La Sportiva Makalu: Advice Sought

Discussion:

(too old to reply)

2004-05-09 05:58:40 UTC

Hello:

I have been shopping around lately for a good all around mountaineering
boot. I wound up buying a pair of La Sportiva Makalus. While some online
reviews of this boot are outstanding, many reviews repeatedly say that boot
fit is a severe problem leading to many painful bloody hours. Part of this
may be the long breaking in required for this boot.

Given this, I am highly paranoid that if I dont have the perfect fit, I will
pay dearly. I did solicit the expert advice from several outfitters but the
difference between a boot being slightly too large and slightly too small
can be quite nominal and measured in millimeters. Either scenario could be a
nightmare. At present, if I angle my foot and try to press into the toebox,
I can feel my big toe just touch the front of the toe box; and only under
these angular conditions. Am I destined for painful toe crunching hell out
on 1 and 2 week trips (trail, rock, snow, & ice)? I fear that if I go up in
size, sliding around in the boot could cause even more terror.

Any good advice on this boot as it pertains to fit, breaking in, or anything
else? I have 7 weeks to break them in.

Thanks.

howard

BobT

2004-05-09 15:32:07 UTC

Permalink

Post by x
I have been shopping around lately for a good all around mountaineering
boot. I wound up buying a pair of La Sportiva Makalus. While some online
reviews of this boot are outstanding, many reviews repeatedly say that boot
fit is a severe problem leading to many painful bloody hours. Part of this
may be the long breaking in required for this boot.
Given this, I am highly paranoid that if I dont have the perfect fit, I will
pay dearly. I did solicit the expert advice from several outfitters but the
difference between a boot being slightly too large and slightly too small
can be quite nominal and measured in millimeters. Either scenario could be a
nightmare. At present, if I angle my foot and try to press into the toebox,
I can feel my big toe just touch the front of the toe box; and only under
these angular conditions. Am I destined for painful toe crunching hell out
on 1 and 2 week trips (trail, rock, snow, & ice)? I fear that if I go up in
size, sliding around in the boot could cause even more terror.
Any good advice on this boot as it pertains to fit, breaking in, or anything
else? I have 7 weeks to break them in.
Thanks.
howard

First, seek the advice of an expert boot fitter.

Many outdoor store footwear sales people are clueless - some are pro's. Try
this:
Ask to try on a specific boot.
If the response is "What size do you wear?", walk (or run) away.
The salesperson should measure your foot, usually with a Brannock device.
The salesperson might suggest that another brand of boot might fit your foot
better, then you may have someone that knows how to fit boots.

But, you already bought your boots. If your toes touch the end of the boot,
they may be uncomforable walking downhill. Remember that you feet usually
swell when hiking all day. At higher elevations, this effect is more
pronounced. I find that varying sock thickness changes boot fit more than
one would expect. If the boots do not seem to fit very well or do not feel
pretty comfortable in the store or walking around you house, they are very
likely to be miserable after walking for four hours.

Unfortunately, my experience has been that no matter how carefully I choose
a pair of boots, I cannot tell whether they will not cause blisters or foot
pain until I hike in them for a day or two.

BobT

Traveler4D

2004-05-10 12:35:34 UTC

Permalink

Post by BobT
But, you already bought your boots. If your toes touch the end of the boot,

they may be uncomforable walking downhill. Remember that you feet usually
swell when hiking all day. At higher elevations, this effect is more
pronounced. I find that varying sock thickness changes boot fit more than one
would expect. If the boots do not seem to fit very well or do not feel
pretty comfortable in the store or walking around you house, they are very
likely to be miserable after walking for four hours.>

I would make that statement sure to be, rather than likely to be. Best cause
of blackened toenails is smashing them into the toe of the boot doing steep
descents. Add to that the serious pain of this event and you are now for all
practical purposes, disabled on the trail. If you have not put many miles on
the new boots, and purchased them at a decent store, you should be able to take
them back and exchange for the next size up (EMS allows this, as do other
outfitters). It is actually better to have a boot too large than too small in
the toe box. Socks can be used to make up the difference. Expect your feet to
swell about a half size when out for a day hike, at high elevations, this can
be a bit more pronounced.

bizbee

2004-05-10 15:16:42 UTC

Permalink

On Sun, 9 May 2004 10:32:07 -0500 in

Post by BobT
If the response is "What size do you wear?", walk (or run) away.

I'm curious why you would do this. You're placing an awful lot on that
salesperson's ability to know what the hell he's looking at when he
uses the Brannock... and as someone who sold a hell of a lot of shoes
when I was in college, I can tell you right now that the Brannock is
no where near as accurate as what the person wearing the shoe tells
you--they know how much their feet spread, how much their feet swell,
how much larger/smaller one foot is than the other, whether they have
a toe that just needs a little more room... all things that a Brannock
device can't tell you squat about. Why you would make such a statement
is beyond me. Always listen to the customer.

Gary S.

2004-05-10 18:10:39 UTC

Permalink

Post by bizbee
On Sun, 9 May 2004 10:32:07 -0500 in

Post by BobT
If the response is "What size do you wear?", walk (or run) away.

I think his point may have been that many people do not know their
correct number size.

