La Sportiva Men's Ultra Raptor Trail Running Shoes

Product Information

There are no additional costs or duties on products marketed in countries within the European Union. Customers will not have to pay anything on delivery. I tested the Ultra Raptor II in a women’s 8.5 (EU 40), my standard size in most shoes. As is the case with many La Sportiva models, the shoe was a bit snug around the forefoot and not as long as I had hoped (despite being one of their most high-volume designs). Surprisingly, it still ended up being very comfortable on the trail, despite warm temperatures and swelling feet. That said, most users will want to consider sizing up a half size. If you’re after a similarly lightweight mid-cut hiking boot, then the La Sportiva Ultra Raptor II Mid GTX competes squarely with various rival models from brands like Adidas Terrex, Inov-8, Scarpa, Mammut and Salomon. For more options, out T3's best hiking boots and best women's hiking boots guides. While fairly durable for a synthetic shoe, the Ultra Raptor II won’t hold up as well as leather designs. In short: You can’t go wrong with La Sportiva’s Ultra Raptor II running shoes. The Raptor is a monster on the mountain. These shoes let runners take technical terrain in stride. The massive soles and lugs handle mud, choss, and steep trails with no problem.

When putting the Ultra Raptor II shoes up against my previous trail runners — the Danner Trail 2650 Campo GTX trail shoes — they are similar in many respects, but the Raptors are much beefier. The Ultra Raptor II is billed as the ideal all-terrain mountain running shoe for long-distance runs and ventures off the beaten path. Yet the stout build of the shoe does not translate to heft — it’s still very lightweight at 12.5 ounces. The entire shoe is built very solidly with the standout being aggressive lugs combined with FriXion rubber and a Trail Bite heel. The combination provides all-terrain traction and maximum grip. Trail running shoes have to do a little bit of everything. They need to be lightweight, but also heavy-duty enough to stand up to rough terrain or weather. A popular model on market, the La Sportiva Ultra Raptor just got an upgrade. Trail running is one of those sports where footwear is arguably the most important piece of gear you invest in. The La Sportiva Ultra Raptor II has been a staple running shoe for years. For 2022, the iconic Italian brand released the second iteration of this trail beast.

Perfect volume adjustment and foot hold thanks to the dedicated lacing elements: the eye-stay webbings are sewn on the inside of the upper and reinforced on the outside with a high frequency TPU skeleton, allowing the lace pull-force to be distributed equally over all areas of the upper Going both uphill and downhill on some pretty steep grades had me feeling comfortable and stable. I would have no concerns about taking these shoes into some steeper terrain with more exposure, too. Ultra Raptor II vs. Danner Trail 2650 Campo GTX

They both are lightweight and fit snugly. The Danners weigh in at one pound, 8 ounces per pair. Each of the shoe soles is grippy, however, the lugs on the La Sportiva are bigger than the Campo’s Vibram 460 Megagrips.

Performance Comparison

FriXion™ White sole in soft XF compound with pronounced Trail Bite Heel heel for better downhill braking In all, I would say that while both are great trail running shoes, the Danner Trail 2650 Campo GTXs are more akin to running shoes, while the Ultra Raptor IIs veer more toward a hiking boot build.