bunglehead Posted June 18, 2003 Posted June 18, 2003 Anybody have probs with these boots, or is it just me? Bought a pair last year for general backpacking, volcanoes, and they tweak my knees. Had a pair of Asolos before the Sportivas and they rocked, but wore em out. Anybody out there with wide, big feet find a good pair of boots? Quote
b-rock Posted June 18, 2003 Posted June 18, 2003 I have a pair and like them though I'm more inclined to go with sneakers these days wherever possible. They did give me some problems for the first fifty or so miles until they softened a bit, but now fit great. A friend also owned a pair and dubbed them the 'boots of suffering'; I have heard a lot of others complain. Quote
JoshK Posted June 18, 2003 Posted June 18, 2003 bunglehead said: Anybody out there with wide, big feet find a good pair of boots? Â This might be your problem. I'm not sure bout the makalus, but la sportivas have always struck me as a fairly narrow fitting boot. I've had great success with technica, they fit my fatter feet better. Â -josh Quote
rbw1966 Posted June 18, 2003 Posted June 18, 2003 bunglehead said: Anybody have probs with these boots, or is it just me? Bought a pair last year for general backpacking, volcanoes, and they tweak my knees. Â Try putting them on your feet. Â Seriously though, I have a pair of makalus and have a love/hate relationship with them. Like B-rock, mine were hell for about the first 50 miles or so then they softened up. I bought them a tad too small though and in my gaper glory laced them too tight once for a climb up Mt. Hood and ended up with a mild case of frostbite on my big toe. Â I have narrow feet so they fit the contours just fine--just a tad bit too short. To make them conform a bit better I soaked them in hot water then wore them around the house until they dried. It helped enough that I wore them climbing in the Ecuadoran Andes but I still wanted a bigger boot. Â I've since retired them and bought a pair of Salomon Pro Ice and love them. Right out the box they were comfy. Quote
thelawgoddess Posted June 18, 2003 Posted June 18, 2003 ALL makalus suck. all la sportiva's do NOT suck. Â Quote
Wood Posted June 18, 2003 Posted June 18, 2003 I had a pair of Makalus and they hurt my feet something fierce no matter what I tried. I then gave up and went to Cascade Crags and got fitted for some Technicas. I have not had a problem since. I don't think Cascade Crags carries Technicas anymore though. These guys were really great in fitting the boots too. I was there for an hour and a half while they worked with different sizes to make my wide feet comfortable. They told me that the Makalus were quite narrow, so I could have never solved the problem with them. Â Quote
Jens Posted June 18, 2003 Posted June 18, 2003 Or perhaps the insole sucks? Â Try tinkering with the lacing method and put in some different insoles. Â Maybee I'm an oddball but I like em'. Â In my humble opinion they climb rock and walk better then any of the high end ice boots. They climb rock and walk better than my 39 ounce c. fiber ice comps that sportiva gave me. Â Â Quote
bunglehead Posted June 18, 2003 Author Posted June 18, 2003 Thanks for the beta folks! I think I will get a wider boot. The REI here sucks ass for mountaineering boots. I think I'll go to backcountry gear to see if they can help me. Quote
Braumeister Posted June 20, 2003 Posted June 20, 2003 Another plug for Makalus. Like any big leather boot, the break-in period is long (I thought 50 miles were enough, but mine took ~100 miles). My feet aren't wide (D) and they feel just snug enough. Definately tinker with the insoles for a better fit (low volume Superfeets in your case). I treat mine with Nickwax Aqueous Wax as recommended by La Sportiva and this does a great job at keeping my feet dry. Quote
lummox Posted June 20, 2003 Posted June 20, 2003 the la sportiva distributors in boulder are fuckin assholes. but the italian shoes are fuckin cool. Quote
