La Sportiva Halite GTX Boot

Great hiking boot, good construction, quality, all that jazz. Also Sportiva is the best company to work with. That said... my boots don't fit. 42.5 was too small, 43.5 was way too big. The obvious solution? a 43. I ordered em up and when they arrived they seemed to fit wellalthough a little snug in the toebox. I figured after a few days use they would surly break in a bit and be mint. I have worn them at least a dozen times and they are still too narrow in the toe, and a bit too short also. In a boot like this you want then to fit just right. I dont have wide, or big feet by any means, and this boot is too narrow. Sized up to a friends rival company's boot of the same size and specs, his is notably wider, even to the naked eye. I would try on these boots in person, and make sure they fit nicely with the sock's you'd be wearing on a hike... dont leave it to assumption or a guess.

I wear la sportiva approach shoes for most daily activities so decided to try the Halite GTX when my Asolo hiking boots gave out. I've only had the Halites about a month, but so far so good on day hikes on rocky trails and occasional all-day wear indoors at work on cold days.I wear size 9 for most shoes - these are 42.5's and they fit quite well - lots of room in the toe-box and snug on the sides with no heel slip when laced up tight. I might have gotten away with 42's but i think they might have been too small with thibk socks.Too early to tell about durability but no early signs of trouble.

Update: still comfortable, but the sole of one boot has started to come peel off. Sending them back.

I am very happy with these boots. I found them to be incredibly comfortable and not ovens for my feet, Though still warm enough to hike in the Sequoias in November with only one pair of socks. The water proofing was also put to the test in 6 or 8 stream crossings, and held up amazing. My feet not only stayed dry, but despite the mud and muck, the shoes still look new. The only reason they get 4 stars instead of 5 is probably my fault, not the boots, I only wore them for 2 hikes, and a little around the house before the Sequoia trip, and several miles of steep uphill caused achilles tendon blisters. Like I said, it was probably my fault, but I still can't give 5 stars.

OK, I have a wide foot. Birkenstocks are too narrow. But these fit. Wider than some other La Sportivas. I used these for a sheep hunting trip in the Sangre de Cristo mountains. I hiked very hard over loose scree, lots of vertical, and a did lots of side-hilling. My buddy had a pair of La Sportiva mountaineering boots and the only time they were an advantage was when we packed out the sheep. Descending very steeply on loose scree with a 60 pound pack was asking much of these boots. They were not designed for this, but they did the job very well. Plenty of support, even when loaded. Also, the boots held up very well to all the abuse.

This is a great boot, but I can't give it 5 stars. As most people have mentioned it runs very narrow, and my feet are not excessively wide. I even got a 1/2 size big after reading the other reviews here. I wore it around the house for 2 days (15 hours total) before I took it on a trail. I've put 30 miles on them on trails so far and they are finally feeling more comfortable. Otherwise they're awesome. Rugged, have great grip on even some slick, wet rocks, and they're water tight.

I bought a pair of these in summer 2007 after falling and slipping on several previous hikes in my old boots. Since then I've put over 200 miles of Adirondack high peak trails behind me with very good grippability on wet and dry and submerged rocks. I have fussy feets and have no sore spots or blisters. In my opinion these are the most comfortable, supportive boots I've ever owned. They are starting to look beat - but they are still waterproof and the soles are still sticky. Fashion-wise, they go with everything.

So far, I'm pretty happy with these boots. Excellent for light day hikes. With a heavy pack I'd go with something a little more substantial. The only reason I can't give them 5 stars is that durability has always been a question with La Sportiva. I love their boots and climbing shoes, but find that they tend to fall apart quicker thay they should. I haven't tested these enough to find out yet.... so 4 out of 5

Bought these a few months back for hiking. So far I've used them several times in the NH Presidentials and have had no problems. They've done a great job with a fairly heavy pack on Mt Washington in March and kept my feet dry crossing some streams in Franconia Notch in May.

It has not caused any problems for me but make sure you get fitted before ordering because mine are just a bit big.

The first few times I wore these I though about returning them due to the narrow fit causing some pain, however they did eventually break in well and I wear them for all my hikes now. They just stood up really well on an AT section in VT despite getting soaked. Only reason not 5 star was the narrow fit and long break in period (about 75 trail miles).