In any case, however the number size is derived, that means nothing
except which boots to start with.

All that counts is the fit, and I have posted here previously in some
detail on the fitting process from the perspective of one who has
worked retail selling hiking boots. Google may help, although I should
try to find what I had written.

Skillfully used, the Brannock can give a lot of insight into the shape
of a person's foot. Things like arch length vs overall length, width
at the ball of the foot vs the heel, how the foot changes when
weighted and unweighted, and so on are very helpful to an experienced
boot fitter.

Happy trails,
Gary (net.yogi.bear)
------------------------------------------------
at the 51st percentile of ursine intelligence

Gary D. Schwartz, Needham, MA, USA
Please reply to: garyDOTschwartzATpoboxDOTcom

Guido

2004-05-10 01:33:59 UTC

Permalink

Post by x
I have been shopping around lately for a good all around mountaineering
boot. I wound up buying a pair of La Sportiva Makalus.
Any good advice on this boot as it pertains to fit, breaking in, or anything
else? I have 7 weeks to break them in.

Buy second skin (r) or moleskin (r). Apply liberally as hot spots develop,
always in anticipation, never in remedy.

Live in the boots. Take them off only to sleep.

Repeat ad nauseum, until your feet are broken in. Seven weeks ain't much.

G

Kay Laughter

2004-05-10 05:16:57 UTC

Permalink

I just got my first pair of real "mountain boots" broken in a few days ago.
I've always had hiking boots, but never one of the $100+ pairs designed for
the specific kind of hiking I do, so it was a real trick to get used to
walking in them!

As far as fit goes, the two other folk who replied gave good advice,
although you *did* already buy the boots so eh..

Recommendation for breaking in boots:
1- use a thin liner sock, made of something slippery like silk, underneath a
nice thick hiking style wool or otherwise sock.
2- wear the boots until you feel "hot spots", places blisters are starting
to form. Take the boots off and give your feet some time to heal from the
blisters, apply moleskin, duct tape, or Band-Aids to the blister-prone zone
you discovered !!
3- put the boots back on until you start feeling hot spots again, and repeat
procedure.

I found that if you actually wear the boots long enough for actual blisters
to form, it'll be far more painful, and your feet will suffer through the
breaking in process.

Me, I have fragile skin. It is a pain, but it means that I need to treat my
feet very carefully when it comes to new boots. But overall, it'll be a
pleasanter experience if you care for your feet very well. My boots took
about a month of breaking in, but then I go very slowly. I get absolutely
no blisters, hot spots, or soreness now, even after a full day of hiking, so
obviously my boots are well fit to my feet. *grins!* I had one of those
camping store experts help me with boots, and he did measure my feet and
suggest different boot-fits and the like. Overall took about an hour of
trying on boots before I selected the pair I now have. Was Definitely worth
it now, to have such a great pair of boots! I can modify the fit of my
boots with different thickness of socks. I need to wear my thick all-wool
socks for a good fit at the start, but when I get hot and feet swell a
little, I fit well with a thinner pair of half-wool half manmade material
socks.
--
kay Laughter

-If you Understand or if you Don't,
if you Believe or if you Doubt,
there's a Universal Justice,
and the Eyes of Truth are always
Watching You.....

b***@telemark.slac.stanford.edu

2004-05-10 12:58:43 UTC

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_ I would not buy a boot I could make my toes touch the end in
the store. The real problem is determining whether you have a La
Sportiva shaped foot. If you don't then no size is really going
to be right. A really good bootfitter might be able to help you
figure that out, but mostly the only way to know is to try. As
far as size goes I would err slightly on the size of too
large. It's much easier to take up volume in stiff boots than to
create it. However, it's hard to know exactly what fit will work
best for you until you have some experience with the boots. You
want room for your toes, but you want the boot to be somewhat
snug through the arch and ankle without overtightening the laces.
If you have to crank hard on the laces to keep your foot from
sliding around, you might compromise circulation in your feet,
never a good idea.

_ Personally, I try and get a fit with very little heel lift, but
some people think a little heel lift is okay. Finding the right
sock combo also makes a big difference. Aftermarket insoles can
help quite a bit in fine tuning the fit. In your case they might
be ideal as raising the heel a little effectively shortens the
foot and can eliminate toe bang.

_ Booker C. Bense

Jason Moore

2004-05-11 06:08:04 UTC

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As someone who has actually worn two pairs of Makalu's I'll say this:

The early version without the rubber toe cap was awesome (for me). The
quality and function of these boots was very good for my perfect size 9-1/2,
although I purchased a size 10 - Euro conversion. I burned up about 1200
miles, many crampon snow climbs, and many days of heavy backpacking before I
felt they were getting too blown out.

The rubber toe cap on the newer version was the crux. When they added this
feature it prevented the toe box from stretching out and accommodating your
(or maybe just my) custom fit. The newer version has never stretched out to
a point I have been comfortable with, in fact the toe box has seemed to
shrink.
As a result I have suffered many toe to toe blisters, and vicious soreness
across the lower foot.

Fit them right at the beginning, and if you find lots of room in the toes go
for it. The quality and durability, torsional stiffness and crampon
capability make them an excellent boot. Also, I have been consistently
satisfied with La Sportiva quality.

Jason