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La Sportiva Bushido
La Sportiva Bushido Review Facts
La Sportiva is a company that was founded in 1928 in Italy. The companies initial product was manufacturing boots for lumberjacks as well as farmers. In later years they expanded to custom boots for soldiers during World War 2. They have since expanded to more athletic focussed gear designed for mountain climbing, hiking, and skiing. They are well known for their sponsorships in mountain running, ice climbing and skiing. Their headquarters is still in Italy today, however, their products can still be found in major retailers such as MEC and Amazon. This company specializes in less and more specific areas thereby offering a product that has been more specifically designed. They are known for their traction which is especially important when climbing over rocks and fallen trees. They have become a household name in mountain climbing and trail shoes. This is why we've chosen to do this review on the La Sportiva Bushido, which is a trail running specific product.
Trail running is a high-intensity cardio workout. It involves running on more rugged and dangerous terrain for the purpose of providing a better workout but also one with an interesting view. Trail running shoes specifically are designed to grip the ground and objects run over better. The traction on this type of product would need to be a stickier grip. This is because the terrain being run on is not only covered in trees, rocks, and vines but also tends to be wetter. This moisture can cause slipping and falling which would, of course, injure the runner. We decided to do a comprehensive review on a trail runner than currently is highly rated by reviewers. We wanted to know why reviewers liked this product as well as what they didn't like. We also looked at the construction, durability, and materials used to see if this product compares to others on the market today. Without further adieu, this is our comprehensive and in-depth review of the La Sportiva Bushido. We hope that this article serves to assist in your next running shoe purchase.
Editor's Pros & Cons
Pros
- Offers an incredible grip no matter the terrain
- Sole of this product is rock hard to protect feet from sharp objects
- Extremely lightweight and breathable
- Offers plenty of arch support
- Also offers superior stability to the foot and ankle
Cons
- Heel is quite stiff and could potentially cause some bruising to the foot
- Fit is a little looser and may require a thicker sock or a size down
BREATHABILITY
This product offers AirMesh uppers and a mesh lining which offers better breathability and ventilation throughout the shoe with each step. The lining also offers highly breathable lateral mesh inserts which can be taken out and washed if necessary. This also adds breathability but also offers a better solution to odor buildup specifically with individuals with existing foot odor issues. Finally, the tongue on this product is made of AirMesh as well. This shoe completely redefines breathable footwear. Those who wore this shoe confirmed that their feet stayed cool and dry throughout their run. Without breathability, this type of product, will not only overheat the foot but also cause some moisture buildup. This is uncomfortable and can cause blisters and potentially slipping during the run. This is why having a breathable shoe is so important. This product is breathable and lightweight. This is why we rated the breathability 10/10 and it also aided in our overall rating of the product.
COMFORT
As mentioned above, this shoe is very breathable due to all the AirMesh added to the upper, insole and tongue of the product. This will keep the feet cool and dry throughout the run. The insoles also have a thermal adhesive microfibre that not only keeps the feet warm in cooler temperatures but is also incredibly soft to the touch and adds a bit of impact absorption. The forefoot is made of a dual-density compressed EVA. This curves more naturally to the foot and offers a more natural step. One complaint about this product is the rock guard on this shoe which is there to protect the shoe and the foot from sharp rocks. The rock guard is so hard that some found that if they wore padded socks that the combination between the two caused some bruising to the foot. Those who experienced this recommended that the individual wearing the shoe wear evenly padded socks in order to avoid unnecessary bruising. Outside from this complaint, those who wore this shoe were very impressed by how comfortable they were and how easily they could run long distances in this product.
DURABILITY
As mentioned previously, this product has an EVA compressed rock guard that is intended to protect the runner's feet but also to protect the shoe from sharp rocks. The midsole of this product also offers a dual-density FriXion which not only fits the foot better but is also quite strong in order to keep the foot supported longer. EVA is a strong and durable material that is meant to prolong the life of the shoe while simultaneously comfortably supporting the runner's foot. This product is a highly durable one that is meant to wear in more rugged terrain. Those who really put serious time in with this product did have some issues with the durability of this product despite their design. They found that after a 2-day vigorous trail hike that the soles were nearly falling off of this product. The product had some break-in time before this and the hike was in areas of high heat, humidity and heavier terrain, however, they shouldn't have broken down this quickly. Despite their highly rated reviews, this did still affect our overall rating of the shoe.
