Customer Reviews La Sportiva Mutant

These shoes rock! I have had them for the 9 months or so and they perform great! I can push 10+ mile days in the mountains on terrain up to class 3 and have very happy feet at the end of the day. They are not as stiff as the La Sportiva Ultra Raptors, but they are lighter. All at the same time they have great rigidness to take very rocky trails with ease. These are not as light as the Bushido's but they are stiffer and able to take rough trails longer before feet get upset. If you want a stiffer trail runner and want to hit class 4 and minor class 5 terrain with super long hiking approaches on super rocky trail the Ultra Raptor is your shoe. If you want to stack super long mile days with class 3 and under with rocky trail the Mutant is your shoe. If you want a bomb super light trail runner and occasional peak the Bushido is your shoe. Hope this helps you find the difference in a few superb shoes. La Sportiva for life!

Love these shoes! Great for trail/mountain running (obviously), but even good for scrambles with it's sticky rubber. I find myself wearing these for daily-kickers because they're so comfortable. I really like the lacing system too!

This is the best shoe I have ever owned. That is saying a lot. I spend a lot of time on my feet at work on various terrains and conditions.The shoe is extremely comfortable and durable. Not to mention how lightweight this shoe is. I plead with La Sportiva to never discontinue this shoe. I will buy these as long as they are around.

This is the ideal shoe for technical mountain running. The fit is comfortable yet precise allowing for confident footing even on steep, off camber and rocky downhills, and the tread/sole has minimal slippage on a variety of surfaces both wet and dry. I have used them extensively on more traditional and smooth running trails in the Sierras, as well as on more technical hybrid running/climbing/mountaineering adventures in the high Sierra and the shoe performs well in both areas. Additionally, I have used them in 200+ mile mountain races in Europe and they kept my feet comfortable and confident in the steep trails in the Alps and don't seem to break down/compress even after multiple days and nights of continuous running.

Have about 200 miles in the Mutants now and I'm loving them. Exactly what I look for in a rugged trail shoe - great protection from rocky trails, deep lugs for mud, sticky rubber outsole that grips anything, and an upper/lacing system that locks my foot down and provides a comfortable fit. These are now my go-to shoes for anything steep, technical or slippery. Bravo!

Didn't blow me away but it's a solid shoe. Wish it had more room in the toe area. Because of this I will look somewhere else my next shoes. Vibram megagrip is stickier than the Frixion stuff on these shoes, but it's good enough for class 3 scrambling. Some side protection near the toes would be nice, because I can already see nicks of the mesh material after using them on scree and talus.

These shoe can handle anything and are very comfortable. After owning a few pairs the only problem I've found is that the pull loop that is used to get the shoe on is very fragile. I've managed to rip a few of them off.

The Mutant's strong points are as Sportiva describes. The shoe's aggressive tread and sticky rubber practically enables you to walk up walls! This shoe's grip excels over their other shoes in challenging terrain like kitty litter scree on steep hardpack. I live in a dry climate, but I imagine this shoe excels in muddy terrain as well. The lacing system does provide an excellent fit; however, the shoe has more bulk and stiffness, which give it an inferior performance feel relative to the newer Kaptiva IMO. I note the Kaptiva's tread, however, doesn't bite as hard as the Mutant's, so the Mutant does a have a place in Sportiva's line up. One interesting thing about this shoe that Sportiva doesn't note is that the upper's construction sacrifices a bit a breathability but provides a bit more warmth and keeps fine sand and silt out relative to most of their other shoes. This is a design tradeoff in the upper to be aware of. The last thing to speak to is the shoe is stiff/stable relative to the Akasha, Jackal, and Kaptivas I normally train in. This can be helpful in talus and technical scrambling terrain, but I personally find it slightly determintal to my training volume. I spend 25-30 hours / week training on my feet in the mountains and feel the stiffness yields a bit more wear on my joints by impairing my foot mechanics. That said, I have done multiple 10k+ vert days in the Mutants and continue to use them. I deduct 1 star for two reasons: (1) newer shoes like the Kaptiva providing equal to better fit with a less bulky feel and (2) the stiffness I feel is detrimental to my high volume training. The shoe absolutely gets 4 stars for all the strong points listed above. My 2020 volume was ~3200 miles and 1.4 million vert (w/ 2 months off). I'd estimate over half of that was in Kaptivas (most of the rest in Akashas and some in Jackals). 100% of my volume is mixed running and hiking in the mountains. The only flat I run is on high plains between peaks or dirt roads along the base of mountains when doing loops. I've owned about 40 pairs of Sportiva runners (with about 10+ of them being in reserve since I go through them quickly). I typically get 400-500 miles out of Sportiva shoes. This is my first pair of Mutants. 99% of my volume is in Sportiva runners.

Dear La Sportiva Team, I writing this as a request/suggestion to make your products, such as La Sportiva Mutants, Kaptiva, Bushido, and even TX Guide, available in WIDE...and I mean true 2E wide! I have owned probably around 20 pairs of Mutants and tried all of the others I mentioned above. I can no longer wear the Mutants or any other La Sportiva model (including the so called "wider" Jackal). My foot is getting larger and can't take the small toe boxes any longer (I'm an ultra-runner who spends a significant amount of time in the mountains tackles mix terrain long routes, rather than super technical climbs.) Unfortunately, I'm having to look to other brands that offer their mountain lines in Wide: Such as Inov 8, and a few others. I hate to switch brands as I think La Sportiva is top quality for support, grip, and all-around great mountain shoes. I get it that some of the models geared toward climbing need to have near-perfect fit for tackling super technical stuff...but for us with WIDE feet that tackle long single/consecutive days in the mountains, the shoes is just not comfortable after so many hours. Please consider this request/suggestion. I'm happy to see that you are now offering a hiking boot (NUCLEO HIGH II GTX WIDE) in wide! Why not take advantage of the rest of the market? There are millions of people that would love to experience the quality of La Sportiva shoes!

Purchased the Mutant a couple months ago and have steadily increased mileage with them. I am impressed with how comfortable, responsive, and durable they are. Before the Mutants I ran in the Lycans and didn't think I would find a shoe as comfortable but La Sportiva proved me wrong with the Mutant. Now I have a shoe for more technical terrain.

Initial assessment is very positive. Ran in the rain/muddy trails. Shoes handled very well. Especially like the cushioning. Great shoe.

Shoes came yesterday and I put them on and went ugh!! The fit was awful, felt skin tight, narrowband left arch felt to high. My wife and I checked the fit and there was a thumbs width of room between they toe and the end of my shoe. There was room or toe splay. I took them off to see if the would change with a short trail run and hike. In the car on the way to the trails, they felt awful. When I started to run, I felt a squish squish with every step as my foot settled into the shoes heel. As I ran further the arches settled in and they tally felt good and high and more supportive than other shoes that I own. The shoe and the foot felt much better but the shoes comfort was not quite there yet. When I took the shoe off later, my foot felt fine. Am I experiencing a break in period or should I try a size larger? I own two other pairs of La Sportiva's, the Wildcat and the Synthesis Mid GTX, in a 43.5 and they fit great. Any suggestions?