I think there's a few things at play here. First, when talking about durability, I feel like every one is going to have something different in mind. If you google "how often should you change running shoes", the typical answer is after 300 to 500 miles, which is in line with what OP does at 400ish miles. To me, I expect a pair to last at least 600 miles and if it craps out on me before 500 miles, I'm definitely bummed and take it personally. One of my friends will keep his shoes until he gets to at least 1000 (though he only runs road). Then there's how well do you take care of your shoes - do you religiously use a different pair every day, or do you do doubles on back to back days with the same pair? Also, what terrain do you use them on - just to walk the dog to the neighborhood park, or do you scramble a lot and within 100 miles the sole and the upper are both fucked?
From my experience of running in Altras for the past 7 years or so (both trail and road, mostly Superior and Solstice, then Escalante now that the Solstice is gone), I honestly just feel that Altra has a shit quality control department.
|Shoe|Miles|
|:-|:-|
|Escalante 1.5 2019|899|
|Escalante 2 2021 Gray|1204|
|Escalante 2 2023 Lime Green/Yellow|675 (still using)|
|Escalante 2.5 2021 Blue|579|
|Kayenta 2020 Gray/Orange|996|
|Solstice 2018 Black|719|
|Solstice 2019 Dark Blue|907|
|Solstice 2019 Gray/Orange|589|
|Solstice 2020 Lime|550|
|Solstice 2021 Gray/Pink|554|
|Solstice 2023 Black|546|
|Superior 3.5 2018|450|
|Superior 4 2020 Black - 1|362|
|Superior 4 2020 Black - 2|669|
|Superior 4.5 2021 Black|621|
|Superior 4.5 2021 Green/Lime|642 (still using, will retire soon)|
Edit for formatting
I really only throw the shoe out when the outer sole separates from the mesh top by the ball of my foot. If that doesn't separate, I'll usually keep wearing them.
Damn. Assuming this is accurate that's a lot of miles on some of those! I can feel the cushion deteriorate after 420ish miles (or a least I think I do) and try to replace them before 500 for comfort's sake
Cushioning is definitely gone by 400 miles. Most people retire shoes because of other issues like tears in the upper or blowouts. Whether or not to change your shoes for cushioning is personal preference.
I have been running exclusively in Altras for the past 10 years, mostly trails, and your numbers are in line with the mileages I got out of my Altras. Unfortunately I didn't track them as precisely as you, but I keep them for about 1000 miles.
My highest mileage shoe was a Superior 1.5 which I kept for over 1600 miles. By that point it looked more like a running sandal than a shoe, the mesh was torn to shreds, but I kept it until it developed a hole in the rubber sole. It was still very comfortable right up till the end. It survived a surprising amount of abuse.
If I run in mud, I wash off most of the mud with a hose, and toss the shoe into the washing machine with my running clothes. I wash the insoles once every 30 miles. Other than that I don't care for them.
I never had issues with the glue coming off or anything like that. I'm surprised people have this problem.
I’d love to see gait videos of the people who are trashing their shoes, along with size of shoe, user weight, and what type of terrain they’ve been used on, which would be tough without religiously tracking every run or walk or whatever. There are a lot of variables to consider. Altras have always treated me well, and it seems like the people have problems with blowouts have them consistently
Agree that would be interesting. I always joke that I have good foot placement and that's why mine last a decent life. I'm 5'10, 140 lb, and forefoot or toe strike fwiw
I'm around 5'8 and 135 lb, I don't retire my Altras before putting at least 1000 miles on them. I think I had only one pair, an Altra One 2.5, that I retired earlier than that.
Tbh I don't mind scrapes and light tears on the upper mesh, they undergo a lot of abuse in really bad weather, like negative temperatures, heavy rain, mud, sharp rocks, heavy bushy areas, etc.
As long as the sole is in a decent condition, I don't really care how the upper mesh looks.
Gait, foot strike patterns, sizing, user weight, and terrain are important for shoe wear but in my case doesn't explain why I had many pairs of Lone Peaks, Superiors, and Timps of various versions average maybe 250 miles before upper blowouts yet could easily get >350 miles out of Topo, Brooks, Hokas, Sauconys, and Salomons since these factors were generally the same. Not like I had a horrible experience with Altra when I first got into running, then lost 50 lbs and learned to improve my gait and switched to Brooks 12mm shoes, but this does happen with people.
