Before the Bushido II, I’d never owned a La Sportiva shoe. I’m a huge Salomon fan, and have stayed in that lane for years. But my last pair of shoes was pretty beat up, and when in preparation for hiking the Wind River High Route I saw the Bushido II’s on sale, I decided to give them a try. They’ve been my go-to hiker and trail runner since, with over 200 trail (and off-trail) miles on them at the time of this review (and still going strong).
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Overview
The Bushido II is a relatively burly mountain running shoe designed for stability and traction on rugged terrain. I’ve found it not only to be great for running, but for hiking on and off-trail. I used it on the Wind River High Route, and it performed superbly on everything from snow to ice to wet rocks.
Key Features
- Durable synthetic leather/air mesh upper with TPU toe cap
- Heavily lugged Frixion XT V-Groove2 outsole
- Moderate midsole cushioning
- Forefoot rock guard
- Drop: 6mm
- Stack: 19mm heel, 13mm toe
- Weight (men’s size 9): 10.5 oz
- Fit: Performance
Fit
First things first: this shoe (as with many La Sportiva shoes) runs small. It uses the EU sizing system, and even when converted to US, is at least a half size smaller than advertised. Take that into account if buying online.
La Sportiva claims this shoe has a sock-like fit, and I definitely agree. The interior is designed to be slipped into, and the tongue is connected directly to the footbed via elastic (similar to my favorite Salomon shoe, the Sense Pro). This works to lock in your foot and keep the whole thing snug. It’s one of the most precise-fitting shoes I’ve ever tried on.
Initially, I thought the fit was a little too snug, but after a short break-in I found it to be near perfect. They work a bit like a ski boot (which La Sportiva also makes), fitting too tight at first, but allowing room for the midsole to pack out a little and create a perfect mold. This is one of the only running shoes I’ve owned where that pack-out process is ultimately a good thing, and La Sportiva really nailed it here.
All that said, this shoe is still very tight and narrow throughout. It almost certainly won’t work for those with high-volume feet. It’s an unfortunate trade-off, but for those who it does fit, it’ll fit like a glove (or a sock).
Comfort/Upper
As far as comfort goes, it’s one of those rare shoes where you almost don’t even notice you’re wearing it. It has no pinch points that I’ve found, as little tendency toward hot spots as any shoe I’ve worn, and overall is extremely comfortable. I did find that there was a tiny bit of rubbing on my Achilles that over some long miles became an issue, but I’ll chalk that up to my abnormally large ankles (not the first pair this has been a problem with). For most people, this will be an exceptionally comfortable shoe.
The upper is made of AirMesh, which breathes relatively well even in hot weather. It also dries surprisingly quickly, and doesn't hold on to that squishy feeling after dunking it like so many other shoes do. I’ve certainly had airier shoes, but none that come with the kind of support and durability that this one does. For what this shoe is primarily designed for, I’m very happy with the breathability of the upper.
The cushioning in this shoe is moderate to low, so it isn’t as good for longer efforts as some of the other shoes I’ve owned, and it feels pretty stiff. The longest run I’ve done in them was 13 miles, and I think that’s probably at the upper end of how far I would run with them. On my last day of the Wind River High Route I pushed them for 25 trail miles, and while that was longer than I think they’re best for, they still did reasonably well.
Midsole
If you look at La Sportiva’s website for info on the midsole, it’s a bunch of ultra-branded layers that don’t really give you information. I’m going to skip all that, and just give you the basics of the layers and their functions.
The first two layers of the shoe are both molded foam; the top one is slightly softer than the bottom (new in this iteration of the shoe). This reduces that ultra-stiff feel that the first shoe was known for and adds a little bit of cushioning that helps with longer runs and hikes. The lower, stiffer layer, allows it to keep its stable feel.
The third layer (and closest to the ground) is a rock guard. It’s a thin, very stiff layer of foam that covers the forefoot, which protects you from small, sharp objects in the ground. In a shoe built for rugged terrain I think it’s essential, and it works very well.
The last component of the midsole is “stability inserts” which are essentially two stiff bars of foam in the midfoot that are designed to increase lateral stability. I can’t say for sure whether these specifically are very effective, but I can say that as someone who tends to overpronate a bit, these shoes are about as good at keeping that to a minimum as any I’ve worn (though I don’t normally seek out shoes for this purpose, either).
Outsole
I’ll say right off the bat that I absolutely love the outsole on this shoe. It’s made of the premium proprietary rubber material called Frixion, which strikes a near-perfect balance between grip and durability. It feels sticky on almost any surface, and that grippy-ness has held up really well over the 200ish miles I’ve put on them.
It also has a unique lug pattern, which I think is more valuable than it may seem at first glance. It has the usual forward-facing lugs on the forefoot, but they’re encircled by wide, U-shaped lugs that all face outward. This makes it particularly good for unstable, uneven terrain where you need traction in all directions.
The center of the heel has one forward lug, one backward lug, and two sideways lugs. This is part of La Sportiva’s “Impact Brake System”, which supposedly helps maintain traction on steep terrain. I’m not sure about this part, but I know that the outer ring of lugs combined with central forward lugs is a phenomenal and functional design.
As an added bonus, it includes beefy heel and toe caps that do well to protect your feet from getting banged up.
Performance
Now to the most important part of a mountain runner: performance. This shoe is great for a lot of reasons, but it excels particularly at two things; stability and traction.
This is one of the most stable shoes I’ve owned, and I feel like I can take it just about anywhere. I’ve used it for rock hopping, scrambling, and even side-hilling in snow, and never once felt like my foot might roll or slide. It’s 19mm heel stack is fairly low for a mountain runner, and while they actually feel a little higher than that (probably due to the stiffness of the sole), it shows in the responsiveness and stability this shoe provides.
The stability is aided by its superior traction, which is so good as to feel sticky. This is largely due to the FriXion material used in the outsole, but it also has a lot to do with its unique lug arrangement. All-in-all it provides superior traction at weird angles. This gives you about as much confidence as you could hope for on uneven and angled surfaces, wet or dry.
These two qualities make it one of the best-performing mountain shoes money can buy. I wouldn’t say it feels quite as fast as some of the other premium mountain running shoes out there, but if stability is important to you, this is your shoe.
If you need stability and maximum traction in mud, snow, or really any ultra-sloppy conditions, then check out my review of the Salomon Speedcross 5.
Durability
Durability is another category that’s particularly important to me as low-budget runner. I can’t say how well the Bushido II fares as an ultra-long term shoe (having put about 200 miles on my pair), but I can say that I’ve been very impressed with its durability so far. I’ve put them through about 75 off-trail miles, charging through willows, creeks, and scree fields, and the uppers are showing only moderate wear (about as much as I’d expect from a trails-only shoe).
The outsole is even better. There is some apparent wear, but the lugs are still plenty deep. More importantly, the tackiness of the outsole is almost as good as it was out of the box, which is the most important factor for me. I fully expect these to last at least another 200-300 miles, and I wouldn’t be surprised if midsole compression is the only reason I’ll need to retire them.
Conclusion/Who It's For
Overall the La Sportiva Bushido II is one of the best shoes I’ve ever owned. It excels in stability, traction, and responsiveness, and is durable enough to really go the distance. The only caveats are the narrow fit and the beefier build that might deter some runners who like their shoes to feel fast. But if stability and confidence on rugged terrain are what you need, this is the shoe for you.
You can buy these shoes on Amazon or at REI. If you have any questions reach out to me in the comments!
