User Review: La Sportiva Makalu

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

Reviewed March 2, 2002 by John

Rating: rated 5 of 5 stars
Materials: Leather
Break-in Period: Very Little
Weight: 4+ lbs
Price Paid: $165 @ REI

Others have said that this boot takes a long time to break in, and I would disagree. I believe that you either have the foot for this boot, or you don't, plain and simple. I happen to have a very crappy foot for fitting most boots: long, narrow and low volume (low instep). But, it seems that this is precisely the foot type that fits perfectly with the Makalu! These boots fit me right away, with no break in required (by this, I mean that there was no period of suffering through painful blisters in order to get them to mold to my foot), only a modest amount of wear before trail use should suffice... FOR THE RIGHT FOOT TYPE.

Believe me, I've had horrible boot fittings before (see reviews for the Merrel Grand Traverse M2... absolutely horrible boot that was more expensive than the Italian made Makalu), and it sucks if the boot doesn't fit.

My recommendation: go to REI and try on the Montrail Morraine and the La Sportiva Makalu... these have very different fits... one will fit better than the other... you'll know which kind of foot you have by your decision in this experiment.

Also, be sure to get an after market footbed. Most mountaineering shoe companies are expecting you to pick up one of these, so they don't bother with making their standard one very good. The green Superfeet seems to be the insert of choice for most. Consult a knowledgable footwear specialist and ask them about this.

Where to Buy

Buy Online We found the Makalu at 2 online stores:

StoreProduct DescriptionPrice

Moosejaw
2 purchase options:		Women's Makalu Boot (Spring 2008)$255.00Buy Now
Men's Makalu Boot (Spring 2008)$270.00Buy Now

Backcountry.com
2 purchase options:		Makalu Mountaineering Boot - Men's$269.95Buy Now
Makalu Mountaineering Boot - Women's$269.95Buy Now

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