Topo Athletic - Ultraventure 3

I like my ultraventures on road as well

Topo Ultraventure is a solid alternative. Nike Zegama also similar.

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.

I’ve gotten 500+ miles on several Topo models, though I hear Norda 001 last even longer.

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.

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

I’ve worn Altras and Topos. My wife has some Hokas. It really depends on what fits your feet.

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 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).

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).

I actually wear topo athletic terra ventures as my regular shoes around town here in Calgary. When I was away for a few years I had the same issue and thus wore my topo ultra ventures on the plane. They were so comfortable for travelling they became my go to travel shoes and hiking shoes. So now I run two sets at a time, one gtx for shoulder season and one non gtx for my regular backpacking.

I’ll second Topos, extremely durable trail runners. I trail run in Pursuit 2s (zero drop).

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.

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.

Another vote for Topo. I still like and use the Altra King Mts for more aggressive or wet conditions. The Topos are more comfortable and much more durable, but retain a lot of water in my experience.

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.

Coming from Altras to Topos I have noticed that the toe box on the Topos seem narrower and there is this slight arch support. I would call it true arch support, but it's less flat than the Altras were. This is my first pair of Topos and I'm only a week in so we'll see how they perform long term.

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!

Topo Ultraventure! So comfortable

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.

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.

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

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

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

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 love my Topo Athletic Ultraventure 3s. Wide toebox, plenty of cushion but not too stacked as to be unstable.

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.

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).

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

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.

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

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

I'll put another vote in for Topo

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

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