Topo Athletic Terraventure Review (Trail Running Shoes)

[Roger Caffin]

Companion forum thread to: Topo Athletic Terraventure Review (Trail Running Shoes)

This Topo Athletic Terraventure review features shoes that have narrow heels, a wide toebox, and minimal drop.

[Pedestrian]

I’ve worn two generations of Topo Athletic shoes and like them for running/hiking trails. As noted in the review the Terraventure has a decent sole that works well in a range of conditions: dry, crumbly, loose trails to wet, slick, rocks.

The only downside I found is that with time the sole wears out resulting in sore feet after long days on rocky terrain. Even when new, the soles don’t provide much protection from rocks and gravel on trails but as I put more miles on the shoes, the soles wore down. This was true with the MT-2 (previous model) and the Terraventure.

But a lot better built than Altra shoes.

 

 

 

 

[Roger Caffin]

Soles are a funny thing. I can wear my outer and inner soles right down without any problems. My wife finds that once the inner soles especially start to wear down, she has foot problems. Since we take the same size shoes (length and width), that means that after she has worn a pair for 6 months and had to move on, I can wear the same pair for another 6 – 12 months – which is kinda economical.

Cheers

[Pedestrian]

I’m cheap that way about shoes too – I put a lot of trail miles every week consistently (30-40) and don’t replace shoes more than every 9-10 months. For comparison I’m currently on a pair of Brooks Caldera (last year’s model). The Caldera has significantly more cushioning than the Terraventure while it has a 3-4 mm heel to toe drop. I find it more comfortable for longer hikes/runs especially on rough terrain.

The Caldera is a lot like the older Brooks Cascadia (5, 6, 7) before Brooks messed up (for me) that model. The Caldera has a lower heel to toe drop than the current Cascadia and a wider toe box.

 

[Roger Caffin]

I (we, actually) dispute that bit about being ‘cheap’. My wife does not hesitate to pass on a pair once her feet start to hurt. I continue to wear them because for me they remain fully functional (and they are still good shoes).

In fact, for both of us, having comfortable feet is far more important than saving a few $. Mistreat your feet long enough and you can be permanently crippled. Suffering is not part of our diet.

Cheers

[Martin Norris]

I have wide but not silly wide feet (like 4EE!) and found them very comfortable. Used them in Scotland and all that ankle deep cold water constantly being refreshed was not nice, but some sealskin socks soon fixed that! 3mm drop does take a little getting used to if you are transitioning from ‘normal’ shoes and climbing steep hills. Don’t dry them on a hot hotel room radiator in Edinburgh…they shrink (yep…I now have a pair that don’t fit). All in all an okay shoe, but still looking for my Holy Grail or hiking shoes!

[Roger Caffin]

Ah, the trouble with drying your shoes is that 15 minutes after you start walking tomorrow, they (and your socks) will again be soaking wet.

Cheers

[Colin Briggs]

I just did two weeks in Norway with this shoes brother, the HydroVenture. Looks to be the same shoe only with a waterproof upper. Great grip on rocks. Comfortable even with my wide feet. Very waterproof so far. Did a lot of snow and shallow rivers with dry feet.

My only complaint with them is where the sole is bonded to the upper along each side. This has started to separate on both sides of both shoes. This happened during two routes we followed that had hours of boulder hopping. I don’t think they like the constant direction changes. So I’m not sure how long they will last.

[Roger Caffin]

Hi Colin

Photos would be great if possible.

Cheers

[Alex H]

I have been using the Terraventures this year and have found them pretty good.  Not as grippy as the La Sportiva TX3s but pretty good and when wet and going down hill the thin insole likes to slide to the front and bunch up, will try to find a better insole.

[Colin Briggs]

Hi Roger,

Some pictures of the problem are below.

I normally don’t use waterproof runners as my feet sweat so much. We knew we would be in snow for a while so I got a pair of the HydroVenture and a pair of the Terraventure (not used yet). I’m pretty disappointed that the upper has deteriorated so quickly. My wife did the same trip in a pair of Keens. They look no worse for it. I would buy a pair of the Keens, but of course they no longer make that model :(

It really pisses me off that the manufacturers ALL constantly change models. Once I find a runner that works I usually buy four pairs to delay the inevitable search when they are all worn out.

I have a pair of Altra Superior 3.5 in the mail at the moment. They are wide around the toes and normal in the heel and mid like my feet. Hopefully they will last longer!

[Roger Caffin]

Looks very poor.
Is it just the thin plastic trim which has disintegrated, or is the body fabric also delaminating from the sole? The former is poor, but the latter is a disaster.

Cheers

[Colin Briggs]

Its a combination. On all of the joins the plastic trim has disintegrated. On the worst join the fabric has separated from the sole down to about 5mm.

Its the sort of wear and tear I would expect after a couple of hundred km on the AAWT. Actually that’s not true, the pair of New Balance runners I used last year on the AAWT looked better after 700km than these do after 50km.

[Roger Caffin]

I don’t make joggers, but I do wear a lot of them.
I have to say that the broken trim looks extremely thin and poorly conceived. I am really not surprised at what happened. Just BAD.

No experience with the HydroVentures, but the TerraVentures (SO FAR) have not shown any signs of that. As for NB shoes – they last me for ages.

Cheers

[john hansford]

I have just completed a walk across Switzerland wearing these shoes. I went from Lichtenstein to Lake Geneva climbing 14 Swiss passes on the way, to clock up  225 miles and 60,000 feet of ascent in 12.5 days of walking, camping all the way.

These shoes were fantastic. The terrain varied from roads to rock, gravel, loose shale and hard snow. Some climbs and descents were were quite steep, with the highest pass over 9,000 feet, from a valley base of 5,000 feet. At the end of the trip the shoes are showing very little signs of wear.

My feet must fit the profile of this shoe very well. I usually suffer from little toe blisters where the little toe rubs under the next toe. With this shoe, my feet could spread just that little bit more, and no problems. I had no hot spots or blisters whatsoever, and in the evening at camp I just eased the laces a little and never needed to take them off all day until bedtime.

For comparison, my previous favourite shoe was the Brooks Cascadia 9, and I got through 3 pairs of these trail hiking. Even with these I often needed tape on my toes. The Terraventure is about a quarter to a half size larger than these. I’m wearing Injinji toe socks at the moment to try and prevent my toe blisters, and with the Terraventure I needed thin liner socks as well. I probably have a narrow heel, and certainly need extra room for my toes to spread, and these worked perfectly.

I have never hiked in low drop shoes before, and didn’t notice the lower 3mm drop at all. I have had plantar fasciitis in both feet in the past, so swapped the insoles for Wellbeing Pro 2, which has a bit of foam under the heel and forefoot, and had no heel problems either.  Indeed I looked forward to any road sections because the shoes were so comfortable, and I was then able to get into a good rhythm and enjoy the view out in the open.

I first read about Terraventure here on a different thread (as an alternative to the Altra Lone Peak 3), which just shows yet again what a great resource this site is.

 

[Roger Caffin]

Hi John

The Alpine Pass Route? We did that a few years ago, and it was as good as it was promised. I forget what joggers we wore – probably NB.

Cheers

[john hansford]

The old Alpine Pass Route goes onto bits of the newer Via Alpina now. So you can go onto higher traverses still following the long distance red and white markers. Or  stay in the valleys, pick and mix. Fantastic route.

[Roger Caffin]

Um. We went over the top and stayed out of the valleys.

Cheers

[Author]

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