Reviewing the La Sportiva Aequilibrium Top Boot: Backpacking, Mountaineering, and Climbing Trips
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When heading into the alpine, getting to the climb is can’t always be taken for granted. On big expeditions to far off corners of the globe, logistics, alone, can be a major obstacle: getting ticket and permits for the people involved, getting the equipment transported, finding reliable provisions. Once in country, then you still have to march to the objective that is often days away. Getting more local, even in mountains with great access, the terrain heading to the climb is often very different than the climb, itself.
In rock climbing, this drove the advent of the approach shoe. A shoe that was far more comfortable and less aggressive than a climbing shoe; something you could wear all day; but something that was grippy enough to handle the rock scrambling that might precede the technical climbing. However, given the reliable conditions that are required for rock climbing (can’t be raining, can’t be snowy, etc.), approach shoes could be fairly light and specialized to this single purpose.
For mountaineering, there was often no other option than to have a shoe for the trails and then a stiff-soled, crampon-compatible boot for the moderate snow slopes or other alpine obstacles that show up when you are heading up higher and higher. And if you were on broken terrain - terrain that switched back and forth from snow or ice to dry ground and rock, you typically just left your clunky mountaineering boots on your feet and reveled in their performance on the cold stuff and tolerated their unwieldy awkwardness on the dry stuff.
That’s where the La Sportiva Aequilibrium comes in. It is designed to get mountaineers and technical alpine climbers out of this footwear trap. One boot that can handle the long approaches like a hiker, the rock scrambling like an approach shoes, and the snowy and ice like a mountaineering boot. After trying it out, it does the job pretty well, but not perfectly.
Like I state in the video, the Aequilibrium comes in three models:
La Sportiva Aequilibrium Top, with an integrated gaiter and BOA lacing system
La Sportiva Aequilibrium ST, a synthetic that is the lightest of the three models
La Sportiva Aequilibrium LT, with a partial leather upper, brining the cost down
I have been using the Aequilibrium Top. If you’ve read or seen my other gear reviews, you know that I believe every piece of gear has its pros and cons. I have yet to find the piece of equipment that is the best at everything it is supposed to useful for. Better breathable jackets are worse at weather resistance. Short knives store well but can be dangerous when trying to cut large items. Light tents give up stability in extreme weather. And on and on and on.
The Aequilibrium Top is no exception. With a particular temperature range and within a fixed range of conditions from trail to moderately technical climbing, the boot does really well. Get outside those zones, and you can find something better.
That being said, there are a large number of missions that I go on for which the Aequilibrium Top is ideal and having it as an option can save me needing to bring a bulky, heavy, extra set of footwear. That saves me the weight of those extra shoes or boots along with the weight of a pack big enough to carry them. So, the Aequilibrium Top has a deserved place in my gear closet. Take a look at the video to find out if maybe it deserves a place in yours, too.