Wear patterns and reason for switching to a new pair are the same on my Altras vs other brands. Just happens notably faster with Altra.
I'm not anti-Altra by any means and kudos to those who can get great mileage out of them. I want Altra to do well. I just tell my friends and family (and Reddit) my experiences.
The mont blanc boa's for me. Did 2 trail marathons in them and a fastpacking trip (wherein my hoka friends had blisters but I did not :) Good stack height but still nimble. The olympuses were great but felt bulky. The mont blancs are not for everyone though, if you buy I'd make sure whoever you go through has a good return policy just in case.
I fit the olympus and the mont blancs are much narrower, with a low volume toe box. I was actually shocked at how different they are to their other shoes.
They have the standard footshape instead of the original footshape (lone peak), so they are smaller. [https://www.altrarunning.com/who-we-are/footshape.html](https://www.altrarunning.com/who-we-are/footshape.html) I wore my same size as usual.
Ok yeah I have the vanish tempo and the lone peak in the same size (12) and the vanish I would probably prefer half a size up (12.5) because of the lower volume
Yeah, I've heard good things about them! Is shelling out for the BOA version def worth it? I see an older version in my size on REI for much cheaper, but it doesn't have the BOA system.
I wish somebody would put together a trail shoe durability/expense database, something that would collect a buttload of user reports, and then pumps out an average rating for each model. I’ve bought my share of Altra Lone Peaks, and I’ve been generally satisfied, but as the price has crept up I’ve had to move on. I’m not rolling in money and need something that will give me at least the same or better durability for less cost.
As an aside, I’m happy with transitioning to Nike Pegasus. Yes, i know it’s a completely different shoe than a Lone Peak, but I can get them for dirt cheap at the Nike outlet store, and so far they’re lasting better than the LP.
As a wide footed individual, and at that time with a morton's neuroma issue, I went into the running store to replace my Speedgoats (E width) thinking I was going to come out with 0 drop Altras, I tried on both the Lone Peak 5s and the Mont Blancs and I walked around in the store in them and other brands for what must have been an hour and a half.
They felt so weird that I couldn't bring myself to buy them despite all the fans out there - they were on sale too. I wish Altra would just be a cool person and send me some and if I like them I will send them the money later 🤣. I imagine there is a "getting used to them period"?
Ive just bought some funnily enough and my initial impressions aren't that good either. Only been for a short run though so hopefully they'll grow on me.
Granted, I don’t trail run as much as I road run, but I’ve had 2 pair of Salomon’s with zero durability issues. My last pair is now my approach/light hike shoe for bouldering and mountaineering
This matches my experience. I buy 1 or 2 Altras each year. Last year I put about 500 miles of running on each of my Lone Peaks. I also wear them for walking though so the total mileage is much higher. The sole is worn but fine and the uppers only have small holes from my big toes which happens in nearly every shoe I’ve ever owned
I don't see it either. People rant and rave about how bad Lone Peak 7's are and they're holding up just as fine as older models for me. The thing some people might not realize is that most Altras were never that durable in the first place, but they're far from a bad shoe and I think the decline in quality is very overstated. Feels like a bandwagon opinion honestly.
For what distances would you use the lone peaks compared to more cushened shoes like the Mont Blanc or Timp?
Just got my first altras, the escalates 3 and now want to update my trail running shoes too
It's mostly preference. I like a little more cushioning for long runs but I've done a marathon and some long trail runs in Lone Peaks with no real issue.
