Altra Timp 2

An amazing shoe for hiking and orienteering with questionable durability.

Fit: They are Altra's Standard Footshape Fit, wider than common running shoes, but narrower than their original footshape. I prefer shoes to be just a bit wider than these. (For comparison, I replaced these with the Lone Peak 6 wide, which have a little more room that I'd like, original fit regular would be best for me.)

Comfort: They didn't need any break-in period. I appreciate the zero drop to keep my feet level and comfortable.

Support: I'm used to wearing minimalist shoes, so these are more support than what I'm used to. 

Traction: They have nice sized lugs and a grippy sole. 

Features: The velcro tab in the back helps secure Dirty Girl gaiters (or the Altra branded gaiters) without the need for sticking on velcro tabs that tend to fall off. The velcro tab in the back has a cover it when not in use to keep it from gathering vegetation. 

Construction and durability: They initially felt high quality, but the side split where the upper meets the sole after about 60 miles of usage. It looked like the upper was reinforced to take abuse, but it didn't help. I continued using them with duct tape holding it together until I got a replacement. The soles and the rest of the upper still look good. After experiencing this quality issue, I found many reviews complaining about the same thing, the upper ripping wear it meets the sole.

Conditions: I've used these on hikes ranging to 10 miles (both on and off trail), trail runs to 6 miles, and orienteering to 6 miles. They got the most abuse during orienteering, running off trail through heavy vegetation and through streams. The 60 miles of usage was spread over 16 months in wet and dry conditions in temperatures ranging from 30 to 80. 

Background

As a Scoutmaster, geocacher, and orienteer, I find myself in forests at least once a week. I've now owned these shoes for 19 months and used them for 81 miles, I continue to use them with the rip taped up from time to time.