Altra vs Topo, Best Shoe for Thru-Hiking? Surprising Conclusion. Olympus, Mountain Racer Lone Peak 

Oh yes good point, I didn't notice it as much or maybe I attributed that to the more narrow mid foot.

But why? Also, I don't think any animal with quads like that can truly perceive anything below and beneath said quads. I don't think you can feel anything below the knee mate. At least, not like we mere mortals.

Which topos have you tried? I have had that problem with other shoes, mainly hoka, but my topo terraventure 3s don't seem to have overly aggressive arch support like those did.

Highly recommend replacing the insole. Fixed that problem for me straight away.

@@Gerz970 They were ultraventure 3s.

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for watching!

Much appreciated

Thanks for watching

Thanks for watching and for sharing your experience.

Hah yeah small world! Enjoy the finish, hope you get some good food!

Oh yes I wore some Vasque around 2018-2020 and they always held up well.

@@QuadzillaHikes Yep! I did a gear review vlog a few yrs ago when i 1st got them.

There really isn't, very dependent on the individual and at the end of the day the better shape conditioning you're in the better any pair of shoe is going to feel.

Any time!

Dang that's some big shoes! Yeah the lone peaks don't make sense for hiking, training sure, but hiking all day everyday give me all the cushion!

I'd think so and gait and pronation and all of that effects things as well

Thanks for watching! Yep you described my pain points.

Haven't tried the SOLEs yet, will have to give that a go.

Glad you found what works for you :)

Thanks for sharing your experiernce!

They still are not as rigid as something like a Merrill but if you wanted to try something new someday most Tops actually aren't 0 drop, MTN racers (the ones in this video) I believe are 5mm and so are the ultraventures. The terraventures are 3mm drop so a bit closer to 0 but not quite.

Oh good hack! Glad to hear they're working out for ya!

@colbypark1311 same here. Works great!

Great to hear.

I dunno why they want to make changes to every iteration of shoes, that's probably my biggest annoyance, just keep the shoes the same if they work! It's not rocket science.

I don't, mostly I just use whatever old pair of hiking shoes I have to train in. For thru hikes there's just so many steps that with 30-40 mile days I don't think my feet could ever handle minimalist shoes.

Funny for me I'd have the olympus edge out the topo because of the extra cushion if I'm doing big long days, but not enough that I wouldn't buy the topo if it were cheaper.

I have not, what do you like about it?

I’ll answer as I’m on my third pair of Topos, first two being the MTN Racers. Before Topos I used four sets of Altra. The Topo Traverse is specifically designed as a through hiking backpacking shoe. Just finished three days backpacking the Grand Canyon and several days hiking and trail running near Flagstaff. The Traverse is a 10/10 so far. Traverse uses a dual density mid sole, with a firmer foam than the runners, to provide more stability under the weight of a pack. They nailed the ride in these shoes. They look and feel more durably built than MTN Racer. A new insole that is designed to not absorb water. Shoe is designed with water drain ports too. It’s clear that a lot of thought went into the design of these. I also sprung for the Topo gaiters and they worked very well. The Traverse is easily the best shoe I’ve ever used for backpacking and hiking, 10 out of 10.

I think you probably won't notice much, the model year to model year changes are all pretty small the shoe companies just do it to sell new shoes at higher prices imo. So if the 4s worked for ya the 5s should be just fine.

I tried Topo Pursuit, those kinda suck to be honest. The gaiter is a no go for me, and the cushion. Altra Olympus is a much better shoe overall.

@@DanielOutdoors first off you can get a gaiter on them as well but the altras are better in that regard. But the cushion is great, idk what you mean. The olympus are a very high shoe that is a hazard in somewhat technical terrain. Also there is just so much evidence on the upper getting holes wayyy too quickly. But sure if you want to replace your shoes after every other trip altras are by far the better shoe

@@jonathankobbe6073 Every brand that has the Vibram sole, get send to Vibram from them to make. If the shoe sole guarantee do not last 5 years, regarding its a Vibram reclaim, that the retail send to then producer need to send to Vibram. But I did had a Topo Terraventure 2 once too, and I had to reclaim those at store, they just couldn't do it because Topo didn't want to take the dealer reatail cost. And so Retail actually lost money on Topos faulty design of their shoe. As far for the pursuit nah, I'll will stick to my Olympus instead mine had loads of miles, but I do prefer Olympus versus LonePeak or Timps for sure. And also versus Pursuit and Speciakky Terraventure 2 Now with Altras or any barefoot shoe, also need transition, specially if you do a lot of runs on high elevated heels. The risk of injure is due to lack of transition. That for ancles, knees and back. It is very important to transition and train your feet and body as many understimate this. This also what my doctor told me when 10 years ago i was having knee pain before I tried Zero Drop Shoes like Altras. The benifit is however that in the longer run, barefoot shoe, toe box spread you feet naturally will improve and gain strenght, unlike or example with Hooka. As for this day I can tell that from walking 15-30 km outdoors or 17.000-18.000 at work I do not feel tired or fatigue as much as I would be 10 years ago. Your feet will adapt, but you actually need to pretty much "repair" and transition from walking with narrow shoes and elevated heels all your life. I can almost bet that when you turn older, the one who have walked more barefoot and with Zero Drop is going to have a stronger and better balance when the years come to you. The Olympus however is much more durable than other Altra models, but not more durable than Leather Boots, wich again have elevated heels, and narrow toe box. I am actually planning on more long distance hikes next year. And if all go according to plan I surely will pick my Olympus for a 3256 km trip.

I'll look em up!

No idea, but good point for a future video.

I didn't notice any less breathability, base model the altras dry faster because the insoles don't absorb water like the topos do. I think rock plates can be helpful, but I usually just run a superfeet and that's good to go.

​@@QuadzillaHikes Thank you for the answers. I really appreciate that.

Oh that's great to know, that shoe might be worth revisiting then as a good middle of the line option between Lone Peak and Olympus.

@@QuadzillaHikes Topo on the other hand has two models that doesn't have the ortholite insole. The Traverse and the Pursuit 2. They have their FKT insole, that doesn't soak up water like a sponge.

Ultra cush!

@QuadzillaHikes Yeah man I use them too, like you can problaby do any thru hike with most outdoor shoe that fits right out there, gore tex, boots, Salomon, hooka, merell or sandal... But for me the Altra transition and Olympus specially compared to Lone Peaks been amazing

Oh I have a little clip of you guys in this video! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-9FxeY-KcAqM.html

i disagree, from what i have seen it's usually people that spend 0 time barefoot(wearing shoes at home) that can't wear zero drop. we are all born with zero drop feet but as we wear "normal" shoes your feet adapt to those and you have to adapt back if you switch

Zero drop's definitely not a shoe to jump straight into for long hikes if you're not used to them. AFAIK the Topos have a 5mm drop though.

I'm gonna wear a pair of la sportiva on the AT next cause I found them on-sale with REI :)

Hah just watched that video last week.

😂 No way they are

Yeah what would I know I've only hiked 16,000 miles