Topo Athletic - Terraventure 4

Topo Terraventure 4

Hi, I sell shoes at a local gear shop close to the PCT. You need to give me more information about your feet, your size and width. Chances are your shoes are too small. I personally hiked with the Topo Terraventure and love them, and I’ve also hiked over 1000 miles on the Ultraventure. Mainly I like their durability compared to Altra and HOKA. But again, it’s whatever shoe works for your foot and you’ve given zero info on that.

TV4 isn't quite as good as TV3, but still way better than comparable options I've tried. TV4 does have a bit more upper protection and drainage in the back.

Same. On my 3rd pair of Terraventure 4s right now. Each pair lasted for 550+ miles (885kms) and they’ve been great for me in all conditions. Snow, mud, technical trails in the forest and the desert. They are the best

Topo Terraventures. 3 mm drop and minimal cushion. I wear zero drop for road (Altra Escalante or Topo Magnifly) but Topo Terraventures are my very favorite shoes, I feel so stable in them on the trail.

I have low arches and haven’t had any issues with Topo Terraventures or Mtn Racers. Haven’t tried the Ultraventures since I don’t need a stability shoe.

Terraventures for me. Love Topos, they’re the best

Topo Terraventures and Mtn Racers are also great trail shoes with a wide toe box. Low drop but not zero drop, so an easier transition from Brooks. And Topos last way longer than Altras in my experience. Was only getting 400 miles on Altras and I get close to 600 miles on Topos.

Timps are high cushion. I know it sounds counterintuitive but for many people, it helps to use a less cushioned shoe in order to strengthen the foot. For trail I typically run in Topo Terraventures (wide toe box, low drop, low cushion) and after a tough, rocky 100k my feet were fine. It might take some getting used to, but it’s worth it!

I recently did a 100k that had a lot of this type of terrain. I was not used to it and it caused a lot of hip pain (I think from all the stabilizing I had to do). My feet were fine and looked like nothing had happened to them the next day. Zero blisters. I swear by Trail Toes foot lube and XO Skin toe socks. Shoes are really personal but for me Topo Terraventures are the best. They actually don’t have a ton of cushion which I think makes my feet stronger. I also do foot strengthening exercises as part of my routine.

heh, are you me? I have spent the last 2 months trying to find the perfect shoe/sock combo. I have a problem pinky toe and toe socks were making it much worse. I think I have the beginning of a tailor's bunion and arthritis in my pinky toe from it that makes any pressure turn into pain. I tried the Pursuit 2, Ultraventure 3, Terraventure 4, Traverse all in 11.5. I was comparing them to the Altra Lone Peak, Timp 5 and Olympus 5 in 11.5. I agree with just about everything you stated. For me the terraventure pinky toe discomfort was very noticeable and actually the arch of my foot overhung the side of the shoe the mid foot was so narrow. Traverse was in the running with the Pursuit 2, but ultimately both had a deepish heel cup with stiff backing causing discomfort on achilles area. I ended up going with the Timp 5, but really wanted the Pursuit 2 to have worked out since they felt the most immediately comfortable to me. Update: I found a week before doing the JMT that Timp5 also gave my pinky toe discomfort on long hikes. And just 2 days before I left for the JMT I found that Timp5 has a “Standard” foot shape that is narrower in the toe than the Lone Peak’s “Original” foot shape. I picked up a pair of lone peaks the day before I left and used injinji toe socks without any issue. Wish I would have gone with the extra cushion in the “Original” footshape Olympus on the JMT for that darn SOBO decent down Muir pass.

I just bought the Topo Terraventure 4 and love them Wide toe box, Vibram outsole, all around superb Before them I was using Topo Ultraventure 2 and they were also fantastic (also Vibram outsoles and wide toe box)

Trail runners. Very few long-distance hikers are still using boots. All that extra weight with boots just means your legs are working so much harder every step. Topo have a good reputation for longevity. My current pair of Terraventure 4's is over 600 miles and still looks good. But go browse around r/ultralight and read some of the many, many threads on trail runners. You can mostly ignore comments on fit (everyone's feet are different), but do take notice of comments on durability.

This. Terraventures are good for on and off trail.

Which model? I'm 600 miles into my first pair of Terraventures, and while the midsole is less springy then before, the shoes are still in great shape overall. There are a lot of people who get way over 500 miles with Topos, so your experience seems to be an outlier.

Hmm, well you could look into the terraventures. I thought they were more comfortable and cushioned than the ultraventures when I tried them in the store. But maybe topos just aren't for you. BTW, Snow Crash is so overrated! Cryptonomicon is where it's at. (And if your username is actually related to skiing or something, you can just ignore that comment)

Got some new topo terraventure 4 shoes. Got my first run in this morning just over two miles on pavement, just over two miles on trails. Trails are wooded/brushy hilly and a bjt rocky in places on my property. Really like them so far weren’t bad on pavement and were great for me on the trail. Have used new balance in the past a fair bit as I try to buy usa made stuff. Want to try a pair of Carson’s would like to the get the standard issues ones. Wish they made half sizes 8.5 usually fits me best. Have also used brooks, and Asics too. Not a big fan of the newer 990’s trying to transition to zero drop shoes. Before the topos I tried some Merrill Moab flights I got on clearance. The felt good trying them on but rubbed my arches wrong while running. Toughed it out with them since I already bought them and took them with me on a deployment for pt shoes. Anyways sorry for the ramble pics of the trail area and terraventures. https://preview.redd.it/fm6l8swb9h9f1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=67cca5826cf6123d7232e21677801b1a37c1cc75

I had the exact same problem with my Lone Peaks, big hole appeared after about 270 miles. Switched to Topo Athletic Terraventure 4. There is noticeable wear on the tread after 250 miles (mostly on trail but with a bit of tarmac which won't have helped), but the upper is surviving. I've got the waterproof and normal versions. Waterproof version doesn't fit great around my heel for some reason so I mostly use it for hiking.

