Australian Hiker

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La Sportiva Akasha Men's Shoe - First Impressions

My never ending search for the ultimate hiking shoe continues and finally La Sportiva is manufacturing larger sizes in their trail running footwear that will fit me. Both my mountaineering boots and rocks climbing shoes are from LaSportiva and once I knew they had also started producing trail runners in larger sizes I scoured their website and determined that the best model for hiking was the  ‘Akasha’ and luckily enough I managed to track down a pair.

Fit

One thing that was obvious straight up was that the sizing is different to other manufacturers. I tried on the size 14US and they were way to small so I ended up getting the size 15US. My left foot is a full size larger than my right and this has been an issue with shoe purchases all my life. I’m still in two minds on the sizing as to whether they are good fit or not and while I’ve been wearing these for just over two weeks and have walked over 150km in them, including a 42m walk on bitumen and concrete, I’m still deciding. My right foot is very happy but the left foot is borderline.  I’ll put this down to wearing a narrower, more pointed toe box than I’m used to. They are wider than the Hoka Tors that I recently reviewed but the jury is still out as to whether the Akasha will suit me in the long run. For me this is the only potential issue that these shoes have otherwise I love them.

Feel

The only way you can describe these trail runners is as ‘brutish’. While I’ve worn heavier shoes the Akashas just feel robust and super protective. In fact I’ll go as far as saying that they feel more protective than any other shoe that I have tried over the past couple of years, trail shoes included. They provide plenty of cushioning for the soles of your feet as well as good protection on the toes, heels and sides against rocks. They also hugged my feet really well. Even with this protection I still had a good degree of sensitivity as I walked which I wasn’t expecting.

Appearance 

One other thing that you will notice straight up is the colours on these shoes. La Sportiva produce three colour choices and even the black is reasonably bright. In buying my shoes I only had one colour choice but luckily I don’t mind making a statement with what I wear. Some people may not like the lairy colours but judge them on their performance rather than their appearance.

Good points

• They grip in steep dry powdery conditions really well
• The padding on the bottom of the foot is excellent and even though the standard insole is basic you don’t need to replace it
• They breathe really well in hot conditions and even on 30°+ celsius days they don’t overheat
• The feel ultra robust and protective ignoring sharp rocks but still provide a degree of sensitive that I wouldn’t have expected.
• For a trail running shoe (used for hiking) they are better than many of the hiking shoes that I have tried

Possible issues

• The sizing is out. I’m a size 14 US in every other brand of shoe that I have tried to date. In these I’m a size 15US (size 49European). Try these shoes out in store before purchasing or buy online though companies that have a good return policy
• These shoe will suit people with narrower-mid width feet. If you have a wide fore foot they may be borderline. The wide format lacing shown below improved the feel
• I love the lairy colours but others may not

I hope these first impressions have been helpful and over the next few months I will see how they stand up to colder and wetter conditions and make a final decision on the width. If you have a narrow-mid width fore foot then I think that the La Sportiva Akashas are well worth looking at. 

Seven weeks later.......

It’s now been seven weeks since I published my first impressions of these shoes and I have worn them intermittently for over 300km in various terrain.  So how did they perform?

La Sportiva Akasha Men's Shoe review

My final impressions for this shoe didn’t really vary to much from my first impressions. I found them to be an extremely supportive, durable shoe that can take pretty much anything that was thrown at them and they come back for more. I found them to be extremely comfortable underfoot, and they grip just about any surface without loosing traction. I also love the lairy colours and I don’t mind making a statement on the trail. I just love this shoe!

In addition to my positives the potential issues that I identified in my first impressions review of this shoe did pan out. The only shoe that I currently own in a size 49 are my La Sportiva Mountaineering boots and they fit me very comfortably. However the La Sportiva Akasha Men’s shoe have a narrower toe box and while I managed to deal with part of this issue by altering the lacing system I just found that due to my very broad toe region that even the size 49 shoes were to small. La Sportiva do make these shoes in a size 49.5 but given my sizing issue I would need a size 50 to work for me which they don’t currently make.

Now I know that shoes are a very personal thing and everyone has different preferences but even though I can’t get these in my size I would be very happy to recommend them. If you can get a pair to fit you then this brute of a shoe will serve you well in just about any hiking conditions where you don’t need high ankle support. If you have the opportunity to try a pair of these on then give them a go.

We Like

• Excellent protection from hard trails but provides a good degree of sensitivity
• Breathes well and drys quickly when wet
• Super comfortable and supportive
• The sole provides excellent grip in a  variety of trail surfaces from wet to dry
• Excellent toe and heal protection

We Don't Like

• Thes shoes aren’t suitable for those with a wide front forefoot
• The shoe sizing runs small. I can usually get away with a size 14US equivalent in nearly all other shoes but not with these

Best Uses

• Any hiking use without snow
• Particularly good for hard ground where you need cushioning, support and protection
• Ideal for people with narrow to medium width feet

Buy One

You can purchase La Sportiva Akasha Men’s Shoes online from Amazon Australia

Disclosure: We may earn a small commission, at no additional expense to you, if you click through and make a purchase. Please note that our affiliations do not influence, in any way, the independence of our reviews. If we don’t like a product, you’ll hear about it from us!

If you have worn the La Sportiva Akasha Men’s Shoes or if you have questions, we’d like to hear from you. Post your comment or question below

Other Versions

The Akasha Shoes are also available in a womens version. One shoe that would also be worth looking at is the La Sportiva Spire which comes in a boot or shoe version. This shoe does have a wider toe box but doesn’t go as large in the sizing as the La Sportiva Akasha. I may have gotten away with a size 48-49 with the Spires due to the wider toe box.

La Sportiva Akasha. These shoes are definitely lairy with their colour choice

This image shoes the insole removed. The insert is pretty basic on these shoes but with the ample padding built into these shoes you don’t need a thick padded insole

Soles of the La Sportiva Akasha are super grippy in dry powered conditions and over the next few months I’ll see how they perform in the wet

Close up of the lugs on the sole. These grip well in my limited use so far

La Sportiva Akasha rear view. Lots of protective padding on this shoe

La Sportiva Akasha side view showing the outsole and the instep

This image is looking inside the shoe. You can see through this section of the mesh quite clearly which provides good breathability

Lacing on La Sportiva Akasha for a wide front foot. By using this lacing system they broaden up the width in the toe box

Disclaimer

This review was done with product purchased in-store by Australian Hiker

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