La Sportiva Men’s Bushido III Shoe Review

Mountain Weekly News ~

The samurai moves fast and strongly into battle, with honor and skill and fury, fueled by a code of warrior stoicism known as bushido; if alive today, no doubt he’d be training in the La Sportiva Bushido III Shoes. It has the precision and power of a katana, and the protection and support of good armor. As my fall turns into winter and I pound the trail further and harder, as snow piles on the trail and what dirt is left becomes mud, I need a shoe that can keep up. The Bushido IIIs did more; they spurred me on.

La Sportiva Bushido III Impact Brake System

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Where your foot hits the trail is maybe the most important part of your running shoe and La Sportiva focused on that when constructing the third iteration of their epic Bushido running shoe. The Impact Brake System is a series of lugs deep enough to grip the slipperiest of mud at an angle making for quick stops and direction changes. They’re almost like rubber cleats.

It isn’t just the lugs that lock you in on rocky trails going from hardpack to mud to snow and back. La Sportiva used their Frixion Red XT 2.0 rubber, a little compromise between sticky rubber in the center of the lugs on the sole with stiffer, stronger rubber on the sides. That means when the run turns to a rock scramble, you’ll get better grip than almost any other trail running shoe. I took mine out for some scrambling around my local crag and discovered they would actually make an okay approach shoe despite not have a sole made specifically for climbing.

Plus throw in the FLEX inserts to make sure that sole stays strong no matter what you’re going over, while it flexes around uneven terrain, making running, like, fun. It’s like cruising top-speed through the backcountry in one of those souped-up UTV rally things. I actually really enjoyed running down in these, and I don’t think I’ve ever said that about a running shoe. Or even running downhill, really.

Responsive Sole

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La Sportiva’s Bushido III also gives your foot a soft, responsive landing pad. The amount of tech they crammed into this shoe is insane. Of course its Ortholite Hybrid insole is the topper that doesn’t stop. Eco-friendly and washable, this insole uses PU foam cells so it’s like your feet are running on a supportive but oh so sweet mattress. It’s made of 5% recycled rubber and 15% production waste foam meaning, as we’ll touch on, they’re really pushing for some environmental consciousness.

Then your midsole has a bunch of cool stuff. There’s this 4mm LaSpEVA for softness on top of the stiffer Compression Molded MEMlex putting down a bed below it. The forefoot has an EVA rock-guard to protect me from breaking my toe from a hard, misplaced step onto a rock in the path. Then there’s the 35A cushioning. Add it all together, my feet got speed and power with every step but stayed comfortable from right out of the box to dozens of miles down the line.

How Do They Feel

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Traditionally I’ve gone with a GORE-TEX shoe for trail running but while there are some serious waterproofing benefits, the extra weight wasn’t great for my feet or my times. La Sportiva’s Bushido III feels almost like you have nothing on your feet, and keeps my feet from sweating like my feet often do with GORE-TEX options. I have wider, flatter feet and so the wide toe box make the Bushido IIIs fit perfectly out of the box, while it tightens towards the top of the shoe so I can lock them in around my thin shins.

La Sportiva uses Air Mesh to make it super breathable, a material that’s strong, full of holes, and still rugged. Then the Thermal Adhesive Microfiber and Welded Ripstop Overlays with Mono-burr mesh inlays keeps it all together, making it bombproof but also light, like spider webbing, or a mountain woman. All told the whole shoe only weighs in at 10.5 ounces. I hardly felt them as I pounded out the miles in my neighborhood, and they were noticeably lights as I ran an uphill trail.

Perfection with Morality

Prada. Ferragamo. La Sportiva. Italians are known for crafting some of the finest shoes in the world. Hell, La Sportiva’s been making epic footwear for 96 years and counting. From climbing to mountaineering to trail running, they’re the vanguard of outdoor toe sheaths. I’ve personally summited countless peaks and had the greatest memories in their mountaineering boots (LA Sportiva Baruntses were my favorite split touring boots), their climbing shoes (Mythos are still about the most magical OG climbing shoe), and now these Bushido IIIs get into the ranks as age and responsibility has me trail running more than ice climbing.

But La Sportiva also has a conscience. They make as much as possible of their Bushido III from recycled materials. And they’re vegan. So not only were no animals harmed in the making of these shoes, but if you’re one of those vegan people you could eat them if you get lost in the backcountry (a little vegan humor never hurt anybody).

Overall Impression

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La Sportiva Bushido III: A Trail Warrior’s Shoe. Bushido in the samurai code is said to promote a balance between strength and calmness; it strives for unyielding spirit and dependability combined with unbeatable discipline. La Sportiva’s Bushido III ($145.00) lives up to that. It pounds the trail relentlessly, while propelling you to the next battle up the mountain or through the forest. Because in the end, running can be a battle. Against the terrain. Against yourself. But oh damn is it fulfilling and strengthening, and you can see and experience a lot of amazing things along the way. The Bushido III is strong and light enough to support you through all of your big runs.

If you’re going to push your body and mind for miles without end, you need a shoe that not only can keep up but can propel you to greatness. You need a trail warrior’s weapon of choice, the Bushido III.

Related Trail Running Shoes We Have Tested

1. Scarpa Spin Planet Trail Shoe
2. Salomon Outpulse GORE-TEX Shoe
3. adidas Terrex Agravic GTX

The post La Sportiva Men’s Bushido III Shoe Review appeared first on Mountain Weekly News by Ryan Ariano.