I just got a pair of these and took them out this morning. Compared to the Salomon Sense Ride 5, the toe box is much roomier, but I felt less agile in them. Guess I got to break them in more.

They’re not, imo. I ran out of my stock of 3’s on the AT last year. However, the 4’s are working fine for me.

Topos. Absolutely wonderful shoes. Altra is my second brand I go to but Topo quality is better IMO.

I have both of these shoes and switch back and forth. Completed a 50K with my Ultraventures and had zero blisters or issues. Great shoes that will last many, many miles.

Topo Terraventures are awesome. My go to shoe.

Have you considered the Topo Terraventure? It reminds me of my Lone Peaks but feels more stable with better traction.

Yep. Also have a very wide forefoot but a narrow heel. Topos fit great. They're low drop but not zero drop, not hard to get used to especially for trail.

Topo Terraventure. Huge toebox, great sole, just enough cushion. Great for trail running, hiking, travel.

Daily trainers/hiking: Topo Terraventure 4 Topo Terraventure 3 Racer: Saucony Peregrine (2020) Rough terrain: Salomon XA Pro 3D Road trainer: Topo Phantom 3 Road racer: Saucony Endorphin Speed 3

My Superiors and Lone Peaks would start to fall apart at 200 miles. The outsole was ok, but the uppers get shredded. I see mixed reviews on Topo. The most durable of theirs I’ve found is the Terraventure 4. It’s low stack and uses traditional EVA instead of their Zipfoam proprietary midsole blend. Zipfoam feels soft but wears strangely as if the foam directly underfoot compacts a lot after a couple hundred miles, but the foam in front of your toes doesn’t compress creating this sort of steep slope directly in front of toes that almost make the shoes feel too small. The EVA in the Terraventures has worn consistently without these symptoms. I just wish they sold that model in a wide. Nothing has matched the width of the Altra Superior 3 and 3.5. Even the latest superiors have been slimmed down and are lower volume.

Topo runner here, I think it depends on the model - I use the terraventure for trail and only managed like 150 miles before the uppers went on the 3s, but on the 4s I’ve got about 650 and they still feel great.

This is the real answer. I currently am using Topo Terraventure 4's (the low top one) after years of loving the Solomon X Ultra.

Just got back from there on Saturday. I used my carbon trekking poles and Topo Designs trail runners I use for backpacking. Didn't regret either choice. I did store the second trekking pole after about 45 minutes of walking, since I found that one was enough and I liked having a free hand for grabbing the walls or whatever from time to time. The only regret I had was wearing Sealskinz "water socks" -- the kind that have a plastic layer inside two fabric layers. I would have preferred just using my wool hiking socks since my feet were drenched on the first step in the water anyway and the water was warm enough I didn't need the insulation effect. They were completely comfortable for 10 miles over nearly 5 hours in the water, but they were not needed.

Wow thank you did, I have been looking for someone to do exactly this for a while now!!! So my experience with them started with the Terraventure 4. I have tailors bunions and the TV4 murdered my foot lmao, it has this rigid structure around the midfoot that was absurdly painful. Other than that i loved everything about them. I went to the UV4. It has a significantly wider fit than the terraventure, but so much so that I had problems with my foot slipping towards the end of the shoe. The terraventure was of course so tight around my foot that I hadn't experienced any issues like that. It seemed like to get the Ultraventures to keep my foot in place I had to tie them so tight that you guessed it, I also would experience pain that murdered my foot lol I ended up seeing the Mountain Racer 3 on sale and ordered a pair of those to try them out. The color scheme I got was super goofy, the blue and orange, but it was like 40% off lol. My least favorite visually of the 3. They fit just right. For some reason my foot stays in place with them significantly easier than the ultraventure, I don't have to lace them anywhere near as tight. They do not cause me unbearable pain. So I actually emailed Topo and told them basically all this and asked them which of their shoes fit most similarly to the Mtn racer, got no response. What you posted is basically exactly what I was looking for

