Altra Lone Peaks, durability?

[Pilgy]

Any updated thoughts on durability of the Altra Lone Peaks? Has anyone needed 2 pairs to comfortably complete the C. France given the road walking? PS I"m not interested in seeing how much life I can eek out of a tired shoe just save money at the expense of my feet! Rather, I trying to be prepared to have to switch out if padding gets low as mileage increases. I totally respect my feet and will give them the comfort and support they need! I don't think you can get them easily in Spain so replacing during the walk might be tricky.

Have also just tried the Hoka Hoka One One Toas, a low cut boot with a (very partial!) partial Vibram sole. Feel a bit plasticy to me and I have the same concerns about durability.

I've walked the CF twice and the Portuguese once inTarghee II mids, entirely blisterfree. Love the added height at the ankle and swear by them for durability but am curious about something a little less bulky and more responsive. I took Altra Lone Peak 3.5s as backup on the Portuguese last year. Very comfortable but always worried about them being flimsy especially with the low cut. Thoughts?

 

[Deleted member 67185]

Any updated thoughts on durability of the Altra Lone Peaks? Has anyone needed 2 pairs to comfortably complete the C. France given the road walking? PS I"m not interested in seeing how much life I can eek out of a tired shoe just save money at the expense of my feet! Rather, I trying to be prepared to have to switch out if padding gets low as mileage increases. I totally respect my feet and will give them the comfort and support they need! I don't think you can get them easily in Spain so replacing during the walk might be tricky.

Have also just tried the Hoka Hoka One One Toas, a low cut boot with a (very partial!) partial Vibram sole. Feel a bit plasticy to me and I have the same concerns about durability.

I've walked the CF twice and the Portuguese once inTarghee II mids, entirely blisterfree. Love the added height at the ankle and swear by them for durability but am curious about something a little less bulky and more responsive. I took Altra Lone Peak 3.5s as backup on the Portuguese last year. Very comfortable but always worried about them being flimsy especially with the low cut. Thoughts?

The Lone Peak is a popular shoe for backpackers, especially thru hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail, Appalachian Trail and Continental Divide Trail..

From my experience and in surveying users of these shoes and other trail running shoes for this activity, which is far more strenuous to a shoe than a Camino, a trail running shoe will be changed out, on average, after about 600 miles.

What an individual will state about the longevity of a shoe is less important than the average experience. The reason for this is there are too many variables which are seen between one individual and another individual: Gait, stability issues, pronation/supination, weight, etc. Even whether someone uses a hairdryer to dry a shoe.

As to blistering, I wouldn't attribute being blister free or becoming blistered on the shoe, unless it is improperly fitted. All shoes and boots will have users that do not get blisters when they have used them. What is of higher importance is making sure the fit is accurate and also feels good, so that the shoe is not too small under load and with insoles and socks and orthotics, braces, etc. that will be used.

Fit and feel are two different things, as a shoe may fit very well, but still be uncomfortable to wear. Also, shoes like the Altras, Hoka, Nike, New Balance, etc, do not require a 'break in'. If they do not feel good, or impinge on the foot, when you try them on, they will not improve much no matter how much wear you put on them.

 

[backpack45scb]

I've been wearing Altra Lone Peaks for the last three years or so, and find that a pair is showing signs of wear around 500 miles, but I get about 200 miles out of them after that. They finally break down by getting cracks at the fold point on the side of the shoe above the ball of the foot.

As far as padding, they don't have much to begin with. It is supposed to be more like a barefoot experience. I can feel my toes trying to curl and grip the surface, and I can clearly feel the trail surface. As they age and the sole gets thinner, you can feel the path more and more. My feet like this as long as I don't step on sharp pointy rocks.

 

[Joblakely]

Mine were comfy but had to “retire” them in the final days due to rips. Didn’t hold up through training & CF. Maybe if I had trained in another pair. Otherwise super comfy.

 

[Lisakline]

Any updated thoughts on durability of the Altra Lone Peaks? Has anyone needed 2 pairs to comfortably complete the C. France given the road walking? PS I"m not interested in seeing how much life I can eek out of a tired shoe just save money at the expense of my feet! Rather, I trying to be prepared to have to switch out if padding gets low as mileage increases. I totally respect my feet and will give them the comfort and support they need! I don't think you can get them easily in Spain so replacing during the walk might be tricky.

Have also just tried the Hoka Hoka One One Toas, a low cut boot with a (very partial!) partial Vibram sole. Feel a bit plasticy to me and I have the same concerns about durability.

I've walked the CF twice and the Portuguese once inTarghee II mids, entirely blisterfree. Love the added height at the ankle and swear by them for durability but am curious about something a little less bulky and more responsive. I took Altra Lone Peak 3.5s as backup on the Portuguese last year. Very comfortable but always worried about them being flimsy especially with the low cut. Thoughts?

Finished the cf in them, from Pamplona to santiago. Made it in one pair, now they are done.

 

[JillGat]

My pair of Altra Lone Peak 3.0s lasted two CFs and a Portugues and I'm wearing them right now. But really that's because they are just my back up shoes. I walk most of the time in my Chaco sandals, which are definitely not waterproof, but dry faster than anything! Maybe because I wear sandals and go barefoot so much, my feet are too wide for most shoes. Even the men's Altra Lone Peaks are barely wide enough and none of the other Altras are.

 

[spreadsheetdirtbags]

I recently replied to someone else on this topic and they said my pictures were helpful:

I have Lone Peak 4.0. When I did my Camino I had solomon's (which were toast by the end) but I am now a total Altra convert. I wore a pair of Altra's on a long-term hike where I hiked in them every day, average of 20km per day, in rough terrain (mountains, sharp shale, bushwhacking, etc - nothing like the camino) and I took the opportunity to replace them in a town-stop after 800-900km. There's a pic below of mine and my partner's shoes on the day they were replaced. They don't look that bad, but they felt blown-out at that point and my foot was going to bust through the side any day. I also included pictures of earlier on in the same trek to show where the majority of direct failure was occurring, and where the foot-busting-through concern came from. Adding; busting through was a much more significant safety concern as our sections were 7-10 days in wilderness, so no option to just pop into a store in the next town or grab a bus to a city with a shoe store....

I believe if I had started my Camino on a new pair of Altras, they could have lasted the ~1000-1100km that I walked, since the Camino terrain is so much less 'sharp'. Most of the direct damage to the outer part of the shoes occurred on sharp shale-covered mountain passes. Otherwise the 'wear' was in stomping down the foam.

RE: water-proof - these are the standard kind (not the intended-to-be-water-proof kind) and they are definitely not at all water proof. If the grass/trail was wet or if it was raining, my feet were wet. They are screen doors. However, they also dry rapidly for the same reason, which is why I liked them.