Topo Athletic - Ultraventure 1

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.

I prefer ultraventure. I have used both, but it comes down to personal preference. The Ultraventure have a bit more padding, but I am heavier than your average hiker and live in a rocky area. I loved Altra back around Lone Peak 3 and 4. But they ended up shrinking the toe box, and they just don't hold up well, particularly in somewhat rocky ground.

I found all Topos to run short. Wore a women's 8.5 in HOKAs and a size 10 in Topos. I trained in the Speedgoats and Mafates and currently wear Pursuits and Ultraventures 

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

To echo the last comment, Topo has the widest toebox with drop that I’m aware of. Mount to Coast has pretty forgiving toe boxes. I have Achilles issues, and I find the Norda 001 great for me. Toebox is wider than average on that one. It’s kind of a “favorite flavor of ice cream” question. I’d start with Topo and Mount to Coast if I were you.

What’s your fav? I’m looking at speedland…just haven’t pulled the trigger! Took out my topo ultraventures in the snow for the first time the other day and it was real sloppy, pretty disappointed. Also, hope you’re tomir do in longer runs? Like anything over 12 miles?

I have very wide feet and bunions and Topo MTN Racers are my go-to shoe lately. Very nice wide toe box and just generally a great fit for me overall. Plus they are light, well built, and break in nicely. I also tried the Topo Ultraventure, which has more cushion, but did not like it nearly as much.

The ones that fit you. The problem with shoe/pack recommendations is that everyone's fit needs are different. By all means, try the Altras and the Topos! But I suggest trying as many shoes on as you can, preferably from a retailer with a great return policy so you can wear them around your house. Of course it's pretty well impossible to mimic the conditions of actual hiking while keeping the shoes returnable, especially for several days or weeks in a row. I personally have a really hard foot to fit. I have narrow, low volume feet and I tend to get some degree of heel slippage in pretty much any type of "athletic" shoe ( I always lace with a heel-lock). So I usually have to try on several pairs and am the most annoying person at the store. I personally find European brands like La Sportiva, Salomon, or Scarpa to be the safest bet - but I rarely ever see those brands recommended compared to Altra or Topo.

I love them because they are grippy but they hold SO MUCH WATER. They are not waterproof, but they don’t drain very well. I wish they drained better. I also like the topo ultraventure for less technical terrain.

Non waterproof vibram sole topo athletic ultraventures. I routinely backpack off trail over rocky, scree laden passes in the Canadian Rockies. Best change to my backpacking loadout yet.

Topo Ultraventure! So comfortable

Weird! I have flat feet and Topos don’t bother me at all. I’ve definitely experienced that high arch feeling in other shoes, but never Topos (and I have 6 different models of them!)

One more YES for Lone Peak. Are you used to shoes with a bigger toe box? If so, they'll be great and you should be fine on rocky terrain. I find the Topo more smurf-like than the Lone Peaks. Too marshmallow-ey for my taste. I think the switch to 0 drop is minimal. I wouldn't over think it, but you'll know.

+1 for Topo, I go between the ultra adventure and mtn racer depending on tread needs for the trail.

Also have wide feet with low arches. I’ve never been able to get a good fit with Topo. The wide toe box is great, but I find the arch and midfoot too narrow. I also ordered the Ultraventure in a regular and wide width and the actual outsole was identical on both shoes, so I suspect their “wide” are built on the same platform as the regular width, and they just add extra material in the upper to try to accommodate a wider foot. This is cheaper for them, but not going to give a good fit if you have actual wide feet. I’m currently using Altra Experience Wild and Lone Peak 8’s. They have both been fine for me and they fit my feet much better than the Topo’s. They are both pretty minimally cushioned shoes though, so if you’re running on harder surfaces you may need a higher stack

New Balance Hierro comes as wide as 4E for men and 2E for women. Topo is also legit wide. I wear a women's D width and their wide shoes are TOO wide for me. That never happens with my hobbit feet ??

They are very comfortable and roomy for me with good lugs. They feel a little weird walking on pavement so mud, gravel, rocks, roots, and sand are all good but pavement is a no unless you enjoy suctioning to the pavement. If you need them to do pavement as well, look at the Terraventures which are bomb proof in durability as well. I think my husband has about 800 miles on his Terraventures with the outsole still intact. I have a lot less on mine but it should be well over 300 miles on mine and still waterproof. Terraventures come in waterproof and non-waterproof, fyi. The Ultraventure is a lot cushier than the Terraventure but both do a good job of protecting your foot from the rocks and roots. I can not speak to durability on the Ultraventures yet as I have only put 100 miles on them but so far they are still looking like new other than the inside heel. As to the inside heal, I have to use stickers in all my shoes as my heels always rub through all shoes there so that doesn't count against them in my book (Haglunds deformation is obnoxious but the stickers are a cheap fix).

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.

Yes, the ultraventure as someone else said. Fantastic shoe and good for those mixed runs.

Not sure if they’re trail runners but I made the switch from Hoka Speedgoats and zero drop Altras to Topos with a 5mm drop. The Topos are still going strong on the soles.

It is a super comfy shoe! I only wish it was slightly more luggy for technical trails.

Your situation is at odds with itself, unfortunately. The arch support is related to providing help with overpronation. The Topo Ultraventure has some support for overpronation. Might be worth another attempt? With their 30 day try them out policy, can't hurt.

If you are looking at Topos, just know that the MTN racer has a narrower toebox than the ultraventure. Mtn racer didn't work for me but ultraventures do.

Had a similar blow out happen to a pair of Ultraventure’s a few years back. Would have been in the ballpark of 150 miles. https://imgur.com/a/HOREoX3

Topo does the wide toe box. My Ultraventures have a 5mm drop, Terraventures have a 3mm drop and there is also the mtnracer model as well (haven't tried that one yet).

That is awesome! I am glad it helped with your hip pain. I really liked the LP7. I went through 8 or 9 pairs before I couldn’t find them anymore. ?? it’s what started my shoe spiral. I really struggled to transition to the LP9. I ended up in Topos. I like the ultraventure for less technical stuff and the MTN racer for more technical stuff. Turns out 4-5 mm of drop was what I needed. Switched about 5 months ago and it seemingly resolved all lingering issues.

Topo Athletic. I’ve heard the Pursuits aren’t as durable but the models I’ve tried hold up really well to abuse.

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).

I tried the Ultraventure after hearing this but have had terrible blisters with them.

I'll put another vote in for Topo

Topo Ultraventure are great, but also Mount to Coast T1, which are much more like the Speedgoat 5. Ran in there yesterday and plenty of cushion and room, but still light and nimble.

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.