![]() ![]() Thermo-welded over the mesh, a plasticy 'film' provides a bit of structure and protection for the foot. On a recent trip to Dartmoor during England's record-breaking heatwave I used them on a couple of big running and walking days, and would have to say my feet were probably the least noticeably hot and sweaty bit of me. While I've worn them year-round, the breathability is obviously most evident in summer weather. With plenty of open mesh, the Spin Ultra is cool and breathable. Now relegated to gardening and dog walking, pair one still refuse to definitively die. However the soft midsole is easily scuffed on rocks, while the inner eventually wore through at the heel. Though my original pair ended up taking quite a hammering over hundreds of kilometres (or more) on the hills and trails, the outsole has worn well and the outside of the uppers shows no significant damage. And when used in crag approach mode, I don't find them too onerous clipped to the back of my harness on mountain multi-pitch routes.ĭurability is very good. For its modest weight the Spin Ultra feels well cushioned and supportive underfoot. As I'm no lightweight myself I tend to prefer a more substantial trail shoe for all my running and walking, but no one likes weight for its own sake, so it's great that Scarpa have kept it manageable without compromising performance. ![]() We'd class these as midweight shoes, being significantly lighter than something beefy like La Sportiva's Ultra Raptor, if not in the same league as minimalist hill running lightweights. Scarpa's quoted weight is 580g per pair in size 42, while my pair of 47 is 746g on the kitchen scales. It says something for the versatility of the Spin Ultra that two reviewers with strikingly different foot shapes both get on so well with them. Of course users with pointier feet are less likely to notice the tapered toe, and in fact our reviewer Nick, who has very narrow feet, is at least as happy with the fit of these shoes as I am. Now I'd call them a pretty much perfect match. And while it felt quite noticeable in the first few weeks of use with my first pair (when distance and difficulty were constrained by the imperative to keep things local) I've found that with use the front end of the Spin Ultra gives a bit over time. I tend to find the toe a bit cramped on Scarpa footwear, particularly at the outer curve. Straight from the box, my square-toed foot shape is not the best match for the the front end of the Spin Ultra, and the outer edge of my forefoot, particularly the little toe, pushes against the side of the shoe. I have broad feet, and there's plenty of space here in the heel and midfoot. Width is mid-range, neither notably broad nor particularly narrow. This shoe comes in both men's and women's fit, though neither in a vast range of sizes (37-42 for women, 41-48 for men). Though this group test has been carried out by several reviewers, we've tried to keep our notes on width, volume and general fit as objective as possible. Trail running shoes ought to offer a bit more front-end space than the more asymmetric, climbing-oriented fit you'll often see in approach shoes, making them a better bet for comfort over a long day on your feet. If you're not already familiar with the model it's always worth trying shoes on in a bricks and mortar shop, where problems such as heel lift or toe strike can often be spotted immediately. Whatever else we say here, nothing trumps how a particular shoe fits you personally. Most of the shoes on review are middle of the road in terms of drop. The 'drop', the difference between heel and toe height, is largely a consideration for runners, so we've paid it less attention in this group test. On the other hand, a higher 'stack height' can feel a bit more cumbersome on tricky technical ground, though we think this is less an issue while walking than hill running. If you're walking a lot on hard-packed trails, a deeper and more cushioned midsole helps soak up the impact, and will particularly come into its own on long days. ![]() For many users a slightly more solid and supportive shoe is going to be good on rough ground or when carrying a heavy pack - especially if you're a habitual walking boot wearer new to trail shoes. A major benefit of shoes over traditional walking boots is typically that they'll offer more flex and bounce. ![]()
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