The La Sportiva Ultra Raptor II Mid Wide GTX is a high-top model of the Ultra Raptor II GTX path operating shoe. While some may classify it as a mountain climbing boot, it’s mainly the identical shoe with a excessive ankle cuff for elevated moisture and impression safety. While the ankle cuff does present some added proprioceptive suggestions to provide you with a warning to a possible ankle roll, it’s nowhere as supportive as a a lot heavier leather-based mountain climbing boot just like the La Sportiva Nucleo High II GTX.
I just like the Ultra Raptor II Mid Wide GTX to be used in mud season or late autumn the place the waterproof membrane and the excessive ankle cuff assist maintain my socks dry in chilly and moist climate. The broad sizing can also be an enormous win if you happen to desire extra space to your toes to splay out once you hike.
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Specs at a Glance
- Gender: Men’s (girls’s additionally out there)
- Drop: 12mm
- Stack: Heel: 27mm / Toe: 15mm
- Lug depth: 4.5 mm
- Cushion: reasonable
- Closure: lace-up
- Upper: mesh
- Wide and Regular Width sizes: sure
- Weight: 34 oz/pair in measurement EU 44 (US 10.5+)
- Durability: 300-500 miles
- Waterproofing: Gore-Tex Extended Comfort
Features and Construction
The Ultra Raptor II Mid Wide GTX has the identical core options because the low model of the Ultra Raptor II Wide GTX Trail Running shoe together with a brilliant sticky rubber sole, an arched sole, a beefy entrance toe kick, nice heel and facet safety and a water-proof/breathable membrane. Really, the largest distinction between the mids and the lows is the added padded ankle cuff.
Wide Width and Spacious Toe Box
The Ultra Raptor II Mid Wide GTX is significantly wider than the common Ultra Raptor II Mid GTX and comes with a spacious toe field that’s broad sufficient to splay out your toes. I switched from regular-sized Ultra Raptors IIs this 12 months to the wide-sized model primarily for the elevated toe field area, since I expertise tingling in my toes after I hike, a situation known as Morton’s Neuroma, attributable to sporting path runners and mountain climbing boots that had been too slender for a lot of a few years. A large toe field fully alleviates the situation, nonetheless.
The heel portion of those Ultra Raptor II Mid Wide GTXs remains to be slightly broad for me, nonetheless, however I’ve discovered that the match works effectively if I simply put on a considerably heavier sock. That’s wonderful with me as a result of I’ve gone by means of 20-some pairs of Ultra Raptors and Ultra Raptor IIs over time they usually’re nonetheless my all-time favorites although I’ve tried nearly each path runner ever made….or at the very least it feels prefer it. Once fitted, these carry out precisely the identical by way of traction and safety.
Sticky Ruber Soles
The La Sportiva Ultra Raptor II Mid GTX is designed for mountain climbing on rugged mountain trails. It has a rubber sole that’s gentle and really sticky on rock, together with moist rock, which you’d anticipate from an organization that minimize its enamel on making climbing sneakers. The sole has an arch that’s designed to attenuate impression to the mid-foot and encourages touchdown in your forefoot leading to higher traction by the entrance lugs. It additionally incorporates a function known as the impression brake system, that are merely reversed lugs that help in breaking in steep and slippery terrain. While this lug sample works greatest on laborious surfaces, it supplies much less traction in muddy situations as a result of modest lug top.
Arched Sole
The articulated arch within the Ultra Raptor II Mid Wide GTX additionally makes them appropriate with extra conventional mountain climbing and mountaineering gaiters which is invaluable throughout mud season or in late autumn once you want much less foot insulation however retaining your socks dry remains to be paramount. That’s after I like utilizing these sneakers, myself.
The arch permits using the heavy-duty gaiter straps discovered on excessive waterproof gaiters, one thing you simply can’t do with flat-bottomed mids or mountain climbing boots. Having an arch may sound like an apparent function to incorporate on a mountain climbing mid for chilly and moist climate, however store round: arches are an more and more uncommon function on path runners and mids.
Beefy Toe Kick
The Ultra Raptor II Mid Wide GTX is effectively protected up entrance with a really beefy toe kick. It’s nice for mountain climbing throughout scree, gravel, and rocky trails. I don’t take a look at my toes after I hike throughout such terrain and this added degree of safety lets me hike quick with out worrying about bruising, painful impacts, or damaged toenails.
Heel, Side, and Midsole Protection
These mids even have a TPU heel counter and TPU strips alongside the edges that anchor into the midsole for added safety and stability. In addition, an injection-molded EVA midsole with a TPU shank supplies anti-torsional stability within the arch sole.
Ankle Cuff
The ankle cuff is roofed with a easy gentle shell material and flippantly padded. with a gentle consolation collar in again to remove painful rubbing alongside the again of the leg simply above the ankle. There are 7 inches of clearance from the only to the highest of the ankle cuff, so you may simply stroll by means of puddles or rock jump over partially submerged rocks and never get moist into the shoe. I’ve discovered the waterproofing to be 100% efficient within the Ultra Raptor II Mid Wide GTX which makes them a pleasure to make use of in moist climate.
Drop
With a drop of 12mm, the Ultra Raptor II Mid Wide GTX is nowhere close to a zero-drop shoe they usually’re decidedly not modern in that respect. On the flip facet, it implies that they’re very straightforward to transition to if you happen to’ve been sporting mountain climbing boots or mids and wish to strive them, particularly as a result of no break-in time is required. You can actually put them on and begin mountain climbing with out having to be taught or practice your toes and calves within the biomechanics of mountain climbing in zero-drop sneakers. It additionally makes switching again to boots a lot simpler when winter rolls round and it’s worthwhile to put on insulated footwear.
Sizing
The Ultra Raptor II Mid Wide GTX is accessible in EU sizes, each full and half sizes which I discover is perfect for dialing in a exact match. I feel the sneakers are true to measurement, however you may want to purchase just a few pairs in adjoining sizes to dial in a exact match if you happen to haven’t used the finer-grained EU sizing earlier than.
The mids embrace a hybrid foam insole which is thicker than that discovered within the low model of the Ultra Raptor however has no added heel help. I discover that eradicating it will increase the inside quantity of the shoe and makes it straightforward to interchange with a extra sturdy insole that gives extra heel help to forestall plantar fasciitis.
Recommendation
The La Sportiva’s Ultra Raptor II Mid Wide GTX excels in mountain terrain as a result of its soles have sticky rubber which adheres effectively to rock, together with moist rock, with a degree of stability and safety that has no equal. Their broad toe field and sizing make them comfy to put on by folks with bigger toes or individuals who need a bigger toe field and are keen to shim out the additional mid-foot area with thicker socks. I additionally suppose they’re a wonderful choice for spring mud-season and late autumn mountain climbing as a result of they’ve arches which can be appropriate with waterproof gaiter straps. If you’re able to ditch your winter boots for spring mountain climbing season, however nonetheless need waterproof safety, I’d suggest attempting these La Sportiva’s Ultra Raptor II Wide GTX Mids.
Disclosure: The creator owns this product
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Last up to date: 2023-05-02 23:19:24
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