Altra - Timp 5 BOA

My one travel shoe is the Altra Timp 5 Boa in black. https://www.altrarunning.com/en-us/trail/mens-timp-5-boa/AL0A85Q9.html?dwvar_AL0A85Q9_color=280 The Boa is definitely a divisive choice, but I find the ability quickly adjust the tightness and take on/off the shoe quickly very useful for travel. Yeah, you can tie your laces loose enough to make them slip on, but if I need to power walk through the city to catch a train, I like being able to quickly ratchet down the tightness. Regardless, a trail runner seems like the best all round option as others have said. All of my shoes are Altra or Lems now because I highly value the natural, wide toebox and zero drop. I also bring some lightweight Xero sandals for water/sand/shower. If I'm doing more high end mountaineering, then I obviously need some more rugged boots too.

For a slight upgrade pick, don't sleep on the Altra Timp 5 BOA. https://www.altrarunning.com/en-us/trail/mens-timp-5-boa/AL0A85Q9.html I've found the BOA lace system is fantastic for traveling. Very easy to pop on and off, whether for airports or shoes off inside cultures. Also very easy to quickly tighten up if you need to move fast, or loosen up to breathe and relax. Slightly more cushioning than the Lone Peak, which also isn't bad if you're doing a lot of pavement pounding in cities. But also great tread and designed for hiking and trail running if you want to go off road. And the all black color option looks very in place for both casual city wear and on the trail.

I've tried everything you mentioned except the Lowa's (I've even worn the cork Sole insoles). It's a crying shame that LaSportiva can't widen their toe boxes!!!! Two shoes worth your consideration per my efforts are: 1. Scarpa Ribble Run 2 (sizing is weird, must try on, not the same as previous Scarpa models). Toe box is more generous than LaSportiva, but not Altra. Very durable and good traction, not heavy.  2. Altra Timp BOA 5 (I've only tried BOA version, lace version may be fine) This version of the Timp has Vibram, Altra width and actually more like the Olympus than LP. Previous Timp models did not do it for me, this one is worthy.  I know nothing about the Flux footwear,  but am now curious. 

Wearing these today. Black. I like to walk with shoes very tight and sit with them loose so they work well for that. I’m a little nervous as to what to do if the BOA fails in the backcountry. I said this in another forum and they proceeded to tell me that replacement parts can be procured. Unhelpful in backcountry but that’s cool

If you already know you like the zero drop and foot shape that altra offers try one of their bigger stacked shoes like the Olympus 6. If that’s too heavy and too much stack try the new timp 5 boa or the topo pursuit. If you want a little bit of drop but still foot shape try the topo Mtn racer or ultraventure.

I haven’t tried the Columbia but the Timp and Speedgoat are both good choices with Altra’s fitting a bit wider in general. I would try both on if you can, the choice might be obvious after that

I like Altra Timp 5’s

Hello everyone! I am a broke PhD student who trains for and runs ultramarathons, so I don't own multiple pairs of shoes at this point. I run roughly a 60/40 split of road to trails in my training, but all of my races are on trails. I've run these Altra Timp 5 trail shoes for 1,100 miles now, in training and races, on road and trails. I live near the East Coast and I run on gravel roads, paved roads, soft sand trails, hard pack beach sand, technical trails in Appalachian mountains, and rooty dirt trails. I ran a 50 miler in these that was raining the entire time. Also recently did a 6 day vacation where I did ~70 miles of super steep and technical trails in Shenandoah National Park in these shoes. I don't have a ton of performance comparison points, since I have only run in Altras (I have wide, flat feet and the 0 drop works for my strengths and natural running patterns). But, I can say that I am thoroughly impressed with how these shoes have held up. Despite running them on paved roads pretty regularly, the lugs held up enough to get me through this past 6 day trip with 0 falls. Though they don't drain super well in the water, I haven't had any durability complaints from the waterloggedness. Primary damage is that the tread is pretty much gone, around the ankle there is a lot of wear, and the sides are losing integrity where my feet fit. Obviously the foam is completely compressed at this point. I honestly prefer these to my old Olympus 5's, even for 8-10 hour runs. Feel free to ask me anything!

Appreciate it! Yeah I have about 30 miles on some new Altra Timp 5 trail shoes so those should work great. Are shoes too large of an item to get shipped if I mileage out of those over the 5-6 months? Yeah I have high hopes to do the marathon myself, so ill be packing gels and tailwind probably as well as maybe a vest. Thanks for the tips, the marathon would be relatively shortly after I get there if its January. Also, really appreciate all of the other gear info!

I run a lot of rail trail and I like the Altra Timp 5. I’m on my third pair and have really enjoyed them. The back is curved and it has a gaiter trap (you’ll want gaiters for rail trail). They’re not so squishy that I feel like I’m going to roll an ankle like the Olympus, but they’ve got enough give. My only complaint is that I wish they drained better, but that’s usually only an issue for me on traditional trails with lots of water crossings or on rainy days.

Have you tried the Timp? To me they have a little more squish than Lone Peak, but not quite as much as my moon shoes (Olympus, lol) I’ve also become interested in trying the MtC shoes but just haven’t branched out yet.

Once upon a time I was around 200lbs (as a 5’2”ish girlie) and never had any complaints about my Altra Timps. This year I lost 75lbs and found that I like the Altra Olympus for a cushier ride on long runs. 10/10 for both shoes, but Altras do seem to wear faster than my Nike Wildhorse used to (I loved the 5 and every model since has been a flop for me). I get 300-350ish miles on them before the tread starts coming apart. If they change the Timp radically when they update it they will rue the day (and I’ll prob finally try out Mount to Coast).

+1 for the Altra Timp 5. I would say I have somewhat wide, very boxy feet. Although the Timps don’t have as wide of a toe box and as square of a frame as the Lone Peaks, I didn’t have any issues and the added cushion was a little better for me as a heavier backpacker. I did have one hot spot at the outside of my big toe (like where people get bunyons), but I think it was more of the socks and when I switched to Darn Toughs that issue went away. I also got the Xero Shoes Z Trail sandals and really like them, so I’m interested to check out their shoes. But yeah in the end you gotta just do the research on all the main contenders, understand your foot shape, figure out what level of cushion/drop/grip you want, and try a few things. And then once you find the least annoying pair, just try and keep buying those or the closest things you can get (don’t get lost in the sauce).