Review on La Sportiva Ultra Raptor Trail Running Shoe for Men by Patrick Gibb

I've done 2 trail marathons in it so only about 50 miles. The shoes are comfortable and protect the foot well in rocky environments. The sole is decently sticky and stable, although don't expect miracles (I'll state the obvious: you'll still slip when walking on mud-covered rocks). Two stars deducted for the following reason: 50 miles and parts of the run. the pattern of the sole is already coming off. END OF LIFE UPDATE The attached photos were taken today when I took my shoes off after 286 miles. The toe of my left boot was ripped off on my last hike when my foot caught on a low hanging branch (a white paper towel was attached to the inside of the boot for contrast). The right shoe also shows signs of fatigue on the mesh upper. I'm also including pictures of the outsole and cleats at the end of their life for demonstration purposes. I was thinking whether or not to upgrade from 3 stars to 2 stars due to this top grid issue (a branch shouldn't break the grid like that). If I could I would probably lower it to 2.5 stars. However. It annoys me that I have to stop showing after only 286 miles, but the shoe was fine as long as it lasted. PROS: - comfortable on long technical runs, good overall foot protection for a 13oz shoe) - Versatility: I've used this for technical long distance runs (I use my Akash for non-technical long distance runs) and technical hikes. CONS: - Durability: I'm not sure if my experience is exceptional or not, but the upper mesh isn't entirely satisfactory in my case and the outsole lugs disappeared pretty quickly. I would expect a shoe like this to run 400 miles - I would prefer a tongue with pleats as this tends to slide sideways which is uncomfortable and offers less protection - the laces come undone too easily, consider replacing, if you intend to load them (e.g. for technical trail running).