La Sportiva Raptor Ultra vs. Salomon XA Pro 3D Ultra

I've owned both. If you don't like how fast the XA's tread wears, then I wouldn't recommend the Raptors. They wear really fast. The sticky lugs do perform well on rocks, but I've heard others complain about lugs tearing loose. I thought the XA's were fine shoes EXCEPT for the narrow toe box. I lost two toenails on every trip. Have you thought about the Wildcats? I liked those. The upper mesh was less supportive but they seemed to grip pretty darn well. Right now I'm using the new Altra Lone Peak 2.5's. So far, so good.

Do either the Wildcats or Lone Peak's have a narrow heal?

I'd say the Wildcats have a good supportive heal cup close to the XA's. I'd try them on in the store first though…. While the soles are stickier, you may like the heal but dislike minimally supported mesh forefoot if you're doing a lot of rock hopping. The Lone Peak 2.5's don't have great heal support… but they feel like slippers, have amazing tread, and let your forefoot toes splay to offer better control. After my rocky "test hike" my feet felt MUCH less sore in these than the Raptors or even the Cascadia 9's. Another option I still use is the Montrail Masochists. These probably have the best heal support of all listed above and I would put the traction above the XA's. They're heavier but have a really nice cushy tongue and ankle padding. I pulled these out of the stack 6-months ago and forgot how great they were. Really underrated in my opinion.

Thanks for the opinion Nick. I tried a pair of Montrail Mountain Masochist walking around the neighborhood some (as I would any new to me brand shoe) and they didn't agree with me at all. The heel was a little too wide for starters but my arch hurt after wearing them but I don't know why. They never made it on a backpacking trip. I may go check out the Wildcats and Raptors or just stick with my Salomons.

The Montrail hurt my arches the first few hikes too. They had to break in. I also forgot to mention the Raptor uppers felt extremely stiff. To the point where it put unnecessary fatigue on my foot. Maybe try the Salomon Wings Pros if you can. Looks like a better tread pattern and your already comfortable with the brand. Good luck… I'm still waiting to find my Magic Slippers.

Over the past 4 decades I've tried a number of different hiking shoes ranging from high-top leathers, to boots, to trailrunners, to mid-boots. One of the best, most comfortable, fit I've ever had was the Ultra Raptor. That's where the good part of the story ends. In my experience, the Ultra Raptors are like a Lincoln Continental. Comfortable as can be on the highway but sloppy on the curves. I've had two near disasters related to the side sloppiness of my Raptors that could have had me tumbling down the trail on rocks. I only wear them around town and they are super comfortable. I would never wear them hiking again. YMMV