Wide toebox, minimal drop. Hiker seeks Altra alternatives…

[Eric “Hearsay” Payne]

Although I’ve used Altra Lone Peaks on and off for the past couple of years, it’s time again to try to find an alternative for trail running and SUL backpacking.  I find it very tough to go back from the wide toe box, and generally like to hike with a shoe with a drop of zilch-4mm.  Any recommendations other than Altra?  Ideally I could find an older discounted model and not drop $130 for a pair…

I’ve used the Pearl Izumi n2 with relative success before but would be interested in trying something different.  Saucony Peregrine 7’s look promising as well, but assume that the toebox will still leave something to be desired after rocking Altra’s.

[Pedestrian]

Check out the Topo Athletic Terraventure. I’ve previously owned a pair of their Oterro but now looking at getting a pair of the Terraventures. I’ve also owned and worn out two generations of Alta Lone Peaks (1.0 and 2.0); the new version (3.0) just doesn’t work for me.

I love the minimalist feel and wide toebox of the Topo Athletic shoes.

Read a review here:

https://ultrarunnerjoe.com/2016/12/22/product-review-topo-athletic-terraventure-trail-shoe/

And take advantage of the 20% coupon.

http://www.topoathletic.com

 

 

[Robert Alexander]

Echoing the Topo suggestion. I’ve got the Runventure and the MT-2. I had some Oterro’s but they were really a half size too small.  Only thing is that Topo seems to offer less cushioning than a similar model from Altra. Definitely a minimalist’s shoe.

[ben .]

i love my topo mt-2’s. incredibly comfortable. the traction isn’t great.

i’ve just picked up the terraventure, which advertises itself as a slightly burlier mt-2. i haven’t been able to get out with them yet, but am looking forward to it. in wearing them around the house, they feel a bit stiffer (in a bad way, for my taste), but otherwise quite similar. check out topo.

[Mitch S]

I’ve recently got into minimal footwear…I have wide feet and realised 30 years of wearing shoes has been damaging my feet. Not any more!

Anyway, I have a pair of these and they are by far the comfiest shoes I’ve ever worn. I use them for running but they are great for walking in too. Outstanding quality for the price (I paid £69.95 in the UK): https://xeroshoes.com/shop/ipari/prio-men/

[Justin Baker]

Why do you want an alternative to altras? What do you not like about altras? That will help us give you recommendations.

[Eric “Hearsay” Payne]

Thanks for the Topo suggestions all.  They do look attractive and I’ve considered them before.  However, I’d like a bit of a beefier midsole to handle our obnoxiously rocky trails in the Gila and to get a bit more life from the shoe.

The reason I’m a bit over Altra at the moment is due to the sloppy fit of the heel cup/midfoot on my narrow feet.  Also I seemed to have missed the closeouts of the Lone Peak 2.5 and absolutely refuse to drop over $100 on a pair of shoes.  So I can see that I’m in quite the predicament.

I’m just putting out some feelers to see if a brand that I’m not familiar with (NB, Brooks, etc?) may have a wide toebox that is not widely publicized.

[Tallgrass]

While the toe box isn’t as wide, I’ve been using Inov-8 brand shoes for several years.  They have dropped their trail-roc line, unfortunately, which was the best shoe they ever made.  But you can get their Race Ultra 270s for fairly cheap now.  The toe box isn’t as wide as Altra’s.  It has a 4mm drop.  And I can personally testify that Inov-8 shoes are really well built and last a long time.

[Iago Vazquez]

Some Merrells have a wide toe box with a tighter heel/midfoot area. Got the Bare Access 4 from REI for around $65ish to which I applied the 20% coupon to drop the price to around $52+/-. Since they are new, I can’t speak for durability…

[Iago Vazquez]

Love inov-8s. Favorite shoes. But they are narrow. I can get some models to fit by over sizing but others are simply too narrow.

[Brando Sancho]

I have a fatter foot and I have had good luck with a few different NB road and trail shoes. I currently wear the Leadville’s for hiking, but that is a different shoe you are looking for.

I’ll just plug RunningWarehouse.com for good sales (and discount codes on sale shoes), fast shipping, and easy returns.

I’ve been meaning to give these a shot too since they are not too expensive (usually a 15% off sale price coupon somewhere online). But again, they have a 10mm drop, not exactly what you’re looking for but hey maybe just check out the site.

[Paul S.]

I use the Merrell All Out Peaks (what a mouthful of a name…).  They have a “natural” foot shape so narrow through the heel and mid foot with a wider toe box. They are not as wide as Altras but I like the fit. Not sloppy like the Altras.

