New Altra Lone Peak 3.0

Good to see that the Neoshell version isn’t lagging behind a generation. That never made sense to me.

But, phew, can I catch my breath? Seems like Altra pumps out a new version of their shoes every few months.

I wore thru 2 pairs  of 2.5’s.  Glad to see the endless mesh gone, man that let some filth through.

Can’t wait until Altra gets their heel fit right.  It’s obvious that the 3.0 isn’t it.  same as the old.

The 3.0 heel looks like the Superior 2.0 heel, which for me has been a lot better than the Lone Peak 1.5 or Superior 1.0 heels… but still, not as good as other brands. Merrell nails this for me.

Still, the 3.0 upper looks quite durable which has been my number 1 complaint from Altra. I thought my Superior 2.0s were doing well with a few hundred Ks on them but then suddenly a 2 inch tear opened up without warning…

Tread and upper looks better, but it will all depend on the materials.  Their mesh and rubber has just been terrible.

It’s always interesting to see the folks wearing the latest models of Altra shoes on the long trails and to hear how many pairs thru hikers have gone through on their hike.

Fit just can’t be beat… Sadly that keeps me coming back. Record worst performance was sub 100km before the Superior 1.0s blew out… Kept them going another 100 or so with some duct tape and then gave up after that.

I think they’re going the right direction, will see how many pairs of 3.0s I go through on the PCT :)

Sometimes I wonder if the inventor/maker (I’ve forgotten his name…?) even keeps up with real use evaluations other than runners. The Altra brand is very heavily used by hikers but we seem to get the least of attentions when it comes to evaluating and possible improvements to the product. Maybe it’s deliberate, I dunno? Use em up buy more? Love the fit and feel but I can’t rely on them on the trail where I live, it’s just too rocky here. But I do wear them at home and in town. Such a relief to walk in zero drop shoes……

double post…..poo!

hmmm…i really liked the 2 and the 2.5.  I wish they’d stop messing around with shoes I like…..

I bought the Superiors. I like the fit but they are way too hot to hike in. I pretty much have given up and just wear Luna sandals as much as possible and then suffer in the Superiors or some other hot, clunky monstrosity when sandals wouldn’t work.

… I think this looks good! Hope it isn’t too clunky. As I’m carrying kids and family packs around, I might even consider the mid hight ones.

So it looks like the 3.0’s are starting to pop for sale on Amazon and a few other places. Anyone had a chance to try them out yet? Curious as to how the fit on the 3.0’s compare to the 2.5’s since Altra has been historically all over the map on sizing between different versions of the same shoe as well as between other shoes in their lineup.

Just an update – I found the 3.0’s in stock on Backcountry edge with a 20% off coupon and free priority mail shipping so I pulled the trigger today on the same size as I was wearing in the 2.5’s. The shoes should be here by the end of the week so I’ll post my impressions when they arrive.

My first impressions are good enough that I have a second pair on the way already!  So far I’ve used the 3.0s for a few days with a 4 mile trail run also.  I blew through two pairs of Superior 2.0s(the older design) within 125 miles on each pair.  Good shoes but terrible durability.  I have also tried on but not owned the LP 2.0 and 2.5.  I did not buy them due to the way they fit in the heel/midsole.  The fit of the 3.0 is much more supportive in that regard.  I have fairly narrow feet and consistently would have to tie the Superiors and the previous Lone Peaks so tight that the fabric above the toe would wrinkle and sometimes cause hot spots.  That is not the case with the 3.0 for me and that is one of the major reasons I really like this shoe so far.  The toe box is huge and typical Altra, truly the best thing about their shoes.

There is actually a neat feature that I never noticed in the pictures online.  It is a small metal oval attached at the bottom of the lace system to attach gaiters to.  So far I have tried it with my Dirty Girl and MLD Superlight gaiters.  The Dirty Girl’s metal hook is a little too tall to fit through the oval but if you turn it 90 degrees it goes through just fine.  The MLD gaiter’s plastic clip went on and off easily.  I am not planning to use WPB gaiters with these but the info may help if you’re interested in the Neoshell version or have a different style of attachment.

