Altra vs Topo - Best Shoes for Thru-Hiking? Durability, Grip, Fit
Altra, Topo, Hoka, Salomon, Merrell, Vasque, Brooks, Inov-8. Which are the best shoes for thru-hiking? If you’re in the research phase you’re probably tearing your hair out trying to figure out which shoes to buy.
The “Best” Shoe Doesn’t Exist
You need to simply try shoes on. Different shoes fit different people differently. It’s as simple as that and no review can tell you whether a shoe is the right fit for you.
But it is certain that for thru-hiking trail runners are the superior choice to boots. So if you’re agonizing over that decision just stop and choose trail runners.
Rules for Buying Shoes
While this won’t tell you which brand to buy, these rules should help make sure that whichever brand you buy will serve you best on trail.
Size half to one full size up. Your feet will swell and grow during your hike. Before my first hike in 2016 I wore size 11.5. After that hike I wore size 12.5. My latest shoes I’ve been wearing size 13.
It’s better to have shoes that are too big than too small. Have you seen those gross pictures where people’s toenails are falling off? That’s almost always caused by too small shoes which press against your toes on descents.
Stop worrying about the perfect fit where you have zero slipping inside the shoe. Trying to find the perfect fit is how people end up with shoes that are too small for them. In the store they’re worried that if the shoe moves at all while they walk that this will rub blisters. You’re going to get blisters. Your feet will toughen up. You’d get blisters with the too small shoes too, with a bonus of bloody toenails so size your shoes .5 to 1 size up.
Socks matter. Quality clean socks is your first barrier of defense against blisters. I still stick with Darn Tough Socks.
After-market insoles will reduce foot pain from long days. Superfeet have always worked for me and they’re found in most shops. This is another one of those areas where people overthink it too much, just buy one that fits your shoe and stop worrying about it.
Look up how to tie a marathon knot, that will be hugely helpful in locking your feet into your shoes and keeping them from sliding around even when you’ve sized the shoe up.
Holes in the upper of shoes are more indicative of how you’re walking and how much you’re catching your shoes on rocks, roots, and other obstacles on the trail than the build quality of the shoe. My shoes absolutely fell apart my first time on the Appalachian Trail, I had a pair of Hokas fail after 300 miles. Every pair of shoes would have gaping holes around the big toe by 500 miles. I’m talking massive holes. The more I hiked and more mindful I was about where I was stepping, the less holes my shoes developed. I haven’t gotten a single hole in any pair of shoes since 2018, and I’ve worn some shoes 900-1000 miles. I replace them now when the tread is worn out. So don’t keep switching brands trying to find a “more durable” shoe if your problem is holes, that’s a consequence of your foot placement and catching your shoes on all the roots and rocks.
Shoes, like packs, become more comfortable the more you hike. This endless quest for the “best shoe” “best pack” imo is just people trying to avoid unavoidable discomfort. When you first start hiking you will get blisters and your feet will hurt and your pack will feel uncomfortable after 10 hours. That’s just how it goes. With 15,000 miles on my feet and back now I will rarely ever get blisters, my feet hardly hurt even after 30 mile days, and I can comfortably carry a pack(of any brand) on my back for 8+ hours without needing to set it down. When I first started I got blisters and had to put the pack down every 1-2 hours.
This isn’t because I got better shoes or packs. It’s because my body is more adapted to the rigors of trail. You just need to find a good enough shoe, go hiking, and let your body adapt.
Altra vs Topo
I’ve mostly worn Altra in my hiking career. My first time on the Appalachian Trail I started with Innov-8, then Hoka, then Books, then Salomon. I hiked the Continental Divide Trail with Vasque Challengers(discontinued) in 2018. 2021 and 2022 I hiked with Altra Lone Peak, Altra Timps, and finally settled on Altra Olympus.
This year on the Te Araroa trail I tried Topo to see what all the hype was about.
Fit
I wear size 13 in Altra and I chose a size 13 Topo Mountain Racer 3. The fit was pretty much the same, the Topo might have been a bit more snug around the midfoot but otherwise I couldn’t tell a difference. Topos also have a wide toe box like Altra.
Durability
I bought the Topo Mountain Racer 3 in Queenstown, NZ and hiked with them all the way to Ship Cove at the very northern tip of the south island. This was roughly 600 miles of brutal terrain. Think a mix of AT grades but over the top of tall mountains that are reminiscent of the PCT High Sierras. Lots of sharp rocks, roots, bushwhacking, and so many water crossings. The shoes were wet most days.
Everything held together and nothing failed catastrophically. Any shoe that can make it 600 miles in those conditions is a good, durable shoe. There’s still enough tread that I am comfortable hiking in these on wet rocks and the upper is in fairly good condition all told.
Altra’s have similar durability for me. I find I can wear the Olympus the longest out of their three models, most likely because the Olympus still uses a vibram sole. I like to replace my Altras between 600 and 900 miles, if it’s been more road walking they last longer vs more rocky terrain I’ll replace them earlier. All told the durability seems to be pretty much equal between the Olympus and Topo.
Grip
The Topo use a vibram sole and grip well. The trail in New Zealand is notoriously steep and there’s lots of rain and rivers and I didn’t have any issues with losing grip on the shoes.
The grip on Altra Lone Peak for me seems to wear down faster than the Timp and Olympus, so I’d have to give a slight lead to Topo as far as grip, but I really think the difference is negligible between the Altra Olympus and Topo Mountain Racer.
Overall
You notice I didn’t write a lot about the shoes, because there’s not that much to write about. The shoes fit, they held up with hard use, and they maintained their grip over time. That’s all I’m looking for in a shoe.
One small detail with the Topo is that they have a proprietary gaiter attachment system whereas Altra just has a piece of velcro at the back of the shoe. I like to wear Dirty Girl gaiters and they attach via velcro, so I did miss having that velcro attachment at the back of the shoe.
I didn’t like the stock insoles in the Topos. They are really flimsy and are like a sponge, they’ll soak up a ton of water and are difficult to get back into your shoe when it’s wet. But if you’re replacing the insole with an aftermarket this is no longer a concern.
The final verdict? Buy whichever shoe is cheaper. That’s it. They’re similar enough that it doesn’t matter. Find whichever shoe is on sale and buy that one.
Altra Lone Peak vs Timp vs Olympus
For thru-hiking choose Olympus. It has more cushion than Lone Peak and is far more comfortable after long days. I didn’t like the Timp because they have small holes at the bottom of the shoe that lets in a ton of dust and dirt. If they ever fix that then the Timp could be a good thru-hiking shoe, but for now choose Olympus if you’re choosing Altra.
