La Sportiva Wildcat

Go# Wow. They may depress more than slightly after a thorough two hundred miles of wear as mentioned, but what miles those are/ Incredible.

I had to get the Gore-tex version last month to check out the other side of the tracks. I weigh enough at present, and my feet have had a brute life. The sock type fit is secure enough and sucks up to the individual with its own idea still maintained. The cushioning is unmatched for long fast technical single track hiking. Long steep descents may prove sore tootsies because it's hard to lace tight the forefoot.

As for every other part of the hike, it's worth the trade off. You can't go wrong if you put in some red laces.

I love the Wildcats but unfortunately they are not very durable. My first pair failed in about 250 miles of trail running.

The problem is with the heel cushion. Overtime it starts compressing and you lose stability. Mine compressed over a half inch. During a race they eventually caused my heel to start slipping resulting in a bad blister. Also I noticed the sole itself cracks.

I've never seen such a bad failure in quality trail shoes with relatively low miles. La Sportiva really needs to take a serious look at the durability problem.