Hope this is the proper place to post this review(and minor question). Be great if anyone else with experiences of Topo Athletic shoes(particularly road models) could mention how fit/sizing was for them. # TLDR Topo Athletic sizing consistent among trail runners(for fitting length/width), nuances in actual width along entire shoe. Road shoe sizing seems a bit narrower(ST-5 SIZE UP), and drastically different from trail runners. Trail runners using Vibram Megagrip outsoles have fanastic grip/traction. Uppers/midsoles/outsole pretty good overall. **Does anyone have Topo Athletic Magnifly 5/Fly-Lyte 5(or previous versions), should I size up half a size? And people who own ST-5, did any of you size up half or full size?** # INTRO Currently I own several models of Topo Athletic trail runners and road shoes. What I have(**THIS IS ALSO IN ORDER OF WIDEST FIT TO NARROWEST**) : 1. MTN Racer 3 (TRAIL) 2. Terraventure 4 (TRAIL) 3. Traverse(Wide size) (TRAIL) 4. Cyclone (ROAD) 5. ST-5 (ROAD) I came from running in mainly Saucony, Hoka, Salomon. I eventually moved towards lower drop and wide shoes such as Altra and some other brands. I found Topo Athletic as a solution for running shoes that offer some lower/mid cushioned models with low drop(0mm, 3mm, 5mm). My main goal is finding wide toebox shoes. Perferably firmer cushion with a lower stack. Drop doesn't matter as much, but preferably zero to low. # SIZING I sized US 12 Men's for all models. Traverse I got in a wide version as reviews said they run narrow. # USE/MILAGE I have used the MTN Racer 3 for over 320km+ of running/hiking, Cyclone for 100km+ of running, Terraventure 4(Trail/Hike) for 36km trail runing, and Traverse(Trail/hike) and ST-5(Daily/Run) for less than 10km each at this time. Most of my shoes I run distances of \~1km-26km, majority of runs between 2km - 10km. # FIT Amongst all shoes, volume was good. Would say it is average volume, and my foot has a low-medium instep and low arch. Compared to something like a Lone Peak 9(tested fit in store), they have more volume in the toebox. TRAIL : Between the three trail runners, there is a noticeable difference in fit. Mainly with the heel lockdown. I would recommend staying true to size, sizing up half size may be viable if you have wide heel, otherwise you risk improving toebox/midfoot and/or width/length but having heel lift. All trail runners have basically same length internally, and it is plenty(0.5-1cm extra TTS). * **MTN Racer 3** * Widest Toebox, Slightly narrower midfoot, and narrow heel. * Very secure fit, no issues with pressure. * Inner heel fabric tore, perhaps due to my own wear. Repaired with Tenacious Tape. * **Terraventure 4** * Wide Toebox, narrower midfoot, wide heel. * Heel lift would occur even with thick socks and lock lacing techniques. * Harder to find good lacing that doesn't pinch my instep but also doesn't have heel lift. * **Traverse** * Wide Toebox(Narrowest out of all trail shoes), in a wide size. Slightly narrower midfoot, slightly narrower heel. * Width is approximately same/slighly narrower than normal width Terraventure 4. **ROAD :** Road shoes seem to be really different in fit. Problem is that most stores do not carry the models I want to try on(if any), and there is limited reviews for me to properly gauge which size I should order. * Cyclone * Wide toebox, slightly narrower midfoot, slightly narrower heel. * Width is between MTN Racer 3 and Terraventure 4, probably closer to latter. * ST-5 * Narrow toebox, same width midfoot, slightly narrower heel. * Fit would probably be same as trail shoes if sized up half or full size. * Significantly shorter internal length/width, at size 12 the inside of toebox has slight taper which bothers my big toe. # UPPERS **TRAIL :** All uppers are practically the same. Very nice flexible mesh that is tight and kind of breathable. I haven't tested the drainage/drying of Traverse and Terraventure. But the MTN Racer 3 faired well in drying/drainage during a long run I did where my feet got soaked several times. Traverse does come with a water resistant/quick drying insole, but I have to see how that compares to the normal insole later on. Tounges on MTN Racer 3 and Terraventure 4 are nice and padded. Traverse is also padded but a bit shorter. All pretty comfortable. **ROAD :** Cyclone had a very breathable yet tight upper with not much stretch, but due to its shape and sizing it doesn't cause discomfort. Heel is not padded and thin, but has a more grippy material. ST-5 Upper is nice, not as breathable but stretchier on the main part. Has a stiffer mesh on the lower upper around the toebox. Cyclone tounge thin, but comfortable. ST-5 is lightly padded tounge and comfortable. # MIDSOLE **TRAIL :** All midsoles are pretty similar, moderate firmness. MTN Racer 3 was pretty good responsiveness for a shoe that is 28/33 stack and no rock plate. When moving to Terraventure, it has a rock plate and 22/25 stack. It is a bit more rigid but still pretty nice for running. Traverse is 25/30 stack and has a rock plate as well, but also includes stability features which make it noticeably more rigid than the MTN Racer 3 and Terraventure 4. I'd keep the Traverse mainly for hiking use, rather than trail running. **ROAD :** The Cyclone midsole(23/28) is pretty firm, which I like and find it very responsive. For the short time I have used the ST-5(14/14) I find the midsole is firm, but not as firm as the Cyclone. Both I would probably reserve more for short/faster runs, but the Cyclone I would use for racing(as I only have those two Topos in my road shoe rotation right now). I have used the Cyclone for a half marathon and it was great. # OUTSOLE **TRAIL :** All outsoles for these trail runners are the same. Same tread and same vibram megagrip. Super stuff, really good traction and grip on dirt, snow, rocks, asphalt. I am bit more confident on wet rock, but still cautious. I aimed to get only trail runners with the vibram megagrip as it seems pretty reliable in reviews compared to the Vibram XS Trek EVO offered on some less aggressive trail runners. Additionally as I have worn the MTN Racer 3 for over 320km, It barely has worn down on the lugs and still provides more or less the same amount of grip from the rubber. **ROAD :** Cyclone and ST-5 both have decent outsoles that grip pretty well on the road. I have ran in dry/wet/snowy conditions and I didn't have any issues with grip. For 100km it seems the Cyclone is barely worn and seem promising for many more hundreds of kilometers. # WEIGHT **TRAIL :** All shoes are pretty decent weight all in the 300-400g range. Terraventure 4 and Traverse are only slightly heavier but feel a bit more bottom heavy probably with the added rock plate. **ROAD :** Cyclone is pretty light, ST-5 is super light. Weight of one shoe(left) : * MTN Racer 3 : \~327g * Terraventure 4 : \~335g * Traverse : \~350g * Cyclone : \~262g * ST-5 : \~221g [MTN Racer 3, Terraventure 4, Traverse, Cyclone, ST-5](https://preview.redd.it/26l8aqnx7sfe1.jpg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=57b8a22069934c89ca4c0f5f52073886442d3216) [Wear of outsole on MTN Racer 3\(\~320km\) VS Outsole on Traverse\(\~4km\)](https://preview.redd.it/346dvpnx7sfe1.jpg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d252501be8ffae05a5a19c8b9f9bd42e41769120) [ST-5, Cyclone, MTN Racer 3, Terraventure 4, Traverse](https://preview.redd.it/opo50qnx7sfe1.jpg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0049df1fda4503cc5d04be3a919832112de6e95c)

