Altra - Experience Flow

I tried on the Experience Flow 1. Not sure about if there is enough cushioning. Is the second version softer? Also, not sure if the large toe box is for me

I don't even love the actual shoe but fitwise, Torin 8 is perfect for my generally a bit wide and def quite wide forefoot. I imagine Lone Peak and Paradigm would be the same but I personally dont need those shoe types. It's kinda frustrating Altra has such a limited selection of 2E. I enjoyed the feel of Experience Flow & Escalante Racer but had to return, just didn't work without the 2E Topo has a nice wide, rounded toebox. But frustratingly there, a very narrow midfoot If you wanna stick with a regular shoe brand, a lot of NB shoes are wider than average. I'm using Rebel v5 rn

Let me start by saying that any recommendations by anyone are because that’s what works for THEM. You need to find the thing that works for you. First of all try purchasing shoes from REI or Running Warehouse Because of Their Excellent Return Policies, so If a shoe Doesn’t Work for You You Can Send It Back. I love the Altra Experience Flow 2& 3 for my road shoe, but that’s just me. The 2 seemed to have held up well except for a little wear on the exposed foam on the sole.

I also need a wide toe box and Altras are my go to. I tried the new balance 1080 V14 in wide and they actually fit really well. Now I have a pair or Altra experience flow and a pair of NB 1080 v 14 I alternate between.

I know they may not last the longest but for me nothing beats Nike and adidas for supershoes and racing. Nike just hugs my foot perfectly and I’ve always raced my fastest half marathons in the vaporfly and full marathons in the adidas pro 3. The Nike streakfly is awesome for the 5k. I have always like adidas Boston 13s as well. I’ve purchased decent shoes from asics (novablast) and Saucony (speed 3,4), Hoka Clifton and Arahi, Altra flow…..all are very good but I favor my Nike and adidas for the fit and responsiveness. My favorite trail shoes are the Nnormal kierjag and Salomon speedcross for trail running with my dogs.

They’re all good for me! I think the newer versions of Altras are less roomy. I think the torins and maybe lone peaks are more roomy. I wouldn’t use lone peak for road running anyway. If you don’t want zero drop the fwd via or experience flows are great. I’ve heard the flow 3s are quite narrow on the mid foot. I have the 1s and love them. I usually get men’s for a wider fit but I’m ok with the women’s too. I really only need the width on the bunion so all the altras have worked for me there.

Evo SL is roomy and fast. Upper and tongue are bothersome for some (me). I like the Rebel V4 for most everything and the Altra Experience Flow for recovery runs.

I'm not sure what to tell you about trying them on in your area because I'm half way around the world from you but New Balance offers the vast majority of their lineup in wide and extra wide and actually fun colourways. Hoka seems to do this as well but I haven't really got on well with Hoka shoes. You might though! I've been pretty lucky fitting into standard width Saucony stuff. I grew tired waiting for the Endorphin Speed 5 to launch in a wide flavour last year so I tried on the standard width and it worked for me. Should I probably have a wide? Ehhhh, depends on how much my feet swell on the run but the upper is pretty accommodating and I never feel the pinch in them. My Endorpin Trainer though also isn't wide but that one does fit snug but lacing techniqes to prevent mid-foot snugness really help that shoe be comfortable. I've also tried on the Endorphin Elite 2 and Endorphin Pro 4 and they both fit me amazing despite being 'standard width'. So Saucony might be worth looking into for you? Can't hurt anyway. I've not had much success getting wide stuff with Asics as all the top shelf stuff doesn't come in wide but I've done a few Asics demo nights and while both the Megablast and Superblast v2 don't come in wide they're pretty snug on my 2e foot and not something I would want to drop full pop on because of that. And that's really a shame because I like both of them quite a lot. I do have the Novablast 5 in wide though and that one just feels incredibly wide. Like maybe wider than your standard 2e and the upper is kind of.... Baggy? Either way, it does fit kind of sloppy but I bought that shoe without being able to try on the wide. I regret it and should have sent it back. Recently did an Altra demo night and tried on both the Experience Flow v3 and Experience Wild v3. Those fit me pretty incredibly well and from talking with the rep, while they don't explicitly offer wide shoes their toeboxes are generally ample. So that might be worth a shot for you too. Anyway, [check out this page from Asics](https://www.asics.com/nz/en-nz/mk/choosing-the-right-running-shoe/lacing) on shoe lacing. Their tips for wide feet lacing really helped me. Like for example with my Endorphin Trainer that is quite tight, I do their wide foot lacing technique with heel lockdown to make it work for me. Is it ideal? No, but it does work and make a shoe I couldn't return actually useful and surprisingly comfortable. I guess what I'm getting at here is New Balance seems to offer the most wide options for 2e/4e guys, standard width Saucony stuff seems to fit *me* okay for the most part but I'd try it on first and Altra is a contender for my next pair of shoes based on a demo. Plus there's ways to lace that might make a standard width shoe a bit more comfortable if that is your only option. Lastly, just go try on some shoes. It can be a pretty fun experience if you find the right shop where the people helping you are genuinely into it.

Altra is the best I’ve found. My toes do not taper like a typical foot, so I need an extremely wide toe box. The Altras allow me to run comfortably. I go up half a size and the model is Experience Flow.

I've been all Altra for years now (road and trail) but also have been fighting some long-term Achilles issues. Not blaming the shoes, but alongside a PT program I've decided to mix in some shoes that are not zero drop. Altra has a line of shoes now that are not zero drop, they are 4mm: [https://www.altrarunning.com/en-us/product-families/experience-family](https://www.altrarunning.com/en-us/product-families/experience-family) If you like Altras for their wide toe box (as I do) then do look at Topo. I've long ignored them as I found the arch support much to high but I did just purchase a pair of Topo Flylite 5 for short road runs and my general workouts. I'll likely get a pair of the Altra Experience Flows for longer road runs as I think the rocker shape will help a little as well. I'm sticking with zero drop for trails though as I have three very new pairs of shoes for training and racing.