La Sportiva Ultra Raptor: Great Backpacking Gear or Junk?

Today, we’re going to take a look at the La Sportiva Ultra Raptor low, one of the trail runner options from La Sportiva for hiking, trail running, and lightweight backpacking gear. I took the Ultra Raptor on a recent trip in the White Mountains of New Hampshire in order to test it out.

The Make

La Sportiva is a legendary Italian footwear company, though they aren’t as well known in the US outside of the outdoor community. Their heritage comes from climbing, but they also make a solid line of hiking and trail running footwear. La Sportiva is perhaps best known for their grippy soles that stem from this climbing background.

The Testing Grounds

The White Mountains of New Hampshire are some of the most rugged hiking grounds in North America. From exposed granite rock to stream beds, gullies, snow, and ice, this area presents a great trial zone to get a read on the quality of gear. LL Bean has long tested their gear on Mount Washington, for context. This trip occurred on the south side of Crawford Notch in the area in and around the Pemigewasset Wilderness. It included numerous 4K mountains as well as waterfalls and snow and ice-covered trails. The shoes were tested carrying a pack weighing around 30 lbs on a weeklong trip in spring shoulder season.

Ultra Raptor Specs Rundown

Uses: Trail running, hiking, lightweight (under 35 lbs) backpacking
Best Suited*: Wet, muddy conditions; technical, exposed rocky terrain such as granite domes above treeline
Sole: FriXion White (most grippy La Sportiva rubber)
Shoe Build: Stiff
Shoe Height: Low Ankle (also comes in a mid version)
Profile: Narrow-to-narrow/medium (normal) to medium (wide model)
Sizing**: Runs small
Volume: Higher
Toe Guard: Yes
Rock Plate: Yes
Drop: 7 mm (29 heel/22 toe)
Weight: 320 g men/256 g women
Vented/Waterproofed: Vent
Water Resistance: Very good
Drying Factor***: Very good

* Note that anything that is best in wet conditions will also excel in dry, though wearing it in such conditions may result in faster wear than if one used two pairs of shoes each in conditions best for that pair; but the opposite is unlikely to be the case.
**Your size in any La Sportiva shoe could be up to 0.5 to 1.5 sizes larger than your true size. Make sure to try on both in-store and on trail to be sure your sizing is correct. Do not assume that because you wear one La Sportiva size that your size in another model will be the same.
***Dry speed assumes access to sun and lack of continued exposure to outside moisture.

Sizing

La Sportiva sizing is notoriously quirky, not just compared to other makes but also across models. It’s likely that, after accounting for sizing up 1/2 size if using for hiking or running, you will be at least a full size larger in a La Sportiva shoe, and after working with outdoor footwear retail, I can say I am not sure I remember seeing someone who was not *at least* a half size larger in La Sportiva than their true size. You could be as large as 1.5 sizes larger, depending on the model. This is due to both the shoes running small and the conversion from EU to US sizing.

On the plus side, as a result of that conversion La Sportiva offers what equates essentially to “quarter sizing” which can allow you to fine tune your fit even more to get what works best for you. These are marked as “plus sizes” – i.e. 12+, 12 1/2+, etc. They are, in this example, larger than a 12 but smaller than 12 1/2, etc. – hence why I call them quarter sizes.

Ultra Raptor Grip

The Ultra Raptor uses La Sportiva’s FriXion White rubber for the sole, which is the softest compound they use in a non-climbing shoe. This means that it is the least durable but most grippy of their trail runners or hikers. I tried it on just about every surface imaginable that presented itself on the trail. The only surfaces where grip became an issue were stream-smoothed rock and ice when any amount of slope was involved. There was still some traction when the ice was on flat ground – enough to maintain stability, at least (although I always recommend using microspikes, exospikes, or nanospikes on ice-covered surfaces for safety).

It’s safe to say that I have yet to try a pair of footwear that has quite this level of grip, and that La Sportiva truly showed where its name comes from where grip is concerned. Neither the sole of the shoe being wet or dry nor the trail surface being wet or dry impacted traction except in the aforementioned cases.

Ultra Raptor Fit

Width

Let me lead by noting that like most La Sportiva’s, the Ultra Raptor runs narrow. It does come in a wide that may work for people whose feet run up to average width, but if you are looking for something for a truly wide foot, look elsewhere. It isn’t the narrowest model that La Sportiva makes, though; I’d place it middle of the pack among their trail runner lineup. It’s on the narrower end if their backpacking boot, the Nucleo, is added to the mix as well.

If you are looking for a fit that feels moderately secure but not overly tight around your foot, especially on the heel and mid foot, that’s the Ultra Raptor. It feels more secure than the Wildcat but less so than the Bushido. Definitely reinforces its designed use being on more technical terrain.

