I want to love them! but these boots have a major flaw! - La Sportiva G2 SM Mountaineering Boot - Men's

I want to love these boots. I really do. They have so many nice features that you want in a double boot. They're comfortable (until you start walking), they have a very easy to use lacing system, and they're very easy to put on. The BOA system is super easy to use. You simply push in the dial to lock them in place, then begin turning them to tighten the laces. Once you're ready to take the boot off, you simply pull up on the dials and the tension is released, then you can slide the boot off no problem. The zipper on the gaiter is very nice, it never catches. The pull tab that is attached to the zipper makes it very smooth. Even the velcro on the gaiter has a pull tab which makes removing the velcro super easy. One thing I appreciated about this boot was that there is a tab on the outside of the boot to attach an integrated pant gaiter, such as on the Outdoor Research Cirque pants. They're also incredibly light, which was the main reason why I opted to give these a try. Every pound on your feet is like 5lbs on your back. When it comes to footwear, I want the lightest yet most durable option possible. It's the difference between hours in travel time. Since you won't find an exact weight for this size online. I weighed them on a postal scale. One boot came out to 2lbs 8.8oz.

When standing still these boots fit perfectly and were very comfortable. I normally wear a US mens size 11.5 in all of my daily footwear. For these boots, I went up a half size to the EU 45.5. That size worked great. My toes had plenty of room, but not so much that they smashed against the toe box. My heel was also very well locked in place, it only moved a little bit but not enough to cause concern. They fit just fine on my feet when I wasn't walking with both a thick Smart Wool Mountaineering wool sock and a thinner Darn Tough hike/trek boot sock.

Despite all of these great features, this boot is totally useless. Why? Because as soon as you start walking, whether on flat ground or on an incline (I tested them on stairs in my house), the front of the boot digs into your lower leg, right where the tibia meets with your foot. And it's painful. If you don't know where I'm talking about, just look down at your feet. Right above the highest point on your foot, closest to your leg is where I'm talking about. I can't imagine being stuck with these painful boots on my feet in a serious climb. Luckily I won't ever be because I'm returning them. It's a pinching feeling. And it happens regardless of being on an incline, but most noticeable when ascending.

You might try these on in a store and walk around for a minute and think oh they fit just fine!. You may even go up a slight incline a few times, such as those small rock ramps at some stores for you to try shoes on an incline. But get these on an actual sustained incline, and you'll feel it. I first tried these on at a local store in Anchorage, AK. But wasn't going to pay full price when I could get a good deal on CampSaver. They felt fine for the one minute I had them on my feet there. But after I got them in the mail and was actually able to walk around in my house on the carpet for a bit more I felt it.

This is a very common issue with this boot. And I read about it before buying them. But I thought to myself, oh I bet it's just the way their foot shape is or their leg shape, it won't happen to me. And sure enough, it did. So don't make the same mistake I did. Don't buy these boots unless you want to be in pain everytime you take a step. It's tough to resist I know. They have everything you want in a double boot. But the fit is a major error.

It's such a shame because otherwise these would be the absolutely perfect double boot. Scarpas don't really fit my feet, La Sportiva is more my fit. So I think I'll try some Spantiks instead. Hopefully La Sportiva can fix this problem, maybe once they do then I'll buy this boot. But until then I can't justify it. I warned you.