La Sportiva  Ultra Raptor 3 Hiking Shoes - Men's

Very poor quality. The front material if falling apart.

Just bought this last week and took it out on my first hike today. I’d definitely say these are more hiking shoes than trail runners, as these wouldn’t have enough padding for running. Even for hiking the insole is a bit thin - wish it was a bit thicker for more shock absorption, which is why I’m giving it 4 stars instead of 5 (might try an aftermarket insole to improve the comfort). Otherwise the outsole is very grippy on rocks and fallen trees, and the lugs are fairly deep so you can have a lot of traction on muddy trails. The lacing system works great, didn’t come loose at all during my hike. Sizing wise, I usually wear a size 12, sometimes 12.5, and for these I needed to get the size 13 (47), so I’d say they run a bit small. I have narrow feet so these worked really well for me. Overall highly recommend it for hiking, just confirm that the insole provides enough comfort for you.

After the Ultra Raptor II, I thought UR III would be the same or better. It is not. Same size, but not same last or fit, leaving room to rub in a blister. A disappointing start after high expectations.

The toe box is roomier than the last version, but the heel is narrower, too narrow. If they come out with a wide version I may try it. Years and years of great fitting shoes and now I'm down to only the Wildcats that fit and while a great shoe they don't stand up to abuse. Overall, La Sportiva has lost their way.

Great shoe. A bit too stiff for my liking but as is the rest of my La Sportiva shoes I’ve had over the years, excellent construction and long lasting.

I’ve got narrow feet, and have found Salomon’s to fit me well…but I don’t like their current lace system. REI employee suggested these Raptors. Have worn on two hikes so far. The good…great grip, especially on the downhill. And they fit my narrow heal, although a bit wide in the toe box. I’m not impressed with the breathability, but then again I’m used to the mesh weave of the Salomon’s.

I’ll give this an early 4 stars then assess later. Have taken this shoe through about a week of Rockies thrashing and here are my thoughts: Pros: comfy midsole, improved lug pattern outsole, nice colors, availability of non-gtx version, roomy toebox. Cons: Frixion White outsole will wear quickly (no clear options to resole), lace system feels fragile, wonky sizing (I’m normally a 44-44.5 in LaSpo and Scarpa - the footbeds on my 45 UL3s match those but the shoe feels too roomy. So - I would suggest a performance fit is actually true to size w Scarpa and this shoe is a 1/2 size smaller than UL2). I also suspect the ripstop fabric on the non-gtx version is prone to premature tearing and wear in the forefoot (with other tried and true fabrics out there thus should not happen - but early online reports are confirming this). Lastly the footbed that these come with is still anemic for such an expensive shoe. So - gauntlet is thrown to LaSpo to make replacement soles easy/economical to obtain so that one can bribe their local Resoler to give it a try. If you’re committed to balancing performance and sustainability then build shoes that can be made to last.