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Buyer's Guide

La Sportiva Bushido III Review & Sizing Guide

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Buy Bushido III if you want the most confidence-inspiring rock and scree shoe in the trail category and can live with a firm, narrow ride; skip it for flat-trail daily training where a softer Speedgoat or Prodigio is a better fit stiff sole with very good traction and support — great for technical terrain.

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Key facts

Use case
Technical, rocky, alpine trail running and fast hiking; not a soft daily trainer.
Fit
True to size; narrow heel and midfoot, Bushido 3 toe box slightly roomier than Bushido 2.
Outsole
FriXion XT V-Groove sticky rubber with aggressive lugs for wet/dry rock confidence.
GTX caveat
GTX version is not bombproof — owners report wet feet after meadow walks; treat as light water resistance.
Colorway watch-out
Bushido 3 launched in bright colors only at first; v2 fans should expect bold yellows/blues.
Lifespan
Bushido 2 owners report 3+ years of frequent use; outsole-first wear, heel collapse is the typical failure.

Full breakdown

La Sportiva Bushido III is the third generation of La Sportiva's flagship technical-terrain trail runner: a firm, low-stack, narrow-last shoe with a FriXion sticky rubber outsole built specifically for steep, rocky, alpine ground. Owners of Bushido 2 who swapped to 3 report the same locked-in fit with a slightly roomier toe box and the same precise downhill confidence on technical terrain just a hair larger than 2 in the toe box, but my heel is locked in just fine. Buy it for technical mountain and sky-running miles, not soft daily training.

FAQ

How should Bushido III fit, and should I size up or down from Bushido 2?

Start with the same size you wore in Bushido 2. The detailed Bushido 2 vs 3 fit thread had REI suggesting half a size down and La Sportiva saying stick with the same size; the owner ultimately confirmed that going down to a 40 would have been a mistake bought Bushido 3 in the same size as my Bushido 2 - 40.5 - and it fits well. Bushido 3 is a hair roomier in the toe box than Bushido 2, but the narrow heel cup is preserved, so if you already have a narrow foot, the same size works; wider-footed runners should still try in-store because the precision last is the whole point of the shoe.

Is Bushido III GTX actually waterproof for trail running and hiking?

Treat the GTX version as a light water-resistance caveat, not a sealed waterproof boot, and skip it if you actually need dry feet. One r/trailrunning owner reported soaked toes after a wet meadow with only three light uses, which is not what you expect from a Gore-Tex shoe they were sold to me as waterproof, but apparently just a wet meadow is enough to get them wet. Low-cut trail GTX shoes only block water if your sock collar stays above the cuff, so if you genuinely want dry feet on damp grass, choose a mid-cut hiker, not the Bushido III GTX.

Is Bushido III comfortable enough to be a daily trainer?

No — buy it as a technical-terrain specialist, not a soft daily shoe. The whole appeal of the Bushido line is the firm, low-stack platform that gives you ground feel on rock and scree, which the same owners who love it for technical terrain say is the wrong fit for flat-trail comfort runs I loved the stiff sole with very good traction and support... not minimalist, but stiff. If you want a single trail shoe that can also handle long flat miles, consider the Prodigio Pro or Speedgoat instead and save the Bushido III for the days that have actual rock and elevation.

What size lugs does Bushido III have, and how is the grip on wet rock?

The Bushido III runs the FriXion XT V-Groove outsole with aggressive directional lugs, which is the headline feature owners come back for. The same Bushido fans who tried alternatives keep noting that traction on technical rock is the reason they stay with the line never had to worry about feeling like rocks stabbing my foot... stiff sole with very good traction, and Reddit-wide trail roundups continue to flag Bushido as a top technical pick year over year most-recommended trail runners on Reddit. Grip is excellent on dry rock, very good on wet rock and scree, and weaker on wet roots — typical for a sticky-rubber compound.

How long will Bushido III last for frequent trail use?

Plan for roughly 600-1,000 km of trail miles, with heel-collapse and outsole wear as the typical failure modes — a meaningful caveat when you compare retail price to lifespan. The Bushido 2 owner thread is full of 3-year ride-or-die comments where the back of the shoe wore out first backs of my Bushido 2s have worn out faster than the rest of the shoe, and another buyer was already on a second pair after Bushido 3 because the color rotation pushed them back to the line gone through several pairs of Bushido 2s. Rotate with a softer daily trail shoe to keep the heel cup intact and you will get the full life out of the outsole at the retail price you paid.

Should I buy Bushido III or another La Sportiva model for hiking?

Buy Bushido III if your hiking is on technical rock and you want the same shoe for running; pick a more cushioned La Sportiva model if you do long-distance flat trail. One Reddit buyer specifically picked Bushido over hard hiking shoes because it was more comfortable and cheaper I got them over hiking shoes because they are more comfortable and especially a lot cheaper than hard hiking shoes, but a more padded model like the Akasha gets the nod from owners who want forgiveness on flatter trails. The Bushido is a precision shoe — choose it for the right terrain or it will feel unnecessarily harsh.