User Review: La Sportiva Makalu

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

Reviewed April 8, 2000 by Rosco

Rating:
Materials: Leather
Use: Backpacking/Mountaineering
Break-in Period: 3 weeks
Weight: n/a
Price Paid: $380 CDN

My playground resides 120KM west -- the Canadian Rockies. I spent the 3 months leading up to spring break searching for a boot. I visited every store that sold outdoor gear in Calgary and came up empty handed. My last resource was Banff National Park. This is not a place to buy gear if you are on a budget. Typically, costs in this resort town are 15-20% higher than the city. I paid $380.00 for the Makalu, $45.00 for gas on the first trip, then $45.00 again for the second trip because they put a size 10 in the box instead of an 11.

My first outing was on the West Coast of Vancouver Island. Spent the summer hiking. I blessed my boots every time I laid them to rest at the end of the day. Knarly roots, rocks, and slick trails make up the rain forrest floor. These boots performed very well. They are extremely supportive in the ankle area therefore you may want to loosen the laces on long (2KM or more) uphill hikes and tighten going down. I never had to do this though.

Make sure you visit the LaSportiva web site and use the products they recommend for leather protection. I found wetting the boot and then applying the product works the best. This process of leather protection will darken the color of your boots slightly. The other way to apply the leather protectant is to apply directly from the bottle on dry leather surface. If you follow this method your boots will turn a very dark brown color. I have used both methods and have found they equally work well. I was fond of the tan color when I bought them though. I have stood in streams while filtering water and experienced no water penetration into the boots. Why was I buying Gore Tex boots?

After spending so much money I was fanatical about keeping my boots clean. I had a concern about the fuzzy leather surface of these boots. Other makers have a very smooth surface. At some sections of the trail mud coated the entire boots. I was certain I would not be able to remove it and that my boots would stain. I stood in a stream and the wet mud washed off. Boots looked brand new. I have removed dry mud in my shower with a little elbow grease and again, boots turn out looking like new. While I have spent well over $400.00 CDN for these boots, I have never had a moment of reservation.

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Where to Buy

Buy Online We found the Makalu at 3 online stores:

Store

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