joekania Posted June 20, 2003 Posted June 20, 2003 I've had similar experiences with my narrow feet and long break-in time, but they offered the best fit in the store, and Superfeet definitely made a difference, esp since an old injury left my feet slightly asymmetrical and one slightly larger. They are great on rock, I led several pitches on Stuart last year and was never tempted to pull my slippers out of my pack. I've had them for 2 years and they're still breaking in, they still sometimes hurt, and they're often quite comfortable. They are not showing much wear, either. Never had a problem with my knees, either. I did wear a pair of brand new Asolo plastics for a monthlong trip, they were comfy and familiar from day one, which is a huge contrast. Wow, your REI has mountaineering boots? The one in Denver doesn't, but they have crampons, ice tools, and (as the salesperson so astutely pointed out) both kinds of harnesses- Black Diamond and REI! Quote
allthumbs Posted June 20, 2003 Posted June 20, 2003 wide feet here - Scarpas (those Italians got it goin on) Â Quote
Old_Man Posted June 20, 2003 Posted June 20, 2003 thelawgoddess said: ALL makalus suck. Â Not sure if I agree with that. There are a lot of them I've met while trekking/climbing in Nepal...wonderful people! Makalu is a common name, especially for folks from the Makalu region. Â My Makalu Hivernale GALIBIERS were the best dang double boot I wore for years. Downside...they weighed around 8-9 pounds a pair. This model has been worn up mountains worldwide... but not in use much these days. I picked up a new pair... just after Koflachs took the stage. They're now sitting as bookends reminding me of some very happy trips. Â The new Makalus on the other hand... were perhaps made for more of a technical use.... vs. slogging/trekking up peaks. Seems like many of the new "mountaineering boots" have been designed with "ice applications" in mind... and their literature adds "great for mountaineering" kinds of lingo to appeal to a wider group. Ultimately, they're too stiff and kill the user and his/her experience. Â I don't have pair of the new ones...but hear more troubles with'em.... than salutations of love and kindness. Quote
allthumbs Posted June 20, 2003 Posted June 20, 2003 don't buy a Ferrari if you really need a truck Quote
bunglehead Posted June 20, 2003 Author Posted June 20, 2003 Wide Feet: Scrapas. I'll give it a go. Any suggestions for good boot shops online? Quote
Cpt.Caveman Posted June 20, 2003 Posted June 20, 2003 The comments about skinny feet in Makalus appears to have some truth. I have narrow feet and like the makalus. Â The downside is they take forever to break in. On the other side though- once they do break in it's like wearing a sneaker. Â The boots don't suck themselves - My guess is that you just bought the wrong boot. Â I've had mine since 97 and they are still holding up fine. However there are other boots out there that are worth looking at. But since I dont need any I aint lookin ;-) so I can't offer any advice as to what you might try instead. Â All makalus don't suck. You just haven't broke them in or didn't get the right boot for your foot is more likely. Of course there are more specifically designed boots like trango ice and shit but that's another subject. Quote
rbw1966 Posted June 20, 2003 Posted June 20, 2003 I will add that they do indeed last forever. I've had my makalus since 94 and still going strong. Quote
allthumbs Posted June 20, 2003 Posted June 20, 2003 bunglehead said: Wide Feet: Scrapas. I'll give it a go. Any suggestions for good boot shops online? Scarpa dealer=Base Camp in Bellingham (Ask for Mike=good boot fitter; knows wtf he's doin) Don't buy boots online...that's fuckin stooopid. Quote
bunglehead Posted June 20, 2003 Author Posted June 20, 2003 trask said: bunglehead said: Wide Feet: Scrapas. I'll give it a go. Any suggestions for good boot shops online? Scarpa dealer=Base Camp in Bellingham (Ask for Mike=good boot fitter; knows wtf he's doin) Don't buy boots online...that's fuckin stooopid. Â I know.. But I live in Hippie town OOPS! I mean Eugene, and I'd have to drive. Actually, getting out of here to buy boots might be a good thing. Quote
allthumbs Posted June 20, 2003 Posted June 20, 2003 gettin out of eugene is always a good thang Quote
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