Altra Lone Peak 3.0's

[Terry Hoover]

Just picked up a pair of Altra Loan Peak 3.0’s.  Have worn a few days and yesterday did a 5 miler on rocky trails with full pack.  They feel great.  Any concerns over using these for Philmont?  The pair of Innov 8’s I had previously tried was lacking in padding behind the heel bone.  I was going to default to my Merrel Moab Ventilators, but they started coming apart so had to buy something new.  Thanks.

[Bob Moulder]

LP 3.0 is renowned for having the front part of the sole become unglued in the area where it wraps around the front of the toe area.

It generally happens within about 50 miles of trail usage and, sure enough, it happened to mine after approx 30 miles. I forget which, but one side was worse than the other. However, I cleaned the area where they peeled away and re-glued them with Welder Contact Adhesive and they have held fine ever since.

They’ve now got about 150 trail miles on them and are fine, and the trails I hike are typically very rocky and a good test for shoes.

[Jeffrey Peters]

I leave for Philmont next week and three of the four advisors on the crew are taking the Loan Peak 3.0. I have about a hundred miles of section hiking the AT in Md, Va and Pa on them with no major problems.

[Jeffrey Peters]

Arrived home from Philmont on Monday and my Lone Peak 3.o held up well. They did get really funky smelling but they were at the end of their life span when we left. On the van ride from Philmont to the Denver airport I ordered a new pair from amazon.

[Bob Moulder]

Approx how many total miles did you get out of them?

[Jeffrey Peters]

It’s hard to give an accurate mileage for the shoes. I bought them in March and wore them as my everyday shoes. During that time  I put probably a hundred AT section hiking miles on them and plus the Philmont trek mileage. We did trek #14 that listed 67 miles but when you actually added the miles up that registration gave us it was more like high 70s. They still have some miles to go before they become my wading fishing shoes but just working on getting the smell out of them now.

[Bob Moulder]

OK thanks, just wondering roughly what I might expect.

I use mine exclusively for trail running and hiking (only asphalt to and from the car) and so far am impressed with how well they’re holding up after about 200 mi of this mixed use. The little cross-hatch pattern has barely worn off the lugs on the outside of the heels, which is where I typically first see significant wear. I hope the uppers prove to be similarly durable… not that I have reason to suspect otherwise at this point.

[Tim P]

Please tell me again how stupid it would be to wear boots.

I really like the idea of shoes, but everyone at Philmont keeps telling me to wear boots for the ankle supports.  Philmont keeps telling me about ankles being the number one injury.  I have a pair of Hoka’s that I’ve been training in and I don’t feel like my ankles are getting beat up or hurt in any way.

[Nate Ward]

Boots are not needed at all…even though I wear them….I had planned on going to the Lone Peak 3.5’s but they just don’t fit me correctly…ended up going back to my Keen’s.   If people are wearing trail runners on the AT, PCT and ect. you will be fine.

[Jeffrey Peters]

 

Tim P you will be fine in trail runners. Remember that Philmont is going to give the answer that has the least liability associated with it. They have a large number of crews that come through every summer with little to no backpacking experience. Because of this they are forced to develop a philosophy that fits the most participants. If you have done everything you can do to carry the lightest load then you should be OK in trail runners.

 

[Jeffrey Peters]

To follow up with my last post. Next time someone from Philmont tells you that ankle injuries are their number one injury and that you should wear boots, ask them have they done a study to show that lack of ankle support in the cause of these injuries. Is there any corolation between boots and trailer runners and injuries?

[Brad P]

If it’s the number 1 injury, it doesn’t sound like the boots are doing a great job.

Anecdotal, but I wore high top shoes as a kid playing basketball and still sustained many sprained ankles.

I’ve never felt like boots give me any noticeable protection from ankle sprains.

[Terry Hoover]

I never followed up on my initial post, though some others did with their experience.  My Altra Loan Peak 3.0’s did great at Philmont in 2017, on several shakedowns, and on any number of backpacking trips, day hikes and camping trips since then.  I will wear something similar when I go back in 2020.

[Brad P]

I currently have the Lone Peak 4.0s.  I have no experience with the previous versions, but I like these. The built in heal velcro for Dirty Girl gaiters is a nice touch, too.

[John S]

Regarding boots one of the studies in this thread mirrors my experience… https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/22522/

The one stating…

“The results from three studies indicate that, in the absence of additional taping or external support, wearing high-top shoes does not reduce the risk of ankle sprains. Indeed, in one study, the wearing of low-top shoes resulted in a lower incidence of ankle sprains compared to high-top shoes (Rovere et al. 1988). In two recently published meta-analysises, it was also concluded that the role of footwear in the prevention of ankle sprains was not clear (Quinn et al. 2000)”

And

“In a prospective study of risk factors for lateral ankle sprain among 390 male Israeli infantry recruits, a 18% incidence of lateral ankle sprains was found in basic training. There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of lateral ankle sprains between recruits who trained in modified basketball shoes or standard lightweight infantry boots.”

My take away? Ankle support does work biomechanically, that said the ankle support by footwear alone doesn’t really cut it because the design of footwear doesn’t supply the appropriate support on it’s own. I mean ultimately how could they when you think about it? The boots are designed to fit a multitude of ankle widths and the simply lacing in the front doesn’t create some perfect custom fit. That said a properly done wrapping or tapeing of the ankle does.

[Brad P]

I sprained my ankles many times as a teenager playing basketball, always in high top shoes. I really don’t believe they ever once prevented a sprain.  That’s just anecdotal evidence compared to the studies above, but it’s my personal reason for not wearing them for hiking.

[John S]

@Brad P, the only time I wear them anymore is if they are goretex and A: it’s going to be cold and B: it may be wet/muddy etc.

Yeah I know “all shoes eventually get wet and gore-tex takes longer to dry.” In such conditions I carry a highly absorbent chammy that I shove in the boots to get the excess water. The simple “damp” that remains is easily dealt with by my body heat. If I was wearing my Altras in those conditions I would be seriously concerned with getting swamp foot since they would never dry.

An example is this weekend. I did a weekend excursion on the AT with a group. About half the trail was essentially a creek due to a major storm that had rolled in. Only one other person wore waterproof boots. We were the only ones that didn’t need to worry about warming our feet/drying socks by the fire. We were also the only ones not to put on wet/damp shoes in the morning (it got too cold for efficient air drying) and then everyone else got soaking wet again on the hike out.

Obviously mileage may vary.

[Brad P]

Boots do have their place as you described. I have them and will wear them for those purposes.

I just question their ability to prevent sprains.

[Tony Ronco]

Another data point:

I’ve worn Altra Lone Peaks to Philmont for two treks.  Worked great for that purpose each time. … in fact they are my favorite hiking shoe (trail runner).  I’ve also worn them on the John Muir Trail (JMT), and many other hikes.

Durability – the tip of the sole that wraps up and over the toe rand does start to peel.  It’s never been a serious issue on a trek.  When it happens I wait until I get back home and Shoe Goo it in place.  The folds on the mid-foot in the upper fabric will start to break down 200-300 miles (form holes which get bigger over time.).  No fabric rips on me yet. The insole loses it cushion about 400-500 miles. You’ll feel it.  And lastly, the rate at which the soles themselves wear down depends on the terrain.  For the granite of the JMT, after 220 miles they were pretty worn down.  I’ve had pairs that much longer on softer terrain.

Ankle Support – I agree with content in John S’s post above … and will add this:  Make sure you train with the weight you plan on carrying to strengthen your ankles AND so you’ll know how the shoes work for you

YIS

[Author]

Posts