They are being discontinued for a new model (agility peak) so you can get them at a big discount if you can find your size. Only issue is uppers aren’t as durable, I’ve got some minor tears in the mesh portion due to abrasion.

[Tallgrass]

Good mention on the Merrell’s.  In addition to my Inov-8 Trail Rocs, I have a pair of Merrell Trail Gloves (current line – version 3).  They are zero drop.  In my opinion, they have a wider toe box than my Inov-8s.  BUT, they also seem to have a lower stack height (less cushion).  That might be OK for the original poster, or perhaps not.  For me, I wish the Trail Gloves had slightly more cushion.

[Eric Blanche]

Another vote for looking at Inov8 options. I can attest to the quailty/durability. Also another vote specifically for the Trailroc series if you can still find any in your size. I’ve hiked through several pairs of trailroc 255’s and all three have seen well over 600 miles. One pair made it ~1000 miles on the AT/white mountains hiking.

Inov8 uses a standard fit and precision fit model. Standard is wider and more forgiving than the precision fit models which offer more of a technical fit like a cleat or rock climbing shoe (extreme example).

I also have a pair of old New Balance mt1010v2 which also has quite a wide toe box but they haven’t made that shoe in years.

 

Good Luck!

[David K.]

I get Altra’s on Amazon all the time for $60 to $80 dollars.  Highly recommend the Superior 2.
https://goo.gl/GWjPrI

 

 

[Edward Barton]

You might check out the La Sportiva Helios 2.0; wide forefoot, great grip, upper could be more durable but dries well.

[ben .]

i don’t want to ride the topo train too hard, but the terraventure has a rock plate and the same stack height as the lone peak.

as i said, i haven’t been able to go on a walk with them yet but, in theory, it’s exactly what you’re describing.

[Eric “Hearsay” Payne]

The Terraventure recommendation looks pretty good.  There is a short-term test comparison between the MT2 and Lone Peak 30 here.  I’ve gotten really good life out of Lone Peaks in the past, and don’t know what to expect in terms of durability for the Topo’s.  Food for thought no doubt.  Thanks for the recommendations all.

[Jake J]

I used the Lone Peaks (V3 and V2.5) and was pretty happy with them. My only gripe with the 3’s is that the cushioning was done after about 150 miles. I had hoped to get a little more life out of them than that. I got about 250 miles out of the 2.5’s before they were done. I picked up a pair of Leadvilles after the lone peak’s were done and the higher drop took a little bit of getting used to but was OK after a while. My complaint with the Leadvilles was that while the forefoot and mid foot fit OK the heel was pretty sloppy and there isn’t an extra hole for a lace lock. I took it upon myself to make an extra hole aft of the last hole with a nail I had heated up. Worked better, but still not as snug as I like in the heel. I had to tape my heel with leukotape if i was doing anything more than a couple of miles in them. After putting about 120 miles on the Leadvilles they’re just OK. I don’t love them, but don’t hate them either

After looking around a bit and reading some reviews and waffling on whether to just pick up another pair of Lone Peak 3’s I decided to pick up a pair of the Topo Terraventures and try them out.  Haven’t had a chance to get them on trail yet, but the fit is good overall. Felt a little odd at first going from the higher stack height and drop of the Leadvilles, but after a few days they feel normal now. I did an easy 5 mile treadmill run @ 9:00/mile earlier in the week and had no complaints. I’m going to go out tomorrow morning and do a 15 ish mile easy paced trail run early in the morning to see how they do. We’re supposed to get some rain over night so the trails will be a mixed bag. I’ll report back later in the weekend on how they do.

[John Rowan]

Topo users- can you comment on the fit between the Terraventures and the Lone Peaks? I tend to wear my LP’s pretty oversized, so I’m always a bit skittish translating my sizing to a different model.

Also, I’m really glad I saw this thread (and the Terraventure recommendation), since I’m one of those folks that have seen the LP’s fit less well every iteration. (I wish they did still fit my feet well, since I feel like they’re extremely responsive to user feedback, and, design-wise, I’m generally pretty on-board with what they’ve been adding.)

[Eric “Hearsay” Payne]

I’m pretty close to pulling the trigger on a pair of Terraventure’s also.  John’s questions above echoes mine:  is the sizing similar to the Lone Peaks?

