La Sportiva TX2 Hiking Shoes (For Men)

Landed on these for a summer landscape/work shoe. Pros: So far they're exactly what I wanted. LIghtweight (very, almost like a rugged trail running shoe :), breathable (I swamp out my leather work boots, but these are literally breezy which will be great minus the dust that will potentially accumulate in my socks throughout the day), but still rugged enough to shovel with or climb ladders(check and check). These move very naturally with my stride and are a little stiff to start but have broken in over the weekend. Rubber wrap around toe-cap. In my work I'm banging and scraping that area often and need durability in this area. The shoe is a woven fabric but there is rubber-ish reinforcements in a lot of the "high wear" areas. The Vibram sole is well lugged but not bulky or clumsy and very grippy on a variety of surfaces. I don't normally notice the "grippy-ness" of a sole but these stand out. Pretty impressed.

Cons: The tongue is (in my opinion) ridiculously over-padded. I don't know much about approach shoes, and all the uses and therefore designs related to them but I'm hoping this will compress down to a more comfortable thickness in time. Currently it's just a slight nuisance and/or something to get used to for me. The collar is a little gapped which is common for most low top shoes/boots so I'll be getting crud in them often. That's pretty standard but I find the collar "opens" pretty wide (like a coin purse) when the toe is flexed ie: when I'm working on my knees and my toes are bent, the collar of the shoe opens wide allowing debris to get in. Not a problem for most people but a position I find myself in often. The laces are really lightweight but also very very thin. Not the easiest for my dirty, rock-hands and we'll see how long they stand up to abrasions and last.

Overall for the $53 I spent I think I found an excellent super-lightweight, non-sweaty summer work shoe. If they pass the 1 month test, I may buy another pair :)

Nice, versatile shoes. Love that they can be used as supportive trail runners or very lightweight approach shoes.

GREAT AND GOOD SHOES JUST GET ONE SIZE BIGGER

Rating shoes is difficult because everyone's feet are different but for me, these are excellent. I do a lot of Hiking and was looking for a light weight shoe that could be used with lighter Loads and would be cooler than wearing boots but not overly squishy like a trail runner. These things really fit the bill. Rooming toe box, Light weight but stable, and excellent traction. I put 8 miles on these right out of the box with no issues. Traction on the Granite at Enchanted rock is fantastic. At this price these are a home run. Thanks STP.

After walking 12 miles in my running shoes, and getting large blisters on both feet, I got a pair of La Sportiva TX-2's. The have the usual sticky vibration sole for climbing smooth granite, and they are very comfortable. Theses shoes also are well ventilated so my feet never feel hot.