La Sportiva TX5 GTX, Men's Mountain Boots

Product Information

Comfort around the ankle and heel were good too. The Boreal shoe has a short inbuilt gaiter as the rear section of the ankle padding, which gave good flexibility for the ankle. The tongue had just the right amount of padding, but the gusset is quite thin and had a tendency to wrinkle a little if the shoe wasn’t laced carefully, introducing a little discomfort on the side of the foot. The gusset only comes half-way up the lacing, which allowed water to get into the shoe on deeper bogs and puddles. The heel cup is stiffened to give protection and hold the foot in place. There’s ventilated foam padding around the ankle cuff and tongue. I haven’t seen much in the way of other people encountering this, so maybe it’s just individual to my feet. Best use: technical terrain, scrambling, via ferrata, mountain paths, maintained trails, urban walks.

The Keen shoes were very comfortable and cool and were a good choice on hot and warm days. They don’t shout ‘outdoors’ so are good for use in the urban environment as well as out on the trail. They are medium weight, tipping the scales at less than a kilo for a pair of 9½s. The forefoot is quite broad and is medium volume, but the toe section narrows at the edges, which felt a little pinched for my feet. There was also a slight discomfort from time to time at the flex point at the base of the toes.The sole provides the best underfoot cushioning of any in the test, thanks to its pliable midsole and a little additional foam padding in the ventilated insole. The heel cup is stiffened too, but not quite as much as some of the shoes in the test. There’s a good amount of foam padding in the tongue and around the ankle cuff. The uppers have a Texapore waterproof membrane and the tongue bellows extend well up the shoe to keep rain and splashes out. The Texapore wasn’t over-hot in use on warmer days. The outsole is a Vibram unit with Opti-Stud patterning, the rubber of which provided extra absorption. There’s an Ortholite insole with a good amount of foam padding, again adding to comfort on longer days. The uppers of the European-made Salewa shoe are 1.6mm suede with an overlay containing the brand’s 3F system that links the top of the lacing area with the shoe’s heel and arch area, providing a good stable hold on the rear of the foot. Stand on the A4 paper with your heel pressed firmly against the wall and your foot pointed forward with the edge of your big toe aligned with the edge of the paper.

The fit of the La Sportiva TX5 Low GTX is slightly small and therefore a half size up to a size bigger is recommended. The shoes are suitable for normal feet. The ladies version is built on a ladies last that is narrower at the heel. Construction The Danner shoes have good underfoot cushioning, with an EVA midsole and an insole with extra foam at the heel and forefoot area. There’s a TPU shank which gave good torsional stiffness and added stability on technical routes. The Scarpa Mescalito with good design features for technical terrain, combined with very good comfort overall.Over an extended period of testing, the Danner shoes were very comfortable, and performed well in a variety of settings, from everyday street use to trail walking and country footpaths. There’s a sturdy, deep, rubberised rand running from the hardened toe box all the way round to the stiffened heel cup. Lacing extends, climbing-shoe-style, right to the front of the toe area. The suede areas have venting to help keep feet cool on longer and warmer routes. But let’s not dwell on what you don’t have, instead we shall teach you how to ascertain your size using some common household objects.

The design in understated, making them suitable for everyday use, as well as technical use on the hill.The midsole uses expanded polyurethane and, combined with the foam insole, provided a medium amount of underfoot cushioning.