I found the Terraventure 4 to have a wider heel(compared to MTN Racer 3 and Traverse) and substantially tighter midfoot, unless that is just a consequence of my attempts to mitigate heel lift by tying it tighter at the top lace. Traverse was more even in width throughout the shoe but narrower in toebox than both MTN Racer and Terraventure 4(those are normal width and my Traverse is wide width). I'd honestly say that whichever is better fitting/comfortable will be better to keep. Either will be a great hiking shoe. Beyond fit, only difference would be Traverse has the better insole(drying/water resistance), more rigid(from stability stuff), and has more cushion and 2mm higher offset. Those features maybe better/worse depending on your needs/preferences.

I'm Topo obsessed. I have bunions, with one much worse than the other and the Terraventure 4's help me hike \*nearly\* pain free. So much so, I even switched from the Asics GT-2000's I'd been wearing for 14 years for road running, to the Topo Ultrafly 5's in Wide. I'm a fangirl. They make my life so much better. I do call them my clown shoes though bc they're very front heavy in appearance, haha.

I used to use New Balance 4E Hierro which fit well, but I was really disappointed in their grip. I was sliding all over the place on anything remotely slick which isn't really good for a trail runner. I switched to the Topo Pursuit shoes and they are wide, comfortable, and very grippy. The Terraventure get great reviews but they were substantially narrower. They were similar in width as the Hoka Speedgoat so wouldn't work for me. Altra had wide shoes at some point, but they progressively narrowed them to the point that I could no longer fit into the Lone Peaks. Supposedly, they are making them wider again and migrating to a Vibram sole which hopefully will be a vast improvement with their shoddy proprietary sole. Their quality control in generally has been poor. Brooks were always too narrow. I could never fit into the Cascadia.

I absolutely love my pair of Brooks Ghost for running in town and even just daily wear sneakers, but the Cascadia just had a weird fit that wasn’t right for me. Off-road, I wear Nike Pegasus Trail GTX or Topo Terraventure.

I just got back from a 150 mile hike in the Terraventures and thought I'd report back. First couple of days same old toepo rub. I decided to remove the insoles that came with the shoe and the toe rub vanished instantly. They became the perfect shoe. My understanding is that the problem is caused by one of two things. The topo has an aggressive toe spring design - this upward curve lifts the big toe. Secondly, while they are wide, the toe box may lack sufficient height - combine this with the toe spring, and voila, toe rub. Removing the insole gave me the extra few mm I needed.

My friend, it was truly excruciating on the trail - I'm so glad someone else has experienced it! Both the MTN Racer and the Terraventure gave me grief. I managed to solve it on The West Highland Way with the toe caps. I've ordered the GOATs half a size up. Did you go wide or standard?

Came here to say this! Don’t be scared about the drop, such worries are not nearly as important on the trails, especially with such a significant elevation profile. A larger drop will not even factor in at all for some of those ascents/descents, in terms of foot placement… The Terraventure would be my absolute top pick for anything technical and steep like you are describing. They work great on buffed out single track too. Rock plate on the forefoot, slightly lower than average cushioning, yet stable enough to feel super confident charging downhill. They also have a natural footbed with a narrower mid foot than Altra, which means your foot gets to splay naturally while still being able to get that lockdown feel that you sometimes just can’t get with Altra. Seriously, do not let the drop deter you here. You would be completely shunning some remarkably capable beasts for the exact terrain you describe.

I find the higher the stack leads to more rolling ankles. Shoes that have not worked for me: Brooks Cascadia, New Balance Hierro Shoes that have worked for me: La Sportiva Bushido, Topo Terraventure. Also would like to find a more cushioned shoe but they have been directly correlated to rolled ankles for me and I'm sick of spending money on shoes for now. I'll see how far I can go in the Bushidos, I did a 50 miler in them and it was good, although I was definitely hurting at the end!! The more you do the more you adapt though!

I'm really prone to rolling my ankle. I like Topo Terraventures for their low height, excellent grip, and great hard rock performance - they definitely reduced ankle sprains for me. That said, they don't have a ton of cushioning. Almost by definition, a lot of cushion means a higher stack height which means a tippier shoe..

Topo Athletic Terraventure (I have the 3). The rockplate does the job well!

I wore alta lone peaks for years and switched to topo terraventures recently, I like them more than the altras. Altra is a 0mm drop while the topo terra have a 3mm drop. I feel like the topos are generally better built.

True but most running shoes have an 8-12mm drop. Everyone just goes from that to 0mm which probably is a bit aggressive of a change. I found the 3mm drop to be better for my tendinitis and my gait in general.

Brooks Cascadia and Topo Terraventure.

Topo terraventure

I love my topos. Altras are nice but I found they didn’t have as much room as I needed to accommodate arch support.

The terraventure requires no break in! I took a pair out of the box three weeks ago and did the Little Bear, Blanca, and Ellingwood Pt ridge traverse the next day with zero concerns at all.