HEEL
The heel of this product offers an impact brake system, as well as that EVA rock guard. The EVA rock guard offers a very strong guard against sharp rocks and stones. When on the trails, especially when running due to the greater impact of the foot to the trail, rocks and stones are more present and will break down the foot easier. In addition to this often times the runner will find that they can feel rocks through their shoes even if they don't completely puncture the shoe. This can not only be concerning but uncomfortable. This is where a rock guard comes in handy because it will stop this from happening. The issue with it is that those who wore this shoe did find that this guard was really hard on their feet and caused some significant bruising if worn with thicker socks. The impact brake system is handy because it holds the heel better and allows for a more natural step. Having a more natural step is better because it creates less work for the foot and the leg when stepping down. This would allow for longer hikes and runs.
MIDSOLE
The midsole of this product is a compression molded MEMIex design which not only offers a better support but a more curved design to hug the foot closer to the shoe. It also has a 1.5 mm dual-density compressed EVA rock guard in order to protect the foot. The rock guard is discussed at length in this article. The compressed molded MEMIex is a rubberized material that offers both flexibility and support to the foot. It rounds the foot tightly offering better arch support and stability to the sides of the feet. The arch support of this product is neutral meaning that it should fit all medium height arches as well as higher arches. Those who wore this product found that it fit very closely to the foot and offered superior support when walking around and running in them. They found that the shoe fits closer to the foot than other in the market. The only issue that people found with the midsole was some blistering of the foot after longer periods of time. There doesn't seem to be much reason to why this happened. It could be the sizing of the shoe as it does fit slightly larger. Consider sizing down before purchasing this product.
OUTSOLE
The outsole of this product offers lugs with rounded edges in order to grip the ground easier. It also offers stability when on uneven terrain. Trains tend to have more obstacles to step on when traveling down them like rocks, roots, and trees. These objects are typically hidden by trees from the sun too so naturally there are higher levels of moisture build up. Moisture buildup also causes some moss and algae growth which can be very slippery and often times hard to see when moving at faster speeds. This is why the traction is one of the most important features of this type of product. Those who wore this product found that on trail runs and hikes, in areas where fellow hikers were slipping and sliding they found themselves stable. This product offers a superior 'stickiness' that the majority of comparable products on the market don't offer. Those who wore this product praised their comfort levels in this product, as well as the safety they felt when wearing them. This positively influences our positive rating.
STYLE
La Sportiva offers a much more narrow product. There are some shoes that are so narrow that they look like a beak. They are known for a closer fitting, more narrow product. Though this does typically require some sizing up (except for in this line oddly which requires the runner to actually size up). This model is quite attractive in design. They aren't exactly fashionable like other runners on the market, however, they are narrow, sporty and offered in more toned down colors. They have almost an entirely mesh upper with ergonomic stripes on the sides. They have a standard lacing system with fabric 'eyelets' rather than metal. They have a really interesting pegged traction system which can be seen on the sides of the runner. They look like a product that was designed for serious trail runners. Those who wore this product liked the look of it. They said that they were attractive in design and they liked how close to the foot they felt and looked.
SUPPORT
This is discussed in length throughout this article. The support system for this product is very impressive. Between the welded ripstop to the TPU toe cap to the compression molded MEMIex midsole, this product is incredibly supportive and stable. Those who wore this product said that each step felt very natural and easy. They found that they could go further and faster as a result of it with less leg and foot fatigue. They also said between the rock guard, the traction and the stability of the product they felt safe at higher speeds in less familiar environments. This speaks volumes about the products support system.
TRACTION
This was also discussed at length already in the outsole section.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The bottom line is we like this product. It is extremely highly rated by reviewers because the shoe is comfortable, it offers superior breathability, those who wore this shoe for longer periods also found it to be supportive with very impressive traction. Issues that reviewers found were some blisters all in similar areas, more than likely due to a sizing issue as the product does fit slightly larger on the foot, and some issues with the hardness of the rock guard. Evening padded socks seem to have fixed the issue though. Outside of those issues, there were some durability concerns on more rugged terrains but it seems this complaint was far and few between. The price point of this product is mid-range which makes sense because this is a performance-based product and therefore would cost a little more. Overall, this product is highly rated, comfortable and easy to train in. This makes it a good product.
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