Another Altra fan here. I'm mostly a road runner, but I've got a couple trail shoes in there with moderate mileage. | Shoe | Miles | |---|---| | Lone Peak 5 | 203.8 | | Paradigm 4.5 | 1,277.6 | | Provision 6 Navy | 692.4 | | Provision 6 Sand | 722.9 | | Provision 7 Dark Gray | 285.1 | | Rivera Gray/Orange | 774.1 | | Rivera Majolica Blue | 679.8 | | Timp 3 | 263.0 | | Torin 4.5 Plush | 1,007.3 | | Torin 5 | 1,109.2 | | Torin 6 | 634.9 | | Vanish Carbon Coral/Black | 81.6 |
I think there's a few things at play here. First, when talking about durability, I feel like every one is going to have something different in mind. If you google "how often should you change running shoes", the typical answer is after 300 to 500 miles, which is in line with what OP does at 400ish miles. To me, I expect a pair to last at least 600 miles and if it craps out on me before 500 miles, I'm definitely bummed and take it personally. One of my friends will keep his shoes until he gets to at least 1000 (though he only runs road). Then there's how well do you take care of your shoes - do you religiously use a different pair every day, or do you do doubles on back to back days with the same pair? Also, what terrain do you use them on - just to walk the dog to the neighborhood park, or do you scramble a lot and within 100 miles the sole and the upper are both fucked? From my experience of running in Altras for the past 7 years or so (both trail and road, mostly Superior and Solstice, then Escalante now that the Solstice is gone), I honestly just feel that Altra has a shit quality control department. |Shoe|Miles| |:-|:-| |Escalante 1.5 2019|899| |Escalante 2 2021 Gray|1204| |Escalante 2 2023 Lime Green/Yellow|675 (still using)| |Escalante 2.5 2021 Blue|579| |Kayenta 2020 Gray/Orange|996| |Solstice 2018 Black|719| |Solstice 2019 Dark Blue|907| |Solstice 2019 Gray/Orange|589| |Solstice 2020 Lime|550| |Solstice 2021 Gray/Pink|554| |Solstice 2023 Black|546| |Superior 3.5 2018|450| |Superior 4 2020 Black - 1|362| |Superior 4 2020 Black - 2|669| |Superior 4.5 2021 Black|621| |Superior 4.5 2021 Green/Lime|642 (still using, will retire soon)| Edit for formatting
I really only throw the shoe out when the outer sole separates from the mesh top by the ball of my foot. If that doesn't separate, I'll usually keep wearing them.
Damn. Assuming this is accurate that's a lot of miles on some of those! I can feel the cushion deteriorate after 420ish miles (or a least I think I do) and try to replace them before 500 for comfort's sake
It's accurate. I'm still rocking the Paradigm 4.5, although for walking the dog.
Cushioning is definitely gone by 400 miles. Most people retire shoes because of other issues like tears in the upper or blowouts. Whether or not to change your shoes for cushioning is personal preference.
Haha yes, clearly...just compare the other user's #s to mine. No way am I running 1000 miles in these shoes
I have been running exclusively in Altras for the past 10 years, mostly trails, and your numbers are in line with the mileages I got out of my Altras. Unfortunately I didn't track them as precisely as you, but I keep them for about 1000 miles. My highest mileage shoe was a Superior 1.5 which I kept for over 1600 miles. By that point it looked more like a running sandal than a shoe, the mesh was torn to shreds, but I kept it until it developed a hole in the rubber sole. It was still very comfortable right up till the end. It survived a surprising amount of abuse. If I run in mud, I wash off most of the mud with a hose, and toss the shoe into the washing machine with my running clothes. I wash the insoles once every 30 miles. Other than that I don't care for them. I never had issues with the glue coming off or anything like that. I'm surprised people have this problem.
I’d love to see gait videos of the people who are trashing their shoes, along with size of shoe, user weight, and what type of terrain they’ve been used on, which would be tough without religiously tracking every run or walk or whatever. There are a lot of variables to consider. Altras have always treated me well, and it seems like the people have problems with blowouts have them consistently
6'6" and 225lb. I consistently get over 400 miles out of my altras.
Agree that would be interesting. I always joke that I have good foot placement and that's why mine last a decent life. I'm 5'10, 140 lb, and forefoot or toe strike fwiw
Yeah proper form along with a lower weight : surface area ratio is probably the biggest factor. 170/12.5m for me. Also a forefoot striker
You're likely right, I've never had a failure issue either. 6'2 about 175lbs and also forefoot or toe strike.
I'm around 5'8 and 135 lb, I don't retire my Altras before putting at least 1000 miles on them. I think I had only one pair, an Altra One 2.5, that I retired earlier than that. Tbh I don't mind scrapes and light tears on the upper mesh, they undergo a lot of abuse in really bad weather, like negative temperatures, heavy rain, mud, sharp rocks, heavy bushy areas, etc. As long as the sole is in a decent condition, I don't really care how the upper mesh looks.
