When it comes to shoes to wear on your Mount Kilimanjaro climb, one shoe that comes to mind is the La Sportiva Ultra Raptor. It is a shoe line that has been around for many years and is reliable and has a fierce following of outdoor enthusiasts.
La Sportiva makes excellent shoes for the outdoors. They make many types of shoes for hiking, climbing, approach, mountaineering, canyoning, etc. In this article, we are going to review the Ultra Raptor.
Ultra Raptor
Therefore, this is one of the shoes we recommend wearing for most days on Kilimanjaro. The Ultra Raptor is lightweight, rugged, and comfortable. It has an aggressive tread pattern so you won’t slip on the trail whether it is wet or dry.
The Ultra Raptor, like all La Sportiva’s shoes, is well made and well tested. It will stand up to the rigors of Kilimanjaro.
They only come in black/yellow/red as seen here.
The one item of note with these shoes is they run narrow. They are listed as medium/wide, but we found them to be too narrow to wear on Kilimanjaro since the tester has wide feet. If you need a wider shoe we recommend the Adidas AX4. You can find that review here: https://kilimanjarosunrise.com/adidas-terrex-ax4-hiking-shoe-review/
La Sportiva Ultra Raptor Product Description
The Ultra Raptor is an all-terrain Mountain Running® shoe perfect for long-distance runs on burly trails. A full-length rock guard and an ultra sticky rubber outsole offer maximum protection and stability, while AirMesh uppers keep your feet comfortable and cool.
FEATURES
- Highly compressed EVA Rock Guard protects feet from stone bruises
- Sticky FriXion® XF rubber outsole for impressive grip on rock and great traction on the trail
- Deluxe heel pocket cushioning and reinforcement for a comfortable fit
EUROPEAN SIZES: 38 – 47.5 (half sizes)
WEIGHT: 12.00 oz (343g)
FIT: Medium/Wide
UPPER: AirMesh / Synthetic leather / TPU lacing harness / TPU transkinetic heel stabilizer
LINING: EZ-in™ heel pocket / Wicking mesh
MIDSOLE: MeMlex / Endurance Platform EVA insert / Nylon molded flex transfer shank
SOLE: FriXion® XF with Impact Brake System™ and X-Axis™
CUSHIONING: Midsole – 45A
Final Thoughts
We definitely recommend the La Sportiva Ultra Raptor for Kilimanjaro if you have narrow feet. We did find that these were a bit narrower than the La Sportiva TX Guide Approach Shoe. Those can lace all the way down to the toe so you can lace them to make them wider. The Ultra Raptor does not lace to the toe so trying to lace them for wide feet does not work.
Keep in mind that our tester wore both Injinji liner toe socks and Thorlo light hikers so the shoes were pretty snug. If your preference is to only wear one pair of socks, then these may be a good fit for you.
Whatever shoe you choose, make sure to wear it for several hikes before heading to Tanzania. You want your shoes broken in before you step foot on the mountain to avoid blisters and foot fatigue.