La Sportiva  Aequilibrium Trek GTX Hiking Boots - Women's

In May 2026, I bought the Aequilibrium Trek GTX women's (leathe4r) after trying on several other styles of mid-height La Sportiva hiking boots. I chose the Aequilibrium Trek as it had the best fit with no slippage in the heel while still feeling that the volume and toe room was good. I wore them inside my home for several days before hiking on a trail in them. I'm now pretty disappointed in these boots. My first hike with them was 5 miles on a pretty mellow trail, mostly dirt packed with minimal gravel. The second hike was 8 miles with up and down, ~1800' elevation gain, lots of gravel, ruts, larger rocks. And my third walk was short - about 4 miles on an urban trail, some up/down, packed dirt and gravel. During the first two hikes, the tongue of the boot cut into my front ankle area, causing weird shooting nerve pain. I unlaced the top two fasteners to help with that. I also had left foot inner and outer ankle pain that seemed to be caused by the inside lining that was not very smooth and was adding some strange pressure. Mid-way through the 8 mile hike, my feet and toes ached like I had never experienced, with significant underfoot aching for about an hour afterward. During all three hikes, my feet were really hot in this boot compared to the many full-leather Oboz, Solomon, and Danner boots I've worn throughout the years. For this third walk on the urban trail, I experimented with using a Superfeet (green) insole instead of the LaSportiva one. I didn't experience the tongue cutting into my leg (softened up from first two hikes?), my feet felt much better (need a more supportive insole than the Aequilibrium's?), but my feet still felt exceptionally hot in these boots. These boots feel wonderful in the heel, cup it well, no slipping. And the toe box seems to be sufficiently roomy. But they feel narrow and constricting through the middle of my foot, and I don't know if that's why they feel so much hotter than other boots. I do love the traction of these boots, feel very confident in them. I am going to call the SLC retail store where I purchased them to see if there is anything that can be done for me. I bought three other pairs of hiking shoes at the same time that I really love - Akyra II, Ultra Raptor 3, and Prodigio. I even hiked 14 miles in the Akyra II with no problems, which I've never been able to do in a low hiking shoe. But I don't see that I can continue hiking long-term in these Aequilibrium boots. I don't know if sizing up from a 40.5 to a 41 would have helped with how narrow they feel in the middle of my foot, as the length feels fine (no toes bumping against the edge). It just might be the overall design that doesn't work for me and that I couldn't have known till actually getting out on a trail. In terms of the hot feet, I'm not sure what causes that as I've never experienced it with any other full leather or synthetic/leather shoe or boot I've worn in the past 20+ years.