+2 for Topos. I have the Terraventure. Usually need to look for wide sizes, but their regular fit is the most comfortable toe box I’ve experienced of any shoe in my life. Have not tried Altras.

Altra built a reputation, particularly among thru hikers, for having a good shoe with a wide toe box that has a lot of features that thru hikers want. Unfortunately like many companies they seem to have started cutting corners and the quality has gone downhill, however they remain popular because of the reputation that they earned early on. Fit is the most important factor in choosing a trail runner, however Altra Lone Peak (particularly the newer models) have issues with durability, and their grip isn't as good as many other trail runners out there. That being said I've hiked many miles in the whites in them, particularly the older models (mostly 3s and 4s, I started having issues with the 6s), and they aren't terrible. Now I hike in Topo Terraventure, they have a similar wide toebox, however they are more rigid in the back, and they have Vibram soles, so they have better grip (although I think I read somewhere that the latest LPs have Vibram soles? Or am I imagining it?). I've talked to a couple other hikers who said Topo is too narrow in the back or midfoot for them, but they're a great fit for me. So IMHO there are better options out there, however if you can't find a better trail runner that fits your foot as well, Altras are decent for the whites.

Yes, Speedgoat is a perfect example of this to me (still a fine shoe). Compared to say a Topo Terraventure MUCH less stable especially at speed.

Topo is your answer. Norda also great buy spendy

Eh I’ve pushed two pairs or speedgoats 1000+ miles so it depends on how much you care about comfort. One pair almost made it 1500. That being said I still think the Topo teraventure is the perfect trail shoes for me. I’ve made it 1000 comfortably with those

I love my last (3) pairs of Terraventures, but really wish they would improve their shoe color choices 

It’s nice they offer the Mtn Racer 4 in wide. The 3 wasn’t available in wide. Unfortunately, it’s still too narrow for me. Same with the Terraventure. The Ultraventure in wide fits me, quite similar to the wide Lone Peak, but I don’t think it has enough grip. I really wish Altra offered a Lone Peak with a 30 mm stack height for a little more cushion on rocky terrain (and had it available in wide). But that’s probably an uber niche market.

Another for Topa. I got the Terraventures recently as I wanted a wider toebox than my Hoka Mafates. Toebox is now great, but the rest of the Topo fit js a bit too wide for me 😅

Another for Topa. I got the Terraventures recently as I wanted a wider toebox than my Hoka Mafates. Toebox is now great, but the rest of the Topo fit js a bit too wide for me 😅

**Absolutely!** I’ve got wide/voluminous feet too and know the struggle. A few trail shoes that have worked really well for me (or others in the same boat): * **Altra Lone Peak** – Foot-shaped toe box, zero drop, super roomy. Great for comfort and natural splay. * **Topo Athletic Ultraventure or Terraventure** – Similar to Altra with a wide fit, but with a slight drop and more structure. * **HOKA Speedgoat (Wide version)** – Surprisingly comfy once broken in. The wide version gives more volume than you’d expect from HOKA. * **New Balance Hierro v7 (2E width)** – Cushioned, roomy, and solid grip for trails. * **Brooks Cascadia (Wide)** – Good all-rounder with trail stability and comes in wide sizes. Make sure to try them on if you can—volume fit can vary a lot even among “wide” shoes. Good luck out there! 👟🌲

Altra LP, Saucony Perigrine, Topo MT or Terraventures, Brooks Cascadia, and the list goes on. I am biased for Altra Lone Peaks for its ultimate comfort. The Olympus are a bit chunky for trails in my opinion but it is up to you to try them on and decide. Altra LP are comfortable out of the box. The outsole is durable and work well for most conditions. If you run on wet trails, find a shoe with Vibram outsole (Olympus for Altra). IMO, on trails the lower the drop the better. The zero drop is very unnoticeable. Most moderate and harder trails are constantly changing under foot, having a drop of greater than 4mm for me is detrimental for stability. If you are running easy trails or gravel paths a regular road shoe will be fine. The advantages of a trail shoe are foot protection, water drainage and grip. Otherwise a pair of road shoe can handle flat paths of gravel or packed dirt just fine. Go to a specialty store and try try, try. Remember sales associates can give good advice......but they can also be misinformed or biased. They can recommend but you need to make the decision based on your preferences.

Altra Superior is great but suffers from the same issues that many Altra shoes do, the outsole doesn't have amazing traction and the uppers can wear prematurely for a lot of people. I like the topo Terraventure as well for more technical and rocky runs, the traction is great and the rock plate helps with rocky terrain, at the cost of some ground feel. I use both of these shoes in my rotation.

I had mixed results with Topo products in off-trail trips in Wyo and Utah. Runventures = no. Had chunks of the midsole + the sole rip off. Terraventures = no. Had the upper rip where it meets the midsole from my pinky toe all the way back the start of my heel. Had to hike out 20+ miles and my knee hurt for a month. MTN Racer's have been tanks for me and I pick 'em up whenever I see a good price.

Don’t know, as I haven’t tried the other ones. Mtn racer has some drop, iirc. I’ve mostly been running in the topo mt-series (1-4) and some runventures and terraventures, and compared to all of those, the pursuits have less ground feel and more cushion, which i appreciate on longer runs.

