ALTRAWomen's AL0A4QTX Lone Peak 4.5 Trail Running Shoe

I have a narrow heel, and a very long 2nd toe, and have been wearing size 10 shoe with thin to medium socks. Or Size 10.5 or 11 women's hiking boots with hiking weight socks. My latest pair of hiking boots is a Keen 11. I ordered size 10 in these, and they are the shortest 10s I've ever tried on...my toes hit the end with medium weight socks. I'd worn out 2 pair in the last month so decided to wear the thinnest socks with these anyway. That was okay but 4 days in a row I got holes in my socks so something in the shoe must have been doing it. I still like them but my toes hit the end, so I ordered 11s (which I'd never worn in shoes before). I've been wearing the 11s for a couple months now on steep trails with loose gravel and they are great if I wear medium socks. Next time, I'll order 10.5 which is 1/2 size up from my usual. My toes have ample room widthwise. The laces easily tighten or loosen the grip and the ankle holds in place well. And they are soooo comfortable, right out of the box! I have worn Merrell Trail Glove minimalist trail running shoes for several years and these are a lot more cushioned. It took me awhile to get used to how cushioned they are, but now I enjoy the cushioning. I think ideally they'd be slightly less springy but they are the best hiking shoes I've had out of many because of the traction, adjustability, comfort and don't rub anywhere. That is actually what I wanted, as after about 10 miles, the bottoms of my feet get sore in the trail gloves, so I wanted a zero drop shoe with just a little more cushioning, and a little easier to put on … these fill the bill! They are super grippy on loose gravel and rocks. I haven't tried them on anything wet yet, but they seem like they'd work well for it.

12/1 UPDATE: Another new pair shoes! My previous Lone Peak 4.5 gave a good battle, but in the end, the tread wore off, and my feet began to hurt. I go through shoes every 8-10 weeks as I walk 8-12 miles per day. For the first time ever though, I got a blister on the back on my heel. What?! Since when?! Clearly I did something wrong. Laced them too tight maybe? I don't know, I still love them. Very comfortable (once the blister healed), and my feet don't hurt now that I am in new shoes.To the reviewers that have mentioned the fabric fraying, here's what I noticed about mine. It doesn't happen in the winter. I realized that as I am walking, when one foot is going forward, the tread is very lightly hitting the fabric on the opposite shoe. When I am wearing shorts, they get beat up A LOT. They look terrible by the end of the first week. Once the colder weather hits, and I wear pants, not an issue. The pictures attached show August/September (combo shorts & pants) and October/November(pants). Sorry, I already threw out my early summer pair (which looked 100 times worse) so I can't include a picture of those._______________________________________________________________________________I love Altra shoes. I used up the last of my Lone Peak 3.5 (I bought 6 pairs because they were just so great) and needed new pair. I am always leery about redesigns of my favourite style of shoes. No need for concern this time around. They fit perfect (I'm an 8). Other shoes I usually need to wear an 8W as my feet are just a touch too wide for 'normal' width. I have never had a problem with width on Altras due to the foot shape design. Plenty of room for my toes to stretch out. Honestly, I can't think of a negative on these shoes. :)

I meant to take pictures of these 4.5s before I returned them, but I didn't so I'll try to describe the problem that caused me to return them. The fabric on the shoe around the inner ankle just frays super easily, I think because the hard material underneath is ripping the delicate fabric. I can't see why else. Doesn't seem to be from something I'm doing in my use of them. ALTRA!!!: please correct this issue as these shoes would be perfect for me otherwise. I did get another pair to see if it was a once off problem since I didn't see it mentioned in the reviews on Amazon when I was shopping. But the new pair, again, I have only been wearing for maybe 2-3 weeks and already is showing signs of the same thing happening. This is the same time period the first pair I ordered started to fray. I went on the Altra website and this problem was mentioned in some of the reviews. I'm hoping the company sees these reviews and corrects problem -- maybe upgrade to a higher quality, more durable fabric.On another note, I did order a different color for the second pair. I wasn't sure if I should size down a half size from what I originally ordered since these shoes seemed to be bigger than the 3.0s that I had and my feet slipped around if I didn't wear medium weight socks. Not a problem for me anyway because I like my hiking shoes to be a bit bigger so I can wear thicker socks for all the hiking that I do and to account for foot swell. I ended up getting the same size but I swear these black sneaks fit me slightly better than the red ones.I love both of the colors. I love the the rest of the shoe materials besides the fabric in question. They are super comfortable and just the perfect toe width to allow my toes to spread out to their enjoyment. I will mention that the initial pair that I had required a break in period for me due to the height and stiffness of the back of the shoe pressing into my achilles. I wore bandaids on the back of my ankle for quite some time to prevent the rubbing of my skin that was painful. The second pair I didn't have that problem but maybe because I had already developed a thicker skin to cope with it. This was with thick, past my ankle socks as well just to say it wasn't rubbing on my bare skin.Overall I love these shoes, but the fabric shouldn't be ripping with regular wear in only such a short time of a couple weeks.

CONS: I ordered my usual size. If I was only walking on flat surfaces in a thin pair of socks they would have worked, but I intend to use them for rugged trail hiking. The toe box itself is very roomy, as promised, but it does fit a bit tight over the top of the foot at the bottom of the laces. I have a bunion issue, so it made the shoe snug where I didn't want it. As mentioned, there was zero room to wear thicker socks, or use orthotics. I returned them and ordered the half-size up. They are very pricey, but if they live up to their amazing reputation, I will take happy feet over a sad wallet. I'll get back to you on that one!PROS: I love the wide toe box so my toes can splay out and the zero-drop to keep my hips and knees in alignment. I feel best in my bare feet, so this shoe keeps to the basics while providing protection. The shoes were comfortable from the moment I put them on (in thin socks). The soles seem very grippy and aggressive, but I wasn't able to try that out indoors. I returned the 7's with no problems and have now ordered the 7.5. Looking forward to getting back on the trails in thicker socks and put this Ultra Altra to the test.Final analysis: I ordered the 7.5 Lone Peak 5, and it was a perfectly roomy fit with no pressure points AND I got to wear thick socks for the first time in 2 years!! My recommendation is to order 1/2 size up. You can always wear thick socks, or add cushion if you need to take up room. As for my wallet, well, it doesn't have a brain, so once the money was gone and the shoes were on my feet, all was forgotten.

I'm pretty impressed with this shoe, I took them hiking this past weekend to break them in and I ended up wearing them the whole weekend at camp. They were immediately super comfy and held up well on the trail. I would definitely buy again, once I wear them out!

I've got wide feet and as per all reviews these are great in terms of not squashing my feet, however the insole is loose and if I run more than an 8 k I get horrendous blisters on my arches as the insoles don't seem to quite fit and the whole run they run as they become more and more out of place

I was looking for a walking/hiking shoe that wouldn’t aggravate Morton’s Neuroma which is usually difficult to find. I love this shoe! I pick this shoe out above any others almost every time I leave the house. I see many more Altra Lone Peak shoes in my future.

I ordered these Altra Lone Peaks in order to have a second pair, I was so happy with my first ones, walked a full Camino without a single problem, didn't even have to break them in. The large toe box was perfect for bunions. So I ordered these ones about a month ago and decided to go half size smaller as I felt the first pair could have been a little more snug. Sadly however, the half size were too tight especially when you have to fit thick socks into them. I just tried on one shoe and had to send them back. Weeks have gone by and the seller has not refunded me. A big blow to my experience with Altra.