I’m not sure why I’m compelled to always begin my non-beer reviews with the following information, but I do. In addition to beer, I regularly use and review all sorts of spirits, hiking gear, food items, personal care, electronics and much more. I’m an active consumer and user of these items, and I think I always manage to bring a positive perspective and actual use of these items to my writing.
I’m a really active hiker and I maintain multiple pairs of footwear, boots and shoes for my adventures…and of course I’m always interested in improving the comfort, convenience and functionality of my “boots.” After all, nothing can ruin a good hike or hiking trip like a simple blister, so I’m always looking for better comfort, durability and functionality for my shoes and socks.
With a trip to the desert on the horizon, I started strategizing about how to keep sand out of my shoes. That lead to various waterproof shoes (that are already in my closet), but I wanted something more…something lighter, something different and something useful…..so very quickly, gaiters were in the mix.
Now I’ve used gaiters before for skiing, but never for sand. And based on my experience with gaiters, I knew the weak point would always be the strap under the shoe that always wears out. With that in mind, I started investigating gaiters that don’t have that strap.
In a parallel universe, I was already watching thru-hiker video of people hiking the Appalachian Trail and the PCT and I kept noticing a common denominator in the shoes they were wearing….the Altra Lone Peak 3.5.
Their reasons cited the light weight of the shoe, the wider toe box, the zero-drop sole and the quick drying of the shoes…so naturally I was interested. While searching for the shoes to buy them, I landed on the Altra site and noticed that the Lone Peak 3.5 shoes have an integrated gaiter system….so in that moment, I think I found my desert shoes.
The Altra Lone Peak 3.5 is technically a trail running shoe, and while they now offer the 4.0 and 4.5, the reviews by thru-hikers specifically said they liked the 3.5 and not the later versions. The 3.5 features:
- Flexible StoneGuard rock plates built into the soles add protection underfoot
- Natural Ride system encourages a natural gait and effective transition as it supports every step
- Reinforced mesh upper for increased durability and protection
- GaiterTrap hook-and-loop tabs allow strapless gaiter attachment to block debris (gaiters not included)
- Granted the APMA Seal of Acceptance, which the American Podiatric Medical Association awards to footwear they find promotes good foot health
The shoes arrived and I immediately noticed that they just look different. First off they are Zero-drop shoes, and what that means is that the base sole is level and it does not drop lower as you go toward the toe of the shoe (like traditional shoes and running shoes). This Zero-drop takes less than a minute to get used to, but it does change your gait a tiny bit and it does feel just a bit different on uphill, downhill and level surfaces. My initial test started downhill and I initially didn’t like the shoes because it felt like my toes were getting shoved forward even with the Zero-drop. Once the trail leveled and went uphill, the shoes felt really comfortable. On subsequent downhill hikes they felt fine so I attribute that to my normal dislike of downhill hiking.
It is important to note that for some reason the Altra Lone Peak 3.5 shoes run SMALL. I put that in capital letters because the fit of these shoes is paramount to their comfort, and the fit does not run true to size. I typically wear a US 10 or 10.5 and I purchased my Altra’s in US size 11, and even the 11 can feel a bit snug. Add in that these shoes are no longer in production as of 2020, so you’ll likely be chasing them on-line. Every review I read said to size up by a full size, and I think my experience would back that up.
The Altra Lone Peak 3.5 also has a wider toe box. This will make them look a bit different (especially as you look down at your toes) and feel a bit different. In theory this allows your toes to spread out naturally thus enabling them to be more supportive over mixed terrain. I have flat feet so this extra space feels good to me, and again you get used to it in about 1 minute.
I haven’t dunked the shoes, but they do NOT claim to be waterproof in the 3.5 and while I haven’t tested how rapidly they dry out, they do seem to dry quickly at least form the sweat I added in while testing.
Up next I had to choose my gaiters. The Lone Peak 3.5 has a built in gaiter system with a Velcro heel attach, a toe loop attach point and two side attachment points. Altra offers a 4-point gaiter that uses these attachment points and a new “Trail Gaiter” that only uses the heel and toe attachments.
With my concern for desert sand topping over the side of the shoes or pushing the 2-point Trail Gaiter out of the way, I opted for the 4-point gaiter. This brought me to an interesting dilemma. While Altra continues to advertise the 4-point gaiter on their Youtube channel, they no longer sell them on their website. After multiple messages to Altra and some internet searching, apparently Altra no longer sells them and while they won’t admit to it, the reason seems to be that they are tricky to put on.
It was not easy, but I managed to buy Altra 4-point gaiters on-line to test them out. From an advantages standpoint, I will say they are comfortable, they are snug to the shoes and your ankles and they do allow you to change your shoes without removing the gaiters from your leg. This of course assumes your other shoes are also capable of attaching like the Altra shoes do. I would say that putting the gaiters on can be a bit fiddly…but not tragically difficult. The heel and toe attach simply, and the sides go on with a bit of practice. This is mostly because you have to push the attachment strap thru the hook on the shoes and under the gaiter, then fiddle around to connect the snaps (2 per shoe). Once I practiced a few times, the procedure was easy, however I do suspect in messy conditions, show, sand or mud, without a seat, they may be challenging (but doable). If you were in a hurry, they’d be a pain, but again doable.
The jury is still out on how well the shoes and gaiters keep the sand out, but I will follow up after a few hikes in the Mojave Desert and update the post.
Overall the Altra Lone Peak 3.5 shoes seem to be really comfortable and really unique. Only time and miles will tell how well they do maintaining that comfort over longer hikes with varied terrain, but I suspect they will be good. I’d likely still choose my waterproof mids or other shoes for more technical rocky or wet hikes, but I definitely see a spot in my shoe inventory and a hiking purpose for the Altras. They will be traveling with me on my next trip, and yes the 4-point gaiters will be going as well. I’m disappointed that Altra has stopped selling the very gaiters that take advantage of the 4 point attachments built into their shoes and it is my hope that they will find a way to bring a new design back to the market. I believe their Trail Gaiters are functional, but I believe snow or sand will simply push them out of the way.
I will continue to update this post with my longer term experience with durability, comfort and gaiter use, so stay tuned. As always, be sure to check out the Altra Lone Peak 3.5 shoes and 4-Point gaiters for yourself, and when you do, be sure to let us know what YOU think.
Sadly, it seems like the 4point gaiter is no more. I can't find any online, even on the Altra website. The current 2-point gaiters available online seem like they'd let to much debris in from the sides.
ReplyDelete