Altra Lone Peak 2.5

A lightweight running shoe fit for backpacking.

The Lone Peak 2.5 came highly recommended to me by a fellow hiker as a lightweight, fast drying, comfortable trail shoe. After doing some additional research, Altra seemed to have some durability issues, but I took a chance.  After about 150 miles over three months, about half running on city trails and streets, and the other half backpacking in the Rockies and Ozarks, the toe cap on both shoes is peeling off.  The tread still looks almost new.

I returned these today, though I have to say they are the best trail shoes I've ever had the pleasure to wear. I could have glued or taped them, but to fail at that mileage is in my opinion not acceptable. I did replace them with the Altra Superior 2.0's, and I'm hoping they'll be a bit more durable. The Lone Peak 3.0s that I tried on seemed higher with a narrower midsole than the 2.5s.

Here are the shoes with the toe caps peeling:

Tread looks almost brand new:

Joren Kandel's review is spot on. The toe box makes the shoe very comfortable and I also experienced what felt like slippage in the heel, but, I put in some high mileage days in rocky conditions, often with the shoes soaked for extended stretches, with no hot spots or blisters.

The tread is grippy in all terrain. Altras have a velcro locking system for light gaiters, but don't work well with standard boot gaiters because the laces don't extend far enough down the foot. All in all, I'd like to give these shoes 5 stars, but the durability issue bugs me. I'm giving the brand another shot, maybe I'm expecting too much from such a light shoe? 

Here they are putting in time on the Middle Fork section of the Ozark Trail, rocky with lots of creek crossings, rained on us all day and the next morning over the 24-mile section. My hiking friends have said they look like clown shoes, but their comfort can't be beat:

I had a few requirements for a light hiking shoe: 1. Wide toe box. 2. Minimal Drop 3. Lightweight. These were the perfect fit for all of these, and I highly, highly recommend them!

I had a few requirements for a light hiking shoe:

1. Wide toe box
2. Minimal drop
3. Lightweight

I tried on some other hikers like La Sportiva Bushidos and Helios, but they were just too narrow. I like a wide toe box. I found the Altra Lone Peak 2.5 and it has a really, really nice toe box that lets your toes spread out and breathe.

This shoe has a zero drop, but it has a lot of nice cushioning so is super comfortable. I was a bit concerned about the heel because it's pretty cushy and doesn't seem to lock in very well and my foot did a tiny bit of sliding up and down. I thought there might be a hot spot issue on my heel, but after doing a 7-hour day hike and covering quite a few miles the shoe seems to have formed to my foot and that problem went away.

I love these shoes. They are incredibly comfortable, have great traction, are lightweight with good ground feel but have a rock plate and enough padding to not hurt your feet after hours of hiking. Highly recommended!