UKH

Just looking at getting my self a pair of Altra trail shoes for long distance walking ultras.

I suffer from plantar facilities so not really running at the moment but want a shoe with nice cushioning and a good grip I have had a look at the olympus 3.5 which are cushioned but the lugs look short.

The lone peak look good but not sure how cushioned they are.

In reply to andyd1970: ok, so look at the ongoing Topo thread.  Personally I don't wear Lara's but some people swear by them.  They did have a bad rep for falling to bits fast but seem to have fixed that.

But , if you're suffering p.f. then consider the consequences of going to a zero stop show where your calf will be more extended,  albeit marginally 

In reply to andyd1970:

Altra generally have soft cushioned sole units. A great shoe for those with a wide forefoot due to the "natural toe box shape"

However as the sole unit is on the soft, cushioned side this means it wont last very long. So might not be the best choice if youre looking at doing longer walks.

Also as said above a zero drop shoe might not be the best shoe for someone with plantar fascitiis as the lower the drop the more forces that go through the calf muscles and the soft tissue structures in the arch the foot.

In reply to andyd1970:

I’ve got bunions too and the spread of my toes in the toe box seams to help but if I’m wear a tighter shoe it makes it worse. I currently have Saucony peregrine 8 which is a 4mm drop, so just after a wider shoe really.

In reply to andyd1970:

A couple of brands that might be worth hunting out:

Brooks - they do a wide fitting on few trail running shoes

On running -they seem to come up fairly wide and have a natural shaped toe box. Sole unit is a bit unusual on these as it's constructed of separate lugs which are designed to provide shock absorption

Hokas - wide fitting sizes are available but again most styles have a zero drop. Length wise they also come up small, most people half to go up atleast 1/2 a size to get the correct length.

Inov8 and topo are other brands wide that do fittings.

In reply to andyd1970:

I'm a big fan of Altra (they actually fit my feet!)

The Olympus is a road running shoe. The newer version have more in the way of lugs than the older version, and makes them ok for canal towpaths and the like, but suffer in mud.
Also, the thick cushioning is not conducive to tight turns, as I've experienced some rolling in them.

The Lone Peaks have slightly less cushioning, but more aggressive lugs. I use these for hiking as well as running. They lack a stiffened midsole, so you may want to build up your distance walking in them.

My partner also has PF, and she uses a pair of moulded insoles in her Lone Peaks and gets on fine with them.

In reply to Girlvsgravity:

I’ve tried the other makes as I have Alrra road shoes and they fit great

In reply to RankAmateur:

When I filtered the shoes into Trail on Altras website the Olympus came up.

I like the look of the lone peak but was concerned about the sole thickness but I do wear superfeet orange 

In reply to andyd1970:

I use Altra Olympus 3.5 as a trail running shoe in Norway and they work fine for me, I find they're a bit clumpy on the road. For road I have the Altra Torin 4. I'm sure you can get more cushioned shoes than the Olympus.

As for wear, I've done 400km on Norwegian trails (which by many accounts are much wilder than in the Alps or the UK), and they're still fine.

I've also used the Brooks Cascadia trail shoes, I found they didn't fit my feet as well, the toe box of the Altra was better for my feet and my foot seemed to float around the Cascadia, even though I really liked the Brooks adrenaline (road version) of the same size.

I also tried the Altra Timp 1.5, and they were completely ruined (the upper was ripped to shreds) after less than 100km of trail running here. Fortunately the return policy here is good, so I got a full refund, no questions asked.

In reply to andyd19

Go barefoot for a few months - your plantar will disappear

In reply to andyd1970:

I have found that the rear grips on my lone peaks tend to wear down relatively fast, and then they're not all that secure walking in genuine mud. Very durable otherwise.

The shoe they did that really grips is the mountain king - my version 1 of those were excellent until the uppers died. Up to version 2 now and quite a bit different it seems.

I'm currently trying some Inov8 TerraultraG 260 - they're very wide forefoot and the reviews say very durable. Will have to see.

In reply to andyd1970:

Ginger Runner reviewed the Altra Timp 2.0 very positively. I would think it might be worth investigating.

In reply to bouldery bits: I saw that too.  I have  different preferences in shoes to the ginger runner but his reviews are pretty reliable and pretty sensible 

In reply to wbo2:

I bought some saucony in the end as I tried the Altra trails and didn’t like them 

In reply to andyd1970:

Can I ask which model of Saucony you got? do they feel as wide as the Altras you tried, or is the wide toe area not that important for you, many thanks.

In reply to andyd1970:  that's the perfect answer... you can have as many recommendations as you want , it all comes to how they feel to you.