What kind of terrain? Ultimately, the trails you're looking to run will really dictate the features you need beyond cushioning, density and fit. I'm mostly a fan of Topo due to the roomy toe boxes, lower drops (0-5mm), and nice variety of moderate to highly cushioned shoes for both trail and road. The trail shoes have a really nice gaiter system and most have Vibram outsoles. Some have forefoot rock plates and other don't. They sit in the $130 to $150 USD range in terms of pricing. If you want a lot of cushion and aren't on too technical of trails, the Topo Ultraventure is a great option. It's a high cushion, plush 5mm drop trail shoe with Vibram outsoles. It does not have a forefoot rock plate so it's best for more medium terrain, but is incredibly comfortable over longer distances. It works great from trail to road and on trails that are mostly dirt, but may not be the best for environments with a lot of rocks and roots. For more technical trails I really like the Topo Terraventure. It's a moderate cushion, balanced 5mm drop trail shoe with a forefoot rock plate and fairly aggressive Vibram outsole great for technical terrain. It comes in a standard and a weatherproof version. They are quite durable. I know a few trail runners who have put over 600 miles on them and they still had quite noticeable tread. I find them comfortable, but I'm not an ultra runner and haven't worn them over really long distances. Both shoes are in the drop range you're looking for and have wide to boxes with the option for Topo's performance gaiters. They're worth checking out. Good luck!

I think I have a similar foot to you - front is wide due to bunions but the rest of my foot is regular width. I absolutely love my Topos - I discovered them last year and am currently on my second pair of the Ultraventures (my pick for easy/mild trails) and first pair of Terraventures (good for muddy/rooty/technical trails). I still use some of my other shoes but the Topos quickly became the ones that I always reach for. I think the mtn racer is supposed to be a good all rounder - I found it wasn’t quite wide enough in the toe box for me, but I think they might be bringing out/have brought out a wide version.

I’ve also found some of the Salomons to be too narrow… absolutely LOVE the Topos though! I like the Ultraventures for being more cushioned or the Terraventures for more technical runs. Edit to add: I also have a few pairs of On shoes and like them, but definitely only marginally wider than Salomon, and not as wide as Topo.

I was a fan of the Lone Peaks, but the durability is an issue. I'm also missing the weep holes in the "nose" of the toe box. I've moved over to Topo Athletic Terraventures. Minimal drop at 3mm. Wide toe box. Stiffer than Lone Peaks, with a much longer life span. Both shoes work for my feet.

I’ve been rocking lone peaks since 2.0 after switching from some la sportiva. I have gone through at least 7 versions of lone peak including a pair of high top water proof ones. I enjoyed them so much. This season I got a pair of topo UA4 to try and I’m in love all over again. It’s not a lone peak at all but wow are they comfy.

If you as me Altra is terrible. The quality over the years has went down the drain. Topo Athletic has now passed them as the most popular shoe for thru hikers.

Have you looked at the Topo lineup of shoes? Same wide toe box, same 0mm drop options. I have a bunch of them. Some zero drop, some 3 and 5mm drops. The only thing I don't like about Topos is that I hate ortho-lite insoles so I swap in super feet insoles instead. But that is probably an issue in most trail shoes since they try to go lightweight.

Topo for sure. I made the move from New Balance to Topo and haven't looked back

I went to Topo from Alta and I’m very happy.

I'll put another vote in for Topo

Topos if you need arch support, altras if you don’t. I was planning on making the switch from altras to topos but the arch support in topos would make my feet hurt. I don’t have wide feet, but love the roomy toe box. The midfoot and heel fit almost perfect after using the runners knot. Lone peaks for the trail and escalantes for the road.

I recently switched to Topos after similar issues with the newer lone peak models. They have some more bounce, which took some adjustment, but now I like them lot!

I’ve found the TOPO to be an amazing shoe. Also not under $100 but the HOKA Speedgoat has an amazing sole for Rocky terrain. I wish there were quality trail shoes under $100 - seems an impossible task these days.

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.

I keep trying other shoes and keep coming running back to Topo. They make the perfect shoes for my feet.

TOPO’s fall apart. We called them Tape-o’s in my tramily and they were hell for one of our guys. Hoka’s are good but you can’t really feel the trail/ground because they’re moon boots, but comfy.

Only my Altras have done this even the same spot. I’ve written off Altra until i don’t hear another story about this for a while. I can’t believe they’ve let this issue persist for years. They’ve got to know. My Topos have lasted forever. My TNF shoes and Salomons are well built as well, typically I retire a pair after the foam goes flat (loses its bounce) for me after 500 miles. Uppers should outlast the foam IMHO.

Topo athletic is worth looking into if you liked the wide toe box of Altras. They typically have minimal drop (0-5mm depending on the model), and so far durability has been good for me. The ones I've tried seem to have slightly more volume in the shoe, so on steeper grades it's been tougher for me to get my foot locked in well without over tightening, but that's the only negative I've got for them with my feet.

My Topos gave up after <400 mi…

Topo are standard wide toe box... and everyone I know that wore altra have now gone to Topo here in the UK.

I also switched from hoka SG to topo (green ones I forget) 300 miles into the PCT and it actually removed the knee pain I had had for years that was ironically caused by hokas

I’m around the same size and really like Topo and Alrtra. Trail is the way to go, much easier on the joints.

IME, Topo is wider farther back in the foot compared to Altra, plus give a little more support back further along the arch. This suits my wide feet well as Altra can sometimes rub where my lateral metatarsal joints are. Hope that helps.

