-Running Shoes - Men's

Ive been running in Hoka Speedgoats for a while but I'm done with the narrow toe box and wanted to try something new. I've been hunting for the unicorn of shoes and I think I just found it with the Karacals. These are basically the center of the vin diagram for Colorado (or any rocky technical place) trail running. Roomy toe box, decent amount of heel drop so they aren't "flat" like Altras, quite comfy and plush but super responsive, stiff, agressive tred and they even have a rock plate which is a HUGE help after you've hit 25 miles on rocky trails. They're lighter than the new Speedgoats, and super breathable. However, when I tried them on in the store I was very skeptical. They didn't feel very comfy. Here's what I can say - all the reviews saying this shoe requires a break-in period is right on the money. I'm SOO glad I took the chance. I wore them around the house and around town for two days and then headed out on a 20 mile trail run with 3k vert and lots (and lots) of rocky trail. They were excellent! When I get to that mileage in my other shoes, my feet get really fatigued, which I attribute to not having a rockplay and not stiff/responsive enough. BTW - I read others got a hotspot in their arch. Not sure why but I totally got the same thing. It had me worried at first but it never amounted to anything and eventually went away. For technical terrain these have great lateral support, my old shoes would sometimes feel like my foot was rotating inside them, I didn't get any of that with these. In terms of the uppers, we'll have to see over time but there were several points today where I jammed the sides of the shoe on the sides of rocks and I don't see any sign of rip or potential tear. Were they 100% perfect? No - there were a couple of very minor complaints. Only two are noteworthy, they do run small. I wear a 12 and went with 12.5. The fit was perfect in 12.5 but if someone doesn't know that they run small and order online then it's a hassle. Why not just size them up a half size? The second complaint is that I felt that the top two eyelets were rather high up on my ankle. I started off with a runners knot, but that was putting pressure on on the tendons right in the bend of my ankle. However, when I switched to a traditional lacing and knot they did fine. I was worried I'd get some heel slipage that way but I detected no heel slipage on the ascent. Also, I cranked them down on the decent and didn't experience any jammed toes. I also noticed that the the lugs aren't super deep and the sole doesn't have a ton of thickness to it,, so I'm curious to see how many miles I get. Closing thoughts: If you're only running or hiking on dirt single track then these are probably overkill, plus with shallower lugs they probably aren't ideal in mud or snow. However, if you run (or hike) on rocky, technical terrain and if you want something that can keep your feet comfy on really long days then this is definitely your shoe. And yes, these would be phenomenal hiking shoes.

I bought this for a light hiking shoe. It is not. It's very light, but lacks support for navigating even gentle trails. Not a secure feeling. I'm a (road) runner and can't imagine running in these. They run about 1/2-size Large. Very thin forefoot padding. They hug the foot but in an odd way? Sole wears out quickly. 2 months 60% trail 40% sidewalk use & soles noticably worn! Not acceptable for a $130 shoe.