On trail, traction is great and the more aggressive lugs seem to provide a little extra cushion at least when new.  Stability on trail and uneven surfaces is hands down better than the Superior and even though I never owned the older LPs, I would imagine it is improved considering the way they fit.  Durability is the last test and I’m planning to run the Timberline Trail soon, so we’ll see what they look like afterwards!

Good to see that it has a more snug fit than previous versions. I have read many reviews of the Lone Peak 2.5 that it was too bulky and very difficult to get the right fit no matter how tight was the lacing. How breathable is the upper? Can you see light passing through? I have seen a video and it had a white interior while the mesh was blue. Does it have some kind of lining?

The lacing was the first thing I noticed and I was very pleased.  The upper seems to be more breathable than the Superiors I had.  For as thin as that fabric was it was not terribly breathable but somehow managed to let lots of sand in.

The video you described is how mine look.  I bought the red/orange ones so the top fabric is red mesh and the white fabric you saw is the inner fabric lining.  The white fabric is thin with a much finer weave that seems like it should keep most debris from passing through the mesh top.  If I hold the shoe up to a light and look inside I can see light on the areas that are only backed by the red mesh outer fabric.  I am not sure how the 2.5 was designed on the inside but looking at how much mesh was exposed before might mean these are slightly less breathable.

The pictures and talk of a lower volume narrow fit are concerning.    The 2.5 was almost perfect.

Does anyone know if they are coming out with a superior 2.5 or 3.0 soon? I’ve noticed that the 2.0’s are gone from their site. I’m concerned about them reducing the size of the toe box with a new version. I know that the 2015 2.0’s had a too small toe box while the 2016 2.0’s had a big enough toe box.

My superiors blew out and ripped where the mesh connects with the sole. A big protective rand would solve that.

Altra is a company that I’d love to love, but they seem stuck in getting so much right while getting so much wrong.

I got mine yesterday, fit is good. Pretty close to the 2.5’s, but with some differences. I did a 30 min run on the treadmill last night and a 6 mile out and back trail run this morning.

I wear a 13 and the 2.5’s have a bit more room at the front of the toe box compared to the 3.0’s. The extra room at the front of the toe box on the 2.5’s had gotten to be too much, as the shoes had worn in the toe had become “floppy” when running. After putting around 300 trail miles on them I retired them from active duty due to the last time I was out running in them I tripped twice due to the floppy toe snagging on rocks.

The heel cup is definitely tighter on the 3.0 than on the 2.5. Not a bad thing, just different. I could feel it a little in my achilles this morning on the uphill bits of my trail run. Grip was good on hard packed dusty bits of the trail as well as on a few sections of rock that are on the trail.

Although the shoes have a lot less mesh than the 2.5’s they still breathe well. The upside of less mesh is that I had a lot less dust on my feet when I got home and took my socks off. The 2.5’s were terrible in this respect.

Overall I am very happy with the fit. I need to tweak the lacing a bit, as they felt a little loose on the midfoot near the end of my run this morning. I accredit that to the shoes breaking in and will adjust accordingly. No hot spots or anything negative to say about them so far.

I’ll report back after I put a few more miles on them.

Just bought a pair and did a day hike in Glacier to try them out. Nor perfect but the best version if the LP yet (and I think I’ve tried them all). Traction seems better the the 2.5 by just a bit. Way better then the 1.5 for sure. Fit might be a bit snugger but there is still plenty of toe room. Now that Merrell doesn’t make as good a Bare Access trail shoe this might be my go too for a while. If they do well on your the next trip I’ll probably buy another pair or two

I got a pair yesterday and tried them on – too tight in the forefoot. It looks like Altra has ruined the LP 3.0 for me – this pair is going back.

Too bad as I really liked both the LP 1.0 and LP 2.0 despite their lack of durability.

A good shoe review.