I have wide feet and went from Hoka to Topo because the Hokas were narrow and with the extra cushion I rolled my ankle occasionally. About 300 miles on the Topos and so far so good. Holding up better than my Altras did (shoe before the Hoka). I do miss the cushion. I got some inserts for them to get some cushion and they changed where the heels rubs and I could starts feeling a hot spot inside the first ten miles. Sinai took them out and just live with the reduced cushion. And that has been OK. I’ve kind of tuned out my feet hurting after like ten or so. I was talking to a guy once and said that your feet stop hurting. I decided after that is not entirely true. I think it is you just stop caring that your feet hurt…

Seventy fifth vote for Topos.

I wore Altra for a few years and switched to Topo... they seem better quality and last longer. I do wear the trail runner (Pursuit) as an everyday shoe and it has held up really well even on concrete. I know it won't last as long because of this, but I just found them so comfortable I don't care. I just purchased the Ultraventure as well but haven't worn them yet.

Agreed. That’s why topo>altra. Altra is so sloppy at the heel where topo really starts narrowing the upper from the midfoot to the heel. Merrell could also have some really good shoes but are so sloppy at the heel.

Trail runners all the way, trail runner technology has come a long way! They’ll be more breathable and lighter than boots. Altras are a classic thru hiking shoe but don’t have great longevity. Topo, Saucony, and Brooks I’ve had good experience with all of them. There’s also Salomon and Merrell, but I’ve never tried them. I’d recommend ordering a few pairs off of REI to try them out. You can return them even after using them.

The Topo big toe rub! Finally, someone else with the same issue as me! It was such an annoyance for me on the PCT in '22, and to my surprise, even their newer models do it to me. It's a tragedy, bc I love the way their shoes feel on me smh Yes actually, I'm currently trying out the Hoka Speedgoat 5s and love them. I never saw myself as a high-cushion shoe person, but they're greattt, just absolutely eat whatever surface you throw @ them. Feels like you have a rock-plate almost. **Just make sure to size up!**

Hey honestly would recommend your comfortable trail shoes with some good vibram sole and a deep cleat. Altra is a good option. I’ve also enjoyed topo. Something more oriented to climbing isn’t going to have good running hiking support. And in both it’s best to be comfortable in your gear

I’ve been really happy with my topo. Before that used only Altra

I'm a huge Topo fan. I've been wearing them for years, but lately, I've been going through them like candy. I'm considering switching brands - considering I've been brand loyal for years, this says a lot coming from me. Hopefully, you have better luck, because imo, they are the most comfortable shoe, and I like how they have different mm drops.

Hoka speedgoats were recommended via a place that goes Gait testing etc. I love the speedgoats for comfort they are great to hike in. Unfortunately their souls and the desert are very incompatible and they will wear out fast, so if you are expecting 500 miles per shoe, the hokas will not hit that, especially in the first 700 miles. Disappointed that I barely made the 260 mark on no tread, I switched to topos. Comfortable, love the toe box, and I got to say they designed a really intelligent shoe. I really really liked them, and they were very durable. Unfortunately by Wrightwood I was having knee issues I've never had before. I saw blaze Physio and she showed me how I was walking in those shoes. The solution according to her? Where Hoka speedgoats. I continued to wear them to hikertown, and gave someone they very good condition topos for my new rei ordered speedgoats and she was right. So how you walk really matters for the shoes you wear and these two different a lot. I really wish topos made a sole more like the speed goat or that hoka made a more durable shoe. At home I'm getting closer to 400 miles with the speed goats in pnw hiking but that desert Sands them down fast

+1 for anything Topo. Wide toe box and zero drop. They’re my go to for road and trail now

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

I wear minimalist/barefoot/zero drop shoes day to day. I also hiked 1300 miles of PCT including all of JMT (well, the large part that overlaps) wearing a mix of Altras and Topos. I much prefer the Topos as simply much more durable and a bit more supportive, well worth the small weight penalty. Currently rocking the Traverse model. The year after my big hike, I attempted to hike a pretty tough 120-mile section "off the couch" using Vivo barefoot shoes instead of tried-and-true Topos. It was a total disaster. By mile 13, the soles of my feet were two giant blister cushions. I hobbled out the next day nearly crying from pain and hitched home, utterly defeated. Turns out padding and isolation from scorching hot jagged/sloped black basalt surfaces is important. So yeah, as u/_m2thet says, barefoot is good for maintenance of foot strength and gentle tread in normal, less demanding life conditions. Then when you put your feet to a hard test, you still want all the protection you can get.

Topo has road and trail shoes with wide toe box, good cushioning, and 4mm drop.

The real answer is they can be awesome if they work for YOUR feet. People with narrow feet and a high arch tend to hate them and they can even cause a high arch to collapse from lack of support. My feet, on the other hand, are wide and flat so Altra has always felt great for me. Recently I have switched over to Topo. My problem with Altra is that anything with more cushion than the Lone Peaks loses too much foot volume with the increased padding. The Topos give me the extra padding, more inline with an Altra Timp, but don't squish my mid foot like the Timps do. I still wear Lone Peaks 9's from time to time, but I have less fatigue in my feet with the Topos.

I definitely rolled my ankles more in Speedgoats than I do in my topos or lone peaks. But I don’t think it’s as much about stack height as it is about forefoot width. Just having a wider base helps a lot for the stability, for me at least

Topo’s. Altra grip sucks whereas Topo use Vibram so you don’t fall over as soon as it rains. The new Inov-8 fits in wide are pretty good too - less toe room but good width through the midfoot. Topo are pretty standard fit in the midfoot (I’ve not tried a wide fit of theirs) so depends where your foot is wide.

Topos for me are "Altras that actually fit my feet properly" and I love them. (I do have a narrow midfoot)

Topos!! I love them. Vibram soles, great toe box, well-made.

