I’ve been a boot hiker as long as I can remember. Tried low tops of all kinds over the years but none of them ever worked for me.
I tried on a few pairs of Altras and decided on the new Timp 5. Took them out for a 10-mile tryout and I’m amazed.
Also, I was a bit concerned about getting used to the zero drop until the salesperson noted that I was wearing Vans, which I always do casually, and those are already near-zero drop. Sure enough it’s the day after and I have no issues.
The only remaining thing of concern is durability which I’ve heard can be an issue. We shall see.
Lennon said:
Good job op - but be warned. Once your feet get used to Altras no other shoes will work for you. Speaking from experience
This makes no sense at all. Your feet are not going to develop a preference for a specific brand of shoe, and zero drop shoes are not going to hold your feet hostage.
@Cade
I started wearing Altra Timps last spring, I would then wear my Hookas for my daily neighborhood walks and started to get blisters on my toes in the Hookas.
Now I just wear Altras for hiking & walking.
@Cade
A lot of sense actually. My forefoot has significantly widened since wearing Altras exclusively for two years. Shoes that fit me perfectly prior to this are now far too narrow and make my two outer toes go numb. Additionally, any kind of drop that is over 2mm will throw me off balance. For reference, I run ultramarathons and do multi-day hikes in these shoes. I get in more than 2000km per year with Altras on and can confidently say that my feet no longer like other brands. Who knows though, could just be my experience. In the end of the day, we’re all enjoying time on the trails regardless of what we’re wearing. Have a great day!
@Lennon
My feet have widened, as well. I tried to buy regular hiking boots in September and ended up coming home with Altra All-weather Mids because they were the only ones I tried on that felt good on my feet and didn’t pinch my little toe.
@Lennon
Topo has had a similar effect on me. I used to absolutely love Brooks but used to blister on longer hikes. Now I can only wear either Topo or Altras with their wider toe box now. Toed socks plus wider toe box shoes and I have not had any blisters develop despite not using any tapes
Cade said: @Lennon
There are so many things in this statement that don’t make sense, I have a hard time believing that you have run an ultra.
He’s completely right. If you stop wearing narrow shoes and move to wide toe box shoes your toes will gradually widen. Normal shoes will become too narrow.
@Lennon
Are you wearing the same wide toe box all day every day? I’ve been hiking and backpacking in Altra Lone Peaks for over a decade and I’ve never had any problems getting into my climbing shoes, road running shoes, snowboard boots, work shoes etc. The sizes have all stayed the same for me.
@Cade
Yes, I work from home so am barefoot a lot of the day anyway. But I wear Vivo Barefoot shoes in the gym and for walking about a lot. As children your feet are naturally wide at the toe and are crushed together by narrow shoes that we wear as we age. It’s simply the reverse of this.
Ira said:
Got my first pair of Altras last year. The moment I tried them on they felt custom fitted. Absolutely unreal shoes.
My wife works for the company that owns the Altra brand and I just so happen to fit the sample size so I have 4-5 pairs of Altras. All either free or purchased for $5.
I’ve worn them for several years mainly Lone Peaks but also the Olympus. Loved the Lone Peaks but had a serious compression fracture of the heel so I elected to go with the Olympus for a while. Now I alternate between them.
I think for their weight they give good use, but the Lone Peak isn’t going to last as well as a heavier shoe, to have a LP shoe last longer the price point would be much higher. . The toe box is the draw, but if you want to optimize it go with the socks with toes also.
0 Drop is something you have to get used to, but I’ve had a compound fracture of the big toe, serious plantar fasciitis in that foot, arthritis in both feet, a broken ankle and the compression fracture to the heel and I’ve found after a lot of trial and error that 0 drops and minimals are the way to go. They allow your feet to go back to its natural shape and build the strength of all the parts that make it up.
Oren said: @Scout
I know this isn’t what the post is about, but I cannot recommend rebounding barefooted enough for Plantar Fasciitis.
I had serious plantar fasciitis in my right foot and went through the whole podiatrist and orthopedics for my foot and found it to be fundamentally a waste of money and time.
Found a company called Masai Balance Technology that makes shoes with high tech quality material and purchased a pair of their PF shoes $$$ and wore them daily for a year (other brands tried to copy them but used cheap material and even marketed them for things that you shouldn’t do in the style). Did more research and learned that basically most shoes actually weaken the structure of your foot and that walking barefoot makes your foot parts; tendons, ligaments and muscles, strengthen themselves and work as designed. Shoes that provided a zero drop and are minimals with a wide toe box are as close to walking barefoot as you can get. I wear only zero drops and minimals. Actually also stay away from any sock that is cushioned and have gone to wearing toed socks.
It’s not easy to do but I went from thinking about having my foot amputated to being able to hike 12 miles up and down mountains wearing Altra LP7s. I am barefoot whenever I can be. I stuck with this program after I broke my tibia in 2 places and had a serious compression fracture of my heel along with tendon and ligament damage in the foot, that wasn’t diagnosed at the time.