Build & Cushioning

The Ultra Raptor is one of La Sportiva’s stiffer trail running builds I’ve tried, likely thanks to the synthetic leather that makes up the lower part of the upper, and I’d advise considering breaking it in more than some other trail runners. But, this added stiffness does mean a bit extra support to the foot overall. The sole is mid-pack among La Sportiva models when it comes to cushioning and feel of the trail. (I’ll be writing a more direct comparison of three primary La Sportiva trail runners shortly, so stay tuned for that).

Note that if you are just switching from hiking shoes, you will need to tighten trail runners more frequently or they can loosen and potentially lead to friction…which means blisters. This is not unique to any trail runner make or model.

Like most La Sportiva shoes, the Ultra Raptor features a toe guard and a rock plate to protect your feet against rocks and roots on the trail. For those unaware, a rock plate is a stiffer section of the midsole that prevents rocks from penetrating the sole of the shoe and causing discomfort on the sole of your foot. The Ultra Raptor has a full length rock plate that does a good job cushioning your feet from rocky impacts.

Support

In terms of foot support, the Ultra Raptor has a significant amount, more than the Bushido or Wildcat for starters. I have very low profile arches and my feet tend to collapse inwards. If you happen to need additional support from a third party insole, I wouldn’t use anything thicker than something like a Superfeet Carbon. More than that and you can impact how deep your foot sits in the shoe (and therefore how the shoe flexes around your foot and interacts around the rim of the shoe, particularly around the heel). Further, the initial level of support is already significant.

In fact, I think using a thicker insole at first may have contributed to some heel abrasion that I encountered; once I switched to the thinner insole that seemed to resolve.

Some may be concerned about using low ankle shoes on trail, seeking greater ankle support. While higher shoes do mean greater support in some cases, this is not always the case. Poles are one of the best ways to add ankle stability. If seeking to add it through footwear specifically, make sure that the part over the ankle is not just an integrated gaiter, but actually has a stiff structural component.

Also, I recommend exercises like ice skating that are geared to adding strength to the ankle ligament. I long had issues with ankles buckling on occasion growing up, but I began skating and playing hockey in college, and (until COVID and work interfered with my skating routine) this wound up being better for my ankle strength than any footwear that I’ve ever owned.

UPPER

The upper is a blend of synthetic leather on the lower portion and mesh around the laces. This makes it more water resistant than the Wildcat or Bushido, although it does not dry as fast as the Wildcat as a result, it is still highly effective. If sun is not available, it is likely that the longer time the Ultra Raptor takes to wet out will be a bigger factor than the Wildcat’s faster dry time, which is most apparent with the presence of sun to drive it.

Ultra Raptor Waterproofing/Venting

The low Ultra Raptor is vented (not waterproof). Day hikers may want to look elsewhere, but if you are a trail runner or an overnight hiker, especially in regions where the weather is highly unpredictable, or in areas where it is unlikely to rain, I don’t recommend waterproofing. If you truly expect significant wet conditions (like snow) you can carry a couple pairs of waterproof socks to wear over your hiking socks. Just make sure to account for the extra space required, and get the thinnest ones possible – you are using them as a liner, not as a full sock.

If you only expect it to be damp, or the occasional puddle, then the Ultra Raptor naturally takes longer than other La Sportiva models to get wet to begin with, and with sun it will dry out instead of leaving your shoes saturated for your entire trip as waterproof shoes will (I speak from experience on this front). Make sure to always wear merino wool socks (I recommend Darn Tough) to pull moisture away from your feet to where your shoes can then allow the sweat and water to evaporate, and always carry several extra pairs. Always walk through, not around puddles to avoid expanding the trail and creating mudpits.

While the shoe is not waterproof, it is water resistant to about halfway up so shallow puddles or small water sources on the trail will take some soaking to penetrate. Deeper or consistently muddy terrain or numerous puddles and waterproof socks are advised if you desire to further prolong the length of time your feet will stay dry from outside water sources.

Ultra Raptor Aesthetics

This is my last consideration when it comes to hiking shoes (and honestly most footwear). But I’d say the Ultra Raptors look pretty darn good and they come in a number of different color combination options to boot.

Overall

Those who have ankle concerns will naturally want to try a low profile shoe out on trail before switching to such a build full time. And those with wide feet, look elsewhere, at Merrell, Keen, or Altra. But if your feet fit the La Sportiva profile, and you are looking for a model that will stick like glue to just about every trail surface imaginable, the Ultra Raptor may be what you are looking for.

It is ideally suited for places like the Northeast/New England where exposed rock makes up a prominent part of many trails and unpredictable weather can mean that rock may be wet. The same would be true for other trails with significant rock scramble elements. It’s also ideal for those who enjoy hikes to places like waterfalls, or slickrock in places like southern Utah, where again, one is likely to encounter rock scrambles or wet rock.

Interested in the Ultra Raptor? If this is your first pair, REI is a great place to try it out low-stress since you have a full year to return it whether it is used or not. (I do not benefit financially from this link).