I run in Topos. They're wide toe box, Vibram soles, and either zero or 5mm drop.

I'm a hiker, but also a singer (amateur, but singing with competent choral groups). The singing group did a tour of Ireland one year, and France another. I bought a pair of black on black trail runners, and used them throughout the trip (concert dress was all black). Worked great. Similarly, our family did an ecotour in Brazil a year ago. I picked dark-colored Topa trail runners for that trip as well. Another good choice.

Your best bet is to find one of the prior generation of current shoes (Speedgoat 5, Topo, Altra, Salomon etc). Anything is going to be light years ahead of chucks in terms of traction and support. Head to your local run shop , let them know your budget and try on as many as you can - every make/model fits differently and everyone has different feet , trying on in person is the best way to make sure you get the most value for your dollars. Good luck 👍

Every shoe will work for people differently. I did the first half in Topos and got terrible Achilles tendinitis and planter fasciitis. Made the switch to speedgoats at Shasta per the recommendation of the shoe guy and all symptoms started to get better. Though I had planter fasciitis until February the following year haha

I would also consider Topo. I find the fit of Altras a bit sloppy but Topo was much better in the midfoot.

Topo has zero drop. I went through xero trail shoes they were alright. Altras tend to fall apart these days.

Another vote for Topo.

Width on the mountain racers is great, I have low arches and it took a good 30 miles or so before the arch support flattened out enough to feel good. LP7s felt great out of the box (as did experience wild). Otherwise fit and traction is pretty similar. Both drain well. After runs with more than like 3,000ft of climbing my Achilles used to be sore, I don't notice that with the topos (5mm drop). Admittedly last year was my first full year as a CO resident so I'm climbing much more these days. Totally possible I'm just more fit and the show has nothing to do with it. I also prefer topos gaiter system over altras. Not that altras gaiters are bad, I just find topos system a little easier to take on and off. The MT4s I think would've been better had I sized up, but they had the same issue with the arch support. The MT4s failed at like 150 miles. Sole separated from the shoe. The MT4 failure spurred my revisiting Altra. The mountain racers are still going strong at 270 miles. I like to keep two trail shoes and two road shoes in my rotation. If my mountain racers make it to 500 miles I *MAY* buy a second pair depending on how long the Experience Wilds last.

Topo. I run in the for road and trail.

Topo. I’ve backpacked everywhere in them. I prefer trailventure 4. Traverse is a mid narrow in the last, so they decided to sell it in a wide. Met a retired topo sales rep on the Colorado trail and he swears by the mountain racer. That’s going to be my next shoe.

I love Topo trail runners. Every person has a different foot & will likely find comfort in different shoes, but the wide toe box concept was a life altering discovery for me. I think several companies make shoes with wide toe box, but I like the fact that Topo makes durable shoes with wide toe box that are not all zero drop. I know many that love Altra as well, but most of their shoes are zero drop. To each their own 🤷

As far as anatomically foot shaped trail running shoes go, there aren't many options: Altra (0mm drop), the new Inov-8 shoes (4-6mm drop), Topo (0-5mm drop), Ronhill maybe (5mm drop). There are many other brands that offer certain models in 2E or 4E width options, but those won't be anatomically foot shaped. Of course there are the barefoot shoe brands, but as you mentioned you wan't probably more stack hight underfoot.

I'm big on my lone peaks, they're pretty awesome, though the width threw me off at first. Now I have all of my shoes as wides and my foot has expanded to fill them which they tell me is healthier. The 0 drop stuff is supposed to be good too, but you have to ease into it to avoid achillies issues. Altra sold out to corporate at some point semi-recently so quality seems to be dropping, but Topos are a solid competitor. Topos offers shoes with varying drop and widths ranging from 'accessible' to 'very wide'. Wide-ish is great for hiking, but too wide and you'll slip around. As far as ankle support, I can't be much help as I'm pretty stable as-is. I haven't had any issues, but I'm not likely to regardless of what I wear. I'm usually taking a <30 pound pack over passes in the rockies, and no issues yet. I did do one pass in my Xero sandals and that felt like an injury waiting to happen in the snowy talus.

I love a wide toe box but can’t do zero drop. I don’t like the lack of push off and I’ve had plantar fasciitis in the past which is not suited for zero drop. I use Topo and Altra low heal to toe drop but not zero.

Moved 2 years ago. Escalate and Timp feel apart. Ordered another timp and the build was sick low quality only 1 made it into my foot and returned. Topo is my brand now. Done with Altra

Thanks, I have not. I bought some Ultraventures today and took them on a moderate incline and decline 3 mile hike to break them in. Felt really great. Soooo much cushier than Lone Peaks. And a little more arch support too. Felt like walking on a cloud. I enjoyed the slight amount of drop also, coming from a totally flat zero drop Lone Peak. The shoe store guy said Altra makes one with a slight drop now, so I tried those on but there was too much going on inside the heel cup for me, so I went with the Topos. It's my first pair, pumped :) He said podiatrists are recommending Topos a lot now.

Topo, Altra and recently Inov-8 have adopted ‘Foot-shape’ style shoes that are wider een less pointy in the front.

+1 for Topos. I have wide feet and they are great

Google will never get you there. And even individual reviews can be biased. You’re gonna have to try them on and see what works for you. “These run narrow” or “these run wide” is BS. It’s all relative to the individual. Sounds like you want a “low” and not a “mid”. And we’re immediately going to rule out Oboz and Keen and Merril. Try Solomon, try Topo, try even a bushido by La Sportiva.