Maybe give Inov8 Trailfly Zero a shot, too. I am currently, coming from Xero Scrambler Low and Topo Runventure 4. Wide toebox, I prefer the build (outsole, foam, fit) to my Topos.
I wear topo zero drop (they have multiple shoe models that are zero) and I loooove them, use mostly for running but work great for travel and hiking too
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.
I second the Topos. I can run perfectly fine while barefoot but the second you give me padding, I need at least a small amount of drop or my Achilles acts up. I use Topos for road and trail running as well as backpacking on very rocky/rooty terrain, up to 20 miles a day. The Vibram soles are wonderfully grippy and outlast the rest of the shoe which has a solid lifespan. I use the Terraventure model for trails and backpacking.
Trail runners are the standard now for most hiking as opposed to boots, and quite a lot of AT thru hikers, etc use Topos (or Altras if they can do zero drop).
Top Trail Running Shoes on Reddit
1
Mount to Coast
H1
85% positive of 177 users
Versatile road-to-trail, but struggles on wet, technical downhills.
Rate_Pretend
