User Review: La Sportiva Makalu

La Sportiva Makalu
Above: The current Makalu, which may differ slightly from the version reviewed.

Reviewed April 27, 2009 by L3vi

Rating:
Materials: Full- Leather
Use: 10years of everything
Break-in Period: 1 month
Weight: 2800gramm/pair
Price Paid: 130 Euros

I bought the boots in 2000, so it is the older type of these tough moonwalkers. No toe protector, and it is with vibram outsole not with the MPE.

I have been using this in every second weekend for daytrips, and one or two times a year for 1-2 weeks long trips.

The breaking time is very very long, I think I needed around 1 month of daily walking in it before I allowed myself to use it an expedition. For me the insoles are very hard, I replaced them with a GEL type of insole, it serves well.

It is brutally waterproof, I mean the gore-tex and syntethic, half-leather solutions after a while will allow water in. I just always bring a newspaper with myself what I put in during the evening, I cure the boots with nickwax, if it is snow and muddy wet terrain I use pig or seal grease. Once I used a kind of wax, from this time my boots are discoloured and the metal parts, shoelace holes became greenish.

The lace system is not the best, takes time to lace up.
All in all, I always use double socks, even during the summer and I have never ever had any blisters. I have better boots than this, but nothing is tougher and more durable. This one is undestroyable.

If your aim is more vertical than horizontal I can give five stars, but as I used it everywhere, I just give 4.

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Where to Buy

Buy Online We found the Makalu at 3 online stores:

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Product Description

Price

Backcountry.com 2 purchase options:	Makalu Mountaineering Boot - Men's	$229.46	Buy Now
Backcountry.com 2 purchase options:	Makalu Mountaineering Boot - Women's	$229.46	Buy Now