Altra Lone Peak All-wthr Mid, Men's Platform

Product Information

Similar to the Appalachian Trail, along the WHW there were days where the cold rain felt near constant. However, these shoes remarkably kept my feet warm, and more importantly dry. The same cannot be said for my hiking partner, who was sporting the older women’s Lone Peak 2.0 NeoShell lows. She suffered the soggy fate of having water find its way down her ankles and into her shoes. This leads me to believe that if you’re going to bother getting an Altra NeoShell shoe at all you’re probably better off getting a Mid-sized shoe to begin with. Comfort is a metric in which the Lone Peak ALL-WTHR has almost no equal. As one of the top-scoring models in this fundamental metric, this shoe (ahem, boot!) will be very appealing to a wide range of hikers. A big part of this appeal comes from Altra's signature wide foot shape. Rather than feeling tight and constricted, the foot is allowed to sit in its natural position. This is especially nice after long days on the trail — as your feet swell, they have the room they need. Disclosure: Altra donated these items for review, but this article presents an honest representation of my experience using the gear. If there’s one thing that Altra does well, it’s comfort: no matter the style, every Altra shoe has a zero-drop footbed and wide, “FootShape” toe box. Many hikers and runners find that these features allow their feet and body to align and move more naturally, resulting in less impact. For us, the wide toe box provided impressive comfort right out of the box. And coupled with the thin yet supple upper, we experienced virtually no break-in period. On soft, loamy trails, the Lone Peak 4 Mid RSM offered the experience of walking on a cloud.

Altra Lone Peak 4 Mid RSM Hiking Boot Review - Switchback Travel Altra Lone Peak 4 Mid RSM Hiking Boot Review - Switchback Travel

Wearing these for hours at a time on the foot was almost unnoticeable, so even though they did not win in this metric, they were so close that we gave them a very high mark in regards to their overall weight. Water Resistance

REVIEW CONDITIONS

The Altra Lone Peak 3.0 NeoShell Mid is a lightweight, durable, and overall comfortable shoe. The external NeoShell layer provides excellent waterproofing even keeping dust and other small particle debris from entering the shoe. The ankle support is effective and more importantly, comfortable. Despite using an identical design to that of it’s more breathable brethren, the NeoShell Mid’s midsole was noticeably more stiff, feeling somewhat less cushioned than its non-waterproof counterpart. Still, the midsole design, combined with the snug ankle fit and the spacious toe box, mean the NeoShell Mid keeps your feet happy for miles and miles.

Lone Peak 6 - Altra Running

Trailclaw: Canted lugs positioned strategically beneath the metatarsals to provide traction at toe off. The mid-height design, combined with a waterproof upper and gaiter attachment points, does a great job at sealing out the elements. The Altra Lone Peak All-WHTR Mid 2 have a specifically designed wide toe box that allows the toes to spread out naturally. The cushioned sole with zero drop keeps the foot balanced whilst running and the Altra Ego midsole compound provides comfort without compromising energy return. Grip is good across a variety of surfaces due to the MaxTrac™ outsole, which has angled lugs and the cantilever ridges under the big toe gives added grip when setting off and running up hill. The all-weather outer is water resistant and the hook and loop tap holds strapless gaiters in place for added protection in poor conditions. With such a lightweight shoe, you’ll compromise on durability: one of our toe caps began to separate after just one hike. Altra EGO: Dual-Nature midsole compound with a responsive, yet soft feel for increased energy return.With the updated 4 RSM, Altra replaced the waterproof NeoShell upper of version 3 with eVent fabric, which has proven to be a very capable performer in the wet. Most of our time in the Lone Peak 4 Mid RSM was spent on wet trails in the Pacific Northwest, as well as one long outing into the alpine. Overall, the Altra’s eVent upper and over-the-ankle design did a great job of keeping water at bay, which made it a great companion for wet-weather hikes. We’ve spent a good amount of time using Gore-Tex-lined footwear recently, and it's nice to see that the eVent fabric provided similar levels of protection.