La Sportiva Mens Karacal Trail Running Shoe

Product Information

Although the 3mm lugs aren’t exceptionally deep, they are sharp and strategically placed so they attach well to a variety of surfaces

There are no additional costs or duties on products marketed in countries within the European Union. Customers will not have to pay anything on delivery.The midfoot fit on the Karacal is snug and secure without being restrictive. I haven’t had any hot spots or rubbing. I will note that the Karacal does have a higher than average arch in the shoe, so this is something to note for those with flat feet. I didn’t have any issues with the high arch support. Les produits retournés ne doivent pas avoir été portés, lavés ou altérés de quelque manière que ce soit.

John: The Sense Ride 3 has more cushion, especially in the forefoot. Given the cushion differences, I would prefer to take the Sense Ride on longer excursions. Both have really great traction, but the slight edge goes to the Karacal. Jeff V: John describes the upper very well and I agree with him on all points. The upper is pleasingly well ventilated, secure, without feeling confining and while in comparison to most shoes, the forefoot is not notably generous, it is relatively generous for a La Sportiva and has just enough room for splay, swell and just a bit more relaxed, while maintaining very good foothold throughout. An aside: Vibram makes two “MegaGrip” compounds, 65 / 70 Shore A (a softer rubber) and 75 / 80 Shore A, a harder rubber that compromises some grip for a little more durability when compared to the 65 / 70 Shore A compound. I’ve run in shoes with the harder Megagrip formula and found the performance to be pretty great, but I still prefer the La Sportiva Bushido II’s “FriXion Red” outsole if I’m scrambling class 3 and 4 terrain, the Salomon Sense Pro 4’s “Contagrip” compound if I’m running on something wet and firm, and the Dynafit Alpine’s softer Vibram “Megagrip” outsole for, well, just about everything. So, given the description and performance rating La Sportiva assigns their “FriXion Blue” rubber, it seems reasonable to compare it to Vibram’s harder “MegaGrip” formula. I think the subtleties between outsole materials can be quite valuable when it comes to choosing the right shoe for a specific terrain or activity.Weight seems to be a frequent flier for these mountain-oriented shoes. 11.2 ounces (US M11) isn’t jaw-dropping by any means. Newer tech is dropping our idea of what “heavy” actually means in this world. It would be satisfying for this shoe to trend that way in further iterations.