Field Report

Field Report - La Sportiva Rajas Rajas

Christine Korhonen
January 23, 2006

Personal Information:
Age: 32
Gender: female
Height: 5' 4" (1.6 m)
Weight: 150 lb (68 kg)
E-mail: chris@wormguy.com
Location: Western Montana

Backpacking Background:
I'm in Montana enjoying the summers and becoming re-acquainted with winter. Now that I'm back above the snow line, I'm attempting some winter camping and snowshoeing. I'm a lightweight backpacker mentally, if not always in practice. My summer pack weight is around 19 lb (9 kg) with a tent, but my winter pack hovers around 25 lb (11 kg).

Product Information:
Manufacturer: La Sportiva
URL: www.sportiva.com
Style: Women's Rajas
MSRP: US $90
Color: Apricot (orange)
Size: European size 40 (US women's 8.5 - 9)
Listed Weight: 1 lb 12 oz (0.8 kg)
Measured Weight: 1 lb 12 oz (0.8 kg) - both shoes

Rajas Description:
The Rajas are trail shoes with an orange mesh upper and a deeply lugged sole.

Test Location:
I've worn these shoes running, hiking, and backpacking in Michigan and Montana. Temperatures have been around 30 F (-1 C) and elevations from 1400' to 6000' (400 m to 800 m). Established trails have been icy with packed snow. I also had to break trail through loose powder and make the occasional stream crossing.

Fit:
The Rajas fit me very well across the width and through the heel, but are a little long for my foot. I'm unfamiliar with European shoe sizes so wasn't sure which size to get. I wear a US women's 8.5 - 9 in running shoes. The tag inside the Rajas says Eur 40, USA 8.5, UK 6.5. These should fit. However, taking a poll of on-line shoe conversion sites, a US women's 8.5 converts to European 39, 39.5, 40, or 40.5, depending on the site. I wonder if this is a case of vanity sizing, where the same size may be larger or smaller based on the manufacturer making the clothes. I didn't think that extended to shoes. For me, these shoes seem to run large. La Sportiva does not have a shoe size conversion chart on their website. Digging around in my closets, I found another pair of shoes that fit me that are a 39. The conversion of US women's 8.5 = European 39 seems to be the one that works best for me, and in the future I will go with this smaller size.

Given that the shoes are a little long for me, they fit remarkably well across the width. I believe this is because they are so adjustable. The laces are widely spaced to allow plenty of tightening across the top of the foot. There is ample padding in the heel, tongue, and around the ankle that fills in any gaps and prevented slipping so far. My feet are not exactly the same size. I notice this while wearing some shoes, but I haven't noticed it at all in these shoes. The insole that comes with the shoes has a decent arch. I have fairly high arches and could use a little more padding there. I've gotten used to wearing square-toed shoes, and the Rajas are more rounded than square. This rounding may be partially why I feel the shoes are a little long.

On the Trail:
So far, the Rajas have performed very nicely. They are very comfortable. The shoes have really good traction. I've worn them on roads, dirt trails, snow, and ice without falling once. The soles of the shoes flex admirably and have never felt stiff. The soles seem to absorb quite a bit of impact. I haven't felt any jarring, even when using them inside on the treadmill. The soles are stable, and prevent me from rolling my foot. I naturally walk on the outside of my foot and tend to roll my foot, stepping on the side of my foot instead of the sole. In the worst cases, I put all my weight down and ended up spraining my ankle. The support in these shoes has kept my feet level and I haven't had any problems with rolling.

I wore the Rajas on one particularly icy day when the trail was a sheet of ice with a fine layer of slippery snow on top. I wasn't expecting so much ice and almost went down a couple of times, but I stayed on my feet. I was very comfortable walking in the Rajas on the ice. They gripped well. I was less comfortable going up to a jog, so the first chance I got, I moved from the icy trail to the less icy road. This was a dirt road that was snow-packed. Although it had icy spots, there was more traction than on the trail, and I was comfortable continuing my run. I didn't have any problem with sliding, even on the steep sections.

I wore the Rajas on a memorable backpacking trip in Yellowstone park. A foot (30 cm) of snow had dropped a couple of nights before, and I was the first backpacker on that trail since. Luckily an elk had been through after the storm to let me know which way to go. The trail was fairly flat with packed snow and a thick layer of calf-height powder on top. Since the Rajas' upper is made from mesh, I expected any snow to touch the shoes to immediately melt and invade my socks. I was pleasantly surprised. The shoes repelled the snow quite well. Not much of the snow melted. Of course, snow came in through the top opening, but the mesh wasn't excessively wet after the hike. On this same trip I took a wrong step and dunked my left foot in a stream. That I felt. The shoe immediately swelled up with water and was very wet and cold. In comparison, the right foot, that only had snow to contend with was comfortable. When I got to camp, I changed out of the Rajas and hung them from my hammock for the night. The next day both shoes were cold, while the left one was frozen. The cold shoes were uncomfortable to put on, but the mesh upper on the left shoe was flexible in spite of its frozen state. I was able to get both shoes on with no problem and walked out safely.

Likes:
Very comfortable
Adjustable width
Excellent traction

Dislikes:
No US-European size conversion chart on website
Run a little long for me

Test Plan:
During the long term phase, I will further test the La Sportiva Rajas along the trails of Montana. I will use them on backpacking trips, day hikes, and daily runs along wooded and snow-covered trails. I will specifically test for durability and ease of cleaning.

Read more reviews of La Sportiva gear
Read more gear reviews by Christine Korhonen

Reviews > Footwear > Trail Shoes > La Sportiva Rajas Trail Runner > Christine Korhonen > Field Report

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