Mountain shoes
Product 2019
Woman, Man
We enjoyed these La Sportiva Bushido II because they are a consistent and performant product. The usual DNA from the Italian manufacturer: foot envelopment and precision. There is no doubt, the fit is very good from heel to toes.
We really loved how precise these Bushido II are. As soon as you put them on you feel taken care of, carefully enveloped by its upper. They best suit narrow to medium-width feet.
Lacing is very efficient and adjustable right to the toes. The laces are flat and very thin, take care not to over tighten because despite the very good padded technical tongue, a compression point may appear at the top of the instep. Would a slightly wider lace have limited this sensation? We loved the little loop at the heel to help getting them on. Very thin, we wondered if the seams would last: but, after several weeks of lots of use, there was no change.
The tongue is super technical: its shape, materials, cushioning, look, and asymmetry. It also limits pebbles and other grit from entering the shoes.
The overall comfort of La Sportiva Bushido II is good, you could easily run long distances with them. We did not notice any pressure points or unpleasant friction. The heel area is appropriately protected; the structure is very well designed and almost like a second skin.
As usual at La Sportiva takes great care in the quality of the materials they use and how they assemble them. Designed for difficult terrain, born to resist, they do sometimes overlook the weight. Even if they are fairly average in weight for this category, they could weigh a few grams less. 310g in 42.5.
The foot strike has a fluid flow and the torsional stiffness is well-adjusted for crossing slopes sideways. These shoes allow you to move freely with confidence.
The cushioning is present but not very obvious. The fore foot is sparsely cushioned, the heel has more. La Sportiva chose this configuration deliberately, they are designed more for fore foot runners who want energy in their spring.
A 6mm drop is an interesting choice midway between 4mm (classic fore foot runner) and 8mm (more cushioning usually).
They have an average grip, the notched sole under the forefoot and heel does the work in areas that can be technical but when it gets very muddy, the grip isn’t enough. For runnable paths and on the climb they well. Look out, under the arch, there is a flat area without any lugs, which is sometimes surprising when you land. The big advantage of these soles is that they never clog up with mud. They also filter out rocky ground well.
La Sportiva Bushido II are great shoes for technical trails. The foot envelopment, quality manufacturing and comfort that you can count on this season.
6 mm 
We used this equipment over a long period of time
These are our thoughts after intensive use:
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