LaSportiva Trango Trek Boots and Sandstone Shoes

LaSportiva is not a name heard often in the hunting world, but we here at Backcountry Bowhunting are always trying to bring you the very best gear for your hard earned money, and LaSportiva fell in that grouping. LaSportiva has been making mountaineering boots, climbing shoes and backpacking boots for over 80 years in Italy. Nowadays LaSportiva has a North American division which is head quartered here in our own Boulder Colorado. Way cool!

I called LaSportiva and told them that we were looking for a boot that was sturdy, but also flexible and quiet. I also was looking for a good light hiker for those early summer scouting trips. With out skipping a beat they sent me two great boots (Okay, one’s really a shoe, but on steroids.)

Sandstone GTX-XRC

The Sandstone GTX-XRC is a great cross training style shoe, with a super aggressive Vibram impact brake system which reduces impact by 20% by opposing the slants on the lugs. This impact brake system also increases the Sandstone GTX-XRC traction by 20% as well and because of the opposing lugs you get great traction going up hill or down. The Sandstone GTX-XRC comes with all the bells and whistles that you want in a good cross training style hiking shoe. It has a leather and nylon body for extra durability and breathable, and the nose has an abrasion resistant coating to protect from wear and tear. The Sandston GTX-XRC has a Gor-Tex XRC (Extended comfort range) lining which keeps your feet dry from water from the outside and sweat from the inside by allowing your feet to breathe. This shoe is a very beefy shoe able to handle what ever you throw at it, on the trail or just around town. The Sandstone GTX-XRC also received Gear of the Year award form Outside Magazine.

Trango Trek GTX

The Trango Trek GTX is just as impressive as the Sandstone. This boot comes with a Vibram sole, full leather body, a rubber wrap toe cap for extra life to the boot, a Gor-Tex liner, and speed lacing system. That is just what the Trango Trek GTX is made of. The real impressive part is how it handles. Weighing in at just three pounds six ounces, the Trango Trek GTX is built for backcountry hunting it has great ankle support for those steep slops and for caring those heavy loads (ideally your Elk or trophy buck) back to your truck. But you still have the flexibility that you want to be able to creep and sneak up on your prey. These boots are great on every terrain and angle that I tried them on. This is the kind of boot that you can wear to do spring turkey hunting as well as wear during archery season and into rifle season with out having to do more than change your socks. The other nice thing is that the Trango Trek GTX is carried by all R.E.I. stores so they are easy to find and get a hold of. LaSprotiva makes a ton of other boots and shoes which you can check out at their website Sportiva.com. If you are looking for a new boot this year, I would highly recommend that you check out what LaSportiva has to offer.

La Sportiva can be reached at:
La Sportiva North America
3850 Frontier Ave. #100
Boulder, Colorado 80301
tel: 303.443.8710
fax: 303.442.7541
web: http://www.sportiva.com/

We’ll see you on the mountain!