Scarpa has been a specialist hiking boot producer for decades, and has racked up quite a few awards from us over the years largely due to its practical innovations.
In previous years, the Italian brand has focused on high performance mountain boots and durable trekking footwear. But with the recent popularity of trail running and ultralight hiking exploding, Scarpa has extended its product line to include a range of lightweight outdoor footwear.
The Rush 2 Mid GTX is currently the lightest walking boot Scarpa makes. It’s a mid-cut version of the Rush 2 GTX hiking shoe and weighs in at a smidge over 400g (per boot). Scarpa has managed to turn out some excellent lightweight trail running shoes, so we were curious to see if it could achieve success with lightweight hiking boots too.
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Pros
- Very grippy
- Excellent agility
- More durable than many rivals
- Gore-Tex Invisible Fit
Cons
- Narrower fit won't suit all
- Little ankle support
Design and features
As with many lightweight walking boots, the Rush 2 Mid GTX is based on a hiking shoe sibling. To become a mid-cut boot, the Rush 2 Mid GTX has a flexy and highly padded ankle collar.
Lightweight walking boots vary in terms of how much effort is put into abrasion protection. Many feature a bit of PU coating and a light toe bumper. But the Rush 2 Mid GTX sacrifices a little weight gain in favour of some decent protection. It has a proper, stiffened toe cap and thicker PU overlays around the base of the upper to fend off scuffs.
This boot uses a Gore-Tex Invisible Fit waterproof lining, which we’ve seen used before on trail running shoes. Aptly named, Invisible Fit is designed not to feel like an extra lining, so you get a lighter and less restrictive shoe.
But employing Gore-Tex is where the use of third party products ends. Scarpa does everything else including the sole – no Vibram here – which has the scientific sounding label Presa HIK-03. Our previous experiences with Scarpa Presa soles on both hiking boots and trail running shoes have been very positive, so our expectations were high.
Performance and comfort
The Scarpa Rush 2 Mid GTX is easily one of, if not the best performing walking boot of its type right now. We found that you don’t notice the extra grams it carries over some of its ultralightweight rivals, but you do notice those mild protective additions.
Be in no doubt, no lightweight boot is as durable as a heavier leather boot. But some protective add-ons go a long way to boosting durability – that tougher toecap in particular is excellent.
Underfoot, the Presa sole didn't fail to deliver. It excels over rocky terrain and is surprisingly grippy over steep, boggy and muddy terrain, which is usually where lightweight boots struggle. This is thanks in part to the lug pattern, but also to the slight heel brake, which is something many lightweight boots don’t have.
We liked the midsole too. It's not as squishy as some boots in this class, but delivers a finer balance of foot protection, energy rebound, and resistance to compressing over time.
The Rush 2 Mid GTX doesn’t have much in the way of ankle support, but the trade-off is that we felt incredibly agile wearing the Rush 2 Mid GTX.
In terms of fit, this is where we arrive at one of this boot’s main issues. The last (shape) is quite narrow, especially at the heel. Unfortunately, there is no wide fit version to remedy this, so it’s very much on a case-by-case basis whether the Rush 2 Mid GTX will be comfortable for you.
That Gore-Tex lining works a treat too – you can step in puddles that submerge the toebox without suffering any ingress. And the lighter, more flexy Invisible Fit does make a tangible difference, albeit a mild one.
Sustainability
Given that lightweight hiking boots are far less durable than their heavier counterparts and usually use almost entirely synthetic materials, their eco credentials aren’t off to a great start.
This is also a bit of a challenge for Scarpa because its take on sustainability focuses on quality, durability, and local production. The Rush 2 Mid GTX is a quality boot, no doubt about that. But is it durable? Compared to rivals yes, but compared to Scarpa’s other walking boots, not really. And is it made locally in Scarpa’s Italian factory? The tag inside the tongue says ‘Made in Vietnam’.
We’re not singling out Scarpa here because almost all lightweight outdoor footwear has this problem of essentially being a consumer item. A way to combat it would be through a circular model using recycled and recycling the materials, but no one seems to be there yet.
Price and competition
At the time of writing, the Scarpa Rush 2 Mid GTX RRPs at £190. That puts it well above the average price for this type of walking boot, which we’d say is about £150.
Is it worth the extra? We think it is, but it really comes down to whether you truly need that best-in-class performance because the Rush 2 Mid GTX has some fierce competition nipping at its heels.
The popular Inov-8 Roclite G354 GTX V2, for example, gives the Scarpa a run for its money in performance while costing £35 less. There is also the Oboz Katabatic Mid Waterproof. It offers similar levels of durability (but not quite as much performance) for £20 less than the Scarpa.
Verdict
There’s no denying how well Scarpa has done with the Rush 2 Mid GTX. It leads the pack for lightweight hiking boots in every respect from durability to all terrain grip.
However, it is pricey and that narrower shape will mean it won’t be comfortable for everyone.
How we tested
Chris Williams (above) is one of our staff writers and gear testers on LFTO and conducted the testing of the Scarpa Rush 2 Mid GTX in February, primarily in the Yorkshire Dales.
Chris has been with us since 2021 and also has several years of journalistic and outdoor industry experience.