Jake, I look forward to your report.  After reading this comparison , I feel a bit more comfortable making the switch to Topo’s and suspect they will turn out more durable than the LP’s.  I don’t know about Jake only getting about 250 miles out of a pair, I get nearly triple that.  We all have a different tolerance for discomfort I suppose, but I’d like to always get over 500 miles a pair…

[Jake J]

 I don’t know about Jake only getting about 250 miles out of a pair, I get nearly triple that.  We all have a different tolerance for discomfort I suppose, but I’d like to always get over 500 miles a pair…

I run in my trail runners. While my LP 3’s were done cushioning wise at 150 miles for running, I could still hike in them. Tread was in good shape and the upper only had a few small wear areas starting to show in the mesh near the flex points at the forefoot. On my LP 2.5’s at 250 miles the cushioning was done for running, mesh upper was wearing through in several places and had several holes and the tread blocks were very worn.

For just hiking I’d expect you could get a lot more mileage out of the LP 3’s as the upper design is much improved over the LP 2.5. The new LP 3.5 is supposed to be coming out in June at REI and everywhere else in July. Mostly tweaks to the upper from what I read here. Not sure if they’re planning on switiching the midsole to the new altra ego material they are using in the King MT and the Escalante. If they stick with the same midsole material I’ll probably skip the refresh and wait to try the LP4 when it comes out eventually.

[ben .]

i own the lone peak 2.5 and the topo mt-2.

(i also own the terraventure’s, but that’s a recent purchase and i haven’t walked in them beyond my kitchen yet. that said, they feel a lot like a slightly higher and stiffer [i.e. rock plate] mt-2.)

i wear 13’s in both and find the sizing similar.

i like both shoes. comfort wise, the altra’s are dreamy. like many before me, i slide around a bit in the heel on uneven terrain. apparently i have relatively narrow (or just normal sized?) heels. there doesn’t seem to be anything i can do to correct the slippage. (i gather the 3.0’s are a bit narrower?)

i bought the mt-2’s in response, and they fit my heel much better. hell, they feel great on my feet in general. there’s something about them that’s Just Right for me. you do feel the ground more, which could be better or worse depending on your persuasion. the tongue could be slightly more padded. the outsole is not especially grippy, but has served me fine. i only really notice the outsole on angled wet rock or huge piles of dry, fall leaves, which are tough conditions for most shoes.

i’m excited to try the terraventure, as it has a bit more stack/cushion and deeper lugs – the two things i was hoping for.

 

[Eric “Hearsay” Payne]

Nice replies gentlemen, the Terraventure is looking like an awesome LP alternative.  I too primarily trail run in my shoes, despite the title of this thread.   I’m ramping up for a 100 miler in June and want the wide toebox to accommodate potential foot swelling on long days, but don’t need the sloppy mid/heel that the Altra’s have on sidehilling and rowdy descents.   Big mileage weeks have me wanting a durable shoe that doesn’t need to be replaced bi-monthly.

[Jake J]

I took the terraventures on what ended up being a 22 mile loop with about 6K of total elevation gain/loss. Conditions ranged from hard pack trail, older overgrown trail, several stream crossings, scrambles over/under/through dead fall and snags, rocky single track, descents down eroded ridge lines, and a fire road for the last mile or so. Socks were Injini wool crew and I was wearing OR Stamina gaiters. Weather ranged from misty, cool and overcast to open sun and warm – with temps ranging from low 50’s at the start to low 70’s by the time I finished.

what I liked:
-fit well, no rubbing or hot spots
-good cushioning
-rock plate in the forefoot did it’s job well
-great grip, even going down a ridge line track consisting of a bunch of decomposed granite

what I didn’t like:
-had to re-adjust the laces several times, shoes kept loosening up
-shoes do not drain well once wet
-once my feet got wet the insoles started slipping and bunching on descents. Had to stop and fix them several times.

Overall the shoes performed well. Even when my feet got soaked from wet grasses and other plants on an overgrown section I didn’t get any rubbing or hot spots. After the overgrown section of trail I hit a section that crosses a stream several times as the trail meanders along the bottom. Lots of obstructions on that section the trail due to blow downs, snags and dead fall that required scrambling over, under and around. On my first stream crossing I slipped and took an unintentional dip. After that my feet were already soaked so I just crossed at the shallowest spots and didn’t worry about getting any wetter. The stream crossings ended about 9 miles in and from that point until the end my feet were wet. Things were a bit sloshy for a mile or so after the last stream crossing since the shoes don’t drain terribly well. Once my feet were wet initially the insoles started to bunch

Stopping to sit down, unhook my gaiters, take the shoes off and pull the insole out and and re-position and reverse all the above once done was a pain as it happened at least 4 times.

Overall the good outweighs the bad, but I’m not totally sold on the terraventures yet. I’ll have to put a few more miles on them to see if they stay in rotation or get kicked to the curb.

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