Customer Reviews La Sportiva Primer Low GTX

I had taken advantage of Zappos' wonderful policy of easy returns, and ordered four waterproof light hiking boots to try out, Merrell Salida Mid Waterproof, Merrel All Out Blaze Sieve, Merrel Moab Waterproof and Tne North Face Storm II WP, all of which had four-star ratings. After putting in my order, I looked at Backpacker (??) magazine, and read their "Spring Gear Guide 2015 Hiking Boots" which rated another shoe as Editor's choice: La Sportiva: Primer Low GTX, which had zero reviews on Zappos. So I took a chance, and also ordered it. The first four came first-- I tried them all on, walked about in them in the house, and was sitting disconsolately with the last, and least uncomfortable of the four shoes on my feet, when UPS showed up with another Zappo's box... This shoe is IT! Wide enough in the footbed, totally comfortable, good support, good looking, light weight! I can hardly feel it on my feet. To quote the review: "Equipped with Gore-Tex s new Surround technology, the Synthesis vents heat 360 degrees by adding an airy, perforated footbed that sits atop a foam spacer and pushes moisture out side vents with every step. We tested this technology in a few other boots this year and found it works best in the lightweight, meshy Synthesis. Not even our sweatiest-footed tester who d been resigned to getting blisters in waterproof shoes could swamp these things. How does it hike? The compression-molded EVA midsole offers sufficient support for a standard weekend load over rocky terrain, and a durable PU exoskeleton boosts protection. An aggressively lugged Vibram outsole boosts traction Innovative Nano-Cell Technology upper wraps the foot in protection while allowing maximum breathability and waterproof protection Gore-Tex Surround Technology allows 360 degree breathability STB Technology stabilizes the foot by wrapping the midsole and unifying the midsole with the upper for the perfect locked-down fit!

These are excellent hiking and walking shoes. I walked through streams in Montana, and my feet stayed dry. They are stylish enough to wear around the city too— I will order another pair. In love with these shoes!

Absolutely the best shoe I've ever purchased. Right out of the box and on to my feet with no breakin. Feel like I could walk all day in these.

I have bunions and needed waterproof hiking shoes for a hike in New Zealand. These shoes were incredibly comfortable right out of the box, were virtually waterproof (in six hours of pouring rain my feet got wet, but up to the last few hours, my feet were dry), and with a bit of extra moleskin placed strategically, let me hike for hours without pain for my bunions. I find it really hard to find shoes that work for feet with bunions, so I wanted to write this review and use the word bunions a bunch of times so anyone searching for hiking shoes that allow for bunions would find these!

I have duck feet and am very picky about shoes. It took me a lot of Zappos orders to find the right right shoe, but in the end it is the La Sportiva's that had the right fit - low at the ankle, great heel cap and wide & roomy toe box. From a sizing perspective, I normally wear a 8-8.5 in a dress shoe and a 9.5 in a Mizuno running shoe. I needed an 8 in the La Sportiva Primer. Ironically, I needed 9 or 9.5 in other La Sportiva's I tried.

Most comfortable hiking shoes I've ever had. I wore them for the first time yesterday on a 13-mile hike with very steep up and down hills and these shoes performed perfectly. Very light on the feet and great traction, with zero break in time. I am very happy with them. Worth every penny.

I do a lot of hiking on trails, mountains and crossing streams. I have owned several pairs of LA Sportiva and have been extremely happy with them until this pair. The manufacturer changed the tread pattern and it's not even close to the WildCat GTX which was outstanding. The gripping ability going uphill, downhill, on rocky surfaces or god forbid you get them wet, is in my opinion a hazard. I hoped after breaking them in things would get better, however they just fail to have the superior gripping ability of the previous Wildcat GTX which I am planning to go back to.