Review: La Sportiva Trango Cube GTX

[Justin Crossley]

Travis Bertrand puts more than a few miles on his boots every year and has tried countless options throughout the years. This year he is testing out the La Sportiva Tango Cube GTX to see how they stack up against other boots he's used in the past. Give his latest article a read to find out how they performed. La Sportiva Trango Cube GTX Review

 

[JollyRoger]

I have beat the tar out of the old red Trango Evo S GTXs for years and tons of miles and now have the Cubes. Definitely a solid boot that you can trust. If they work with your foot type they are excellent! Good review!

 

[Jskaanland]

Travis, what other La Sportiva's are you comparing the toe box too? I saw the note about it being smaller than the normal La Sportiva toe box.

 

[Travis Bertrand]

I have had la sportiva glacier evo, and evo2s. One other that I don’t know the name of but all had considerably larger toe boxes.

 

[texag10]

Any issues with the softer rubber on the toes wearing too quickly?

 

[JollyRoger]

Any issues with the softer rubber on the toes wearing too quickly?

Texag10: I have read reviews of people not happy with the amount of wear on the climbing zone of the sole. So far, I can see mine have worn some but I'm not concerned about it yet.

One thing I did have happen this weekend however... the locking hook popped out while tightening the boot. I was a bit concerned on these plastic pieces breaking, but this just popped out of the plastic/rubber portion of the boot. Going to see if I can send them to La Sportiva to fix/replace/refund these.

 

[wind gypsy]

Travis, what other La Sportiva's are you comparing the toe box too? I saw the note about it being smaller than the normal La Sportiva toe box.

I'm not Travis but the Trango last is tighter all around and allows for minimal movement of your foot, I love it but have narrow and low volume feet.

A lot of their mountaineering boots are built on the Nepal last which is more roomy. I have a pair of euro model Karakorum HC GTX on the Nepal last that is a softer, lighter, more cushiony boot than the Nepal and with more room than the Trangos.

 

[MtnBum]

Just ordered a pair of the trango cubes, great write up Travis! I'll give some feedback after I've put 150 or so mi on them!

 

[Xforce41]

Anyone have an issue with the tangos leaking? I wore a pair during this September's elk hunt, and my feet got soaked, basically from walking in dew/frost soaked willows.
Now I'm going thru a warranty claim with gore-tex because La sportiva passed the blame onto gore.
If they come to the conclusion that it's gore-tex's issue, they're going to replace or refund. But do I take the chance and get another pair of trangos?
I'm torn.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[JollyRoger]

Anyone have an issue with the tangos leaking? I wore a pair during this September's elk hunt, and my feet got soaked, basically from walking in dew/frost soaked willows.
Now I'm going thru a warranty claim with gore-tex because La sportiva passed the blame onto gore.
If they come to the conclusion that it's gore-tex's issue, they're going to replace or refund. But do I take the chance and get another pair of trangos?
I'm torn.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

That's a bummer... mine have been water tight, only getting me wet when I walked across a creek in knee deep water.

 

[Xforce41]

That's a bummer... mine have been water tight, only getting me wet when I walked across a creek in knee deep water.

I love the boots other than that, but they're pretty much useless if they leak. I was even wearing gaiters the whole time.
I did my own test at home, filled a tub with water and put my feet in. And it didn't take long to feel dampness.
So I guess we'll see what gore has to say.
But I will say this, the people at gore-tex have been a pleasure to deal with.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[Jordan]

I just had to send mine back after less then 3 months in them. They started to leak pretty bad during my last hunt. Up until then they were great boots, I did notice that if my gaiters were not pretty tight to the boot water would wick up the material around the back of the boot behind your ankle and start to get your socks damp. Upon further inspection mine also developed a rip in the top of the boot by the lace eyelets. There back at Seirra Trading post being evaluated if they are exchangeable or not. I did enjoy them though and would try another pair.

 

[Eric4]

Just snagged a pair on steepandcheap in highlander for a nice price. Looking forward to trying these boots out! I went a half size up. Hopefully they will fit properly.

 

[Tony Trietch]

One of my favorite boots! La Sportiva just fits my foot!

 

[bbags1]

After my first 15 day trip into the Alaska sheep mountains, the soft climbing zone had worn off of both boots and cloth material was sticking out the front underside of the boot. La sportiva customer service was flakey.and said I used them for the wrong application...until I pointed out that their website specifically advertised this boot for that purpose. These boots just don't hold up well to rocks and mountains.

 

[Travis Bertrand]

After my first 15 day trip into the Alaska sheep mountains, the soft climbing zone had worn off of both boots and cloth material was sticking out the front underside of the boot. La sportiva customer service was flakey.and said I used them for the wrong application...until I pointed out that their website specifically advertised this boot for that purpose. These boots just don't hold up well to rocks and mountains.

really weird... mine are holding up well. How much do you weigh?

 

[bbags1]

205#'s and I'm old so I wasn't hiking in any crazy terrain that I hope a younger man would be exploring..... I got about 47 miles out of the cubes which was a poor return on my investment.

 

[gudspelr]

How stiff are these boot soles? I’m looking for a new pair of boots after my last hike this season. I went with a friend on his late bow hunt and we did 10+ miles over a day and a half and about 3000’ of elevation each day. The merrell hikers I had used the rest of the year showed their weakness (for me at least) on that hike. With a heavier pack, side hilling, and all the up and down, my dogs were barking. I need something with more stiffness, but I don’t think I want a full on mountaineering type of stiff sole... I still do enough closed loggin road/not too steep hikes with the kids that I’d like something of a happy medium. Do the Trangos fit that bill?


Jeremy

 

[Travis Bertrand]

On a scale of 1/10 I would say 8 on stiffness. I own stiffer but not many! With what you are describing, I believe these will be a good fit for you. I hope that helps.

 

[gudspelr]

Thanks Travis-I appreciate it. I think the stiffer soles (than what I have...) would really help on steep terrain and the side hills. Though, I don’t really want to have to do the “ski boot” walk on more level ground. Bending a bit would go a long ways... I’ll see if I can find some at a store to try on.

Jeremy