Runventure 3

Long time for me in Solomon’s and finally left them. I switched to topo ventures wide toe and have done both hiking, and trail running with some tarmac in between. My one regret is I had not found the Topos sooner and switched - highly recommend them

Not sure if this thread meets the UL reqs but I have the same issues with altra being too floppy for my large foot and made the bottom of my foot very sore within a few days on trail. My current favorite shoe is the topo athletic vistas or ventures because they are so comfortable and have the perfect amount of stiffness and plush feeling that I sometimes forget to switch into my flip-flops once I arrive at camp even after 15 mile day which is pretty wild. Also look at La sportiva they make great shoes that are very durable. The hokka speed goat are great and I’ve used 5 pairs now but the shoe tends to go flat and the cushion feeling is gone much faster than other plush cushion shoes I’ve tried.

The la sportive PRODIGIO max are a little wider at the tow box and the energy return is comfort amazing. I got them for trail running and day hiking but end up using them backpacking too. I still use the typos athletics although I think the build quality has taken a hit recently because the heel fabric has a hole with only about 350 miles.

Topos are reasonably normal (whatever that means), widely available, wide toe Bos, and low drop shoes.

Try Topos in the wide width. I speak from experience. My feet are EEE width.

Durability aside, try on both shoes. If you’re not thru-hiking then durability doesn’t matter much. Yeah, it’ll be annoying if they give out sooner than you expected, but the comfort can be worth the money. For me, Altras are the most comfortable by far. I wanted to switch to Topos due to the rave reviews and the vibram sole, but I had to immediately return them due to their pronounced arch support. My feet hated them and my altra trail runners and road shoes are the most comfortable shoes for my feet I’ve ever worn. I was late to the game so I’m sure I missed out on the glory days, but until another company comes out with a wide toe box and no arch support trail runner it’s altra all the way for me.

It’s all about the fit. I tried to move over to Topo but the arch support was too pronounced and was uncomfortable on my feet. Altras fit like a glove. It’s unfortunate that they’re not as durable but comfort is king.

Topo. I have wide feet and they're the only trail runners that fit me

Like u/Responsible-Walrus-5 said, fit is the most important thing. That being said I used to hike with Altras, but on my first thru hike a friend and I both bought pairs of Altra LPs in a trail town, and in about a week both our pairs of shoes fell apart, and we weren't even hiking long days or in crazy terrain. Earlier models were much better (which is why I used them before that). If both fit you well, go with Topo, I switched to them a couple years ago and I've been very happy, but ultimately if they don't fit your foot, you're better off with Altras.

I guess I'm glad to hear they at least listened to the feedback, but personally I'm not giving them another chance... at least not as long as Topo is making decent shoes!

That's exactly why I switched, I had a couple pairs of LPs fall apart on me way too early (one pair in less than two weeks on a thru hike). Also Topo has a fit more like the old LPs (wide in the toe box, but not in the heel). I'm glad to hear Topo is doing well... as long as they don't get bought by a corporation and ruined.

I highly recommend Topo Trail runners. I have wide feet and they are fantastic. I use them for all of my running now, road and trail. My current pair is the Runventure 4's and theyre fantastic. vibram sole and lightweight. roomy toe box. They are definitely worth checking out