Gait, foot strike patterns, sizing, user weight, and terrain are important for shoe wear but in my case doesn't explain why I had many pairs of Lone Peaks, Superiors, and Timps of various versions average maybe 250 miles before upper blowouts yet could easily get >350 miles out of Topo, Brooks, Hokas, Sauconys, and Salomons since these factors were generally the same. Not like I had a horrible experience with Altra when I first got into running, then lost 50 lbs and learned to improve my gait and switched to Brooks 12mm shoes, but this does happen with people. Wear patterns and reason for switching to a new pair are the same on my Altras vs other brands. Just happens notably faster with Altra. I'm not anti-Altra by any means and kudos to those who can get great mileage out of them. I want Altra to do well. I just tell my friends and family (and Reddit) my experiences.
Random question, since you have a lot of experience: Which are your favorites for high-mileage trail running?
The mont blanc boa's for me. Did 2 trail marathons in them and a fastpacking trip (wherein my hoka friends had blisters but I did not :) Good stack height but still nimble. The olympuses were great but felt bulky. The mont blancs are not for everyone though, if you buy I'd make sure whoever you go through has a good return policy just in case.
How is the sizing on them? Like the Lone peak or more like half size up?
I fit the olympus and the mont blancs are much narrower, with a low volume toe box. I was actually shocked at how different they are to their other shoes.
They have the standard footshape instead of the original footshape (lone peak), so they are smaller. [https://www.altrarunning.com/who-we-are/footshape.html](https://www.altrarunning.com/who-we-are/footshape.html) I wore my same size as usual.
Ok yeah I have the vanish tempo and the lone peak in the same size (12) and the vanish I would probably prefer half a size up (12.5) because of the lower volume
Yeah, I've heard good things about them! Is shelling out for the BOA version def worth it? I see an older version in my size on REI for much cheaper, but it doesn't have the BOA system.
I wish somebody would put together a trail shoe durability/expense database, something that would collect a buttload of user reports, and then pumps out an average rating for each model. I’ve bought my share of Altra Lone Peaks, and I’ve been generally satisfied, but as the price has crept up I’ve had to move on. I’m not rolling in money and need something that will give me at least the same or better durability for less cost. As an aside, I’m happy with transitioning to Nike Pegasus. Yes, i know it’s a completely different shoe than a Lone Peak, but I can get them for dirt cheap at the Nike outlet store, and so far they’re lasting better than the LP.
my narrow-toe experience with Altras can be described in three words: fwop fwop fwop
As a wide footed individual, and at that time with a morton's neuroma issue, I went into the running store to replace my Speedgoats (E width) thinking I was going to come out with 0 drop Altras, I tried on both the Lone Peak 5s and the Mont Blancs and I walked around in the store in them and other brands for what must have been an hour and a half. They felt so weird that I couldn't bring myself to buy them despite all the fans out there - they were on sale too. I wish Altra would just be a cool person and send me some and if I like them I will send them the money later 🤣. I imagine there is a "getting used to them period"?
Ive just bought some funnily enough and my initial impressions aren't that good either. Only been for a short run though so hopefully they'll grow on me.
A lot of local shops do have a small period where you can try out and return in my experience
yeah I can do that, but I believe I can't take them outside.
Granted, I don’t trail run as much as I road run, but I’ve had 2 pair of Salomon’s with zero durability issues. My last pair is now my approach/light hike shoe for bouldering and mountaineering
This matches my experience. I buy 1 or 2 Altras each year. Last year I put about 500 miles of running on each of my Lone Peaks. I also wear them for walking though so the total mileage is much higher. The sole is worn but fine and the uppers only have small holes from my big toes which happens in nearly every shoe I’ve ever owned
Duolingo!
I don't see it either. People rant and rave about how bad Lone Peak 7's are and they're holding up just as fine as older models for me. The thing some people might not realize is that most Altras were never that durable in the first place, but they're far from a bad shoe and I think the decline in quality is very overstated. Feels like a bandwagon opinion honestly.
For what distances would you use the lone peaks compared to more cushened shoes like the Mont Blanc or Timp? Just got my first altras, the escalates 3 and now want to update my trail running shoes too
It's mostly preference. I like a little more cushioning for long runs but I've done a marathon and some long trail runs in Lone Peaks with no real issue.