Altra - Timp 5 GTX

i have a pair of gore-tex shoes (altras) that i would only wear for short runs in very wet conditions. the shoes themselves aren't durable (the uppers cracked pretty quickly) and they're not as comfortable. the upper feels very plasticky, not like a supple fabric. would def not want to wear every day, and never in summer. even in wet conditions, i would wear them only when under 40 deg. even if my shoes get wet, if i'm wearing wool socks they still stay warm. and it's better for the shoes to drain.

I’ve been down the Altra LP route and really loved the 6s, now I have the 8s and they’re just too hard on my soles. My feet really hurt after a long day. Also I have the gtx versions and they are _very_ hot on a hot day. Last time I went out I wore the Altra Olympus 6s and found them to be much more comfortable, but still not great on the heel if I’m honest. But they are certainly more comfortable and cushioned. So I’ve just bought a pair of Hoka Anacapa 2s as I’ve heard good things about them. The cushioning seems really good but if there is an issue it’s that moving from Altras, the toe box feels narrow. I’m not saying that’s an issue yet, I’ve only worn them for fairly short walks for two days so far, but it’s something I’m aware of. If the toes aren’t an issue then I have to say that the comfort is really good so far and I hope they work out, I think they will go a long way to reducing the footsore feeling after a long day on the trail.

I’m on year two of a pair of these and they are holding up great. https://www.altrarunning.com/en-us/trail/mens-timp-5-gtx/AL0A85Q1.html

I wear my hiking shoes, a pair of Altra Timp 5 GTX Mids. They have a wide toe box and the Vibram sole has been very durable.

God, I miss the Terrex Swift GTX. When Paul first was wearing them (I think he was endorsed) about 7-8 years ago, I grabbed a pair. They were super reliably waterproof, held up like a brick wall, the quicklace system was great, and they came in several bright colors. The newer Terrex I've tried didn't have the quicklace system and it's super rare to find *any* of the Terrex line in bright colors - let alone the Goretex version. I've also found that shoes with a wider toe box are much more comfortable for me. So as much as I **loved** my Swift GTX shoes, I mainly use Altra GTX and Merrell. Even those are hard to find any bright colors, but I have a couple that are primarily pink. My #1 most comfortable shoes are Altras. Hands down. They're actually shaped like a foot instead of having a pointed toe box, they have good cushioning, and the Goretex versions are a bit more rigid and offer good support. I found a couple pairs of non-GTX versions of Altras I've had to lack rigidity and my foot would push the sidewalls out as I planted while disc golfing. Super comfortable- but lacked structure in the sidewall.

Counter- I had Timp 5 Mid goretex and they lasted 1 season. Not a rep, first-hand experience. Those were told to me to be hikers not trail runners by a rep themselves. The only less durable shoes I've owned is OnCloud.

I haven’t tried the Columbia but the Timp and Speedgoat are both good choices with Altra’s fitting a bit wider in general. I would try both on if you can, the choice might be obvious after that

I like Altra Timp 5’s

Hello everyone! I am a broke PhD student who trains for and runs ultramarathons, so I don't own multiple pairs of shoes at this point. I run roughly a 60/40 split of road to trails in my training, but all of my races are on trails. I've run these Altra Timp 5 trail shoes for 1,100 miles now, in training and races, on road and trails. I live near the East Coast and I run on gravel roads, paved roads, soft sand trails, hard pack beach sand, technical trails in Appalachian mountains, and rooty dirt trails. I ran a 50 miler in these that was raining the entire time. Also recently did a 6 day vacation where I did ~70 miles of super steep and technical trails in Shenandoah National Park in these shoes. I don't have a ton of performance comparison points, since I have only run in Altras (I have wide, flat feet and the 0 drop works for my strengths and natural running patterns). But, I can say that I am thoroughly impressed with how these shoes have held up. Despite running them on paved roads pretty regularly, the lugs held up enough to get me through this past 6 day trip with 0 falls. Though they don't drain super well in the water, I haven't had any durability complaints from the waterloggedness. Primary damage is that the tread is pretty much gone, around the ankle there is a lot of wear, and the sides are losing integrity where my feet fit. Obviously the foam is completely compressed at this point. I honestly prefer these to my old Olympus 5's, even for 8-10 hour runs. Feel free to ask me anything!

+1 for the Altra Timp 5. I would say I have somewhat wide, very boxy feet. Although the Timps don’t have as wide of a toe box and as square of a frame as the Lone Peaks, I didn’t have any issues and the added cushion was a little better for me as a heavier backpacker. I did have one hot spot at the outside of my big toe (like where people get bunyons), but I think it was more of the socks and when I switched to Darn Toughs that issue went away. I also got the Xero Shoes Z Trail sandals and really like them, so I’m interested to check out their shoes. But yeah in the end you gotta just do the research on all the main contenders, understand your foot shape, figure out what level of cushion/drop/grip you want, and try a few things. And then once you find the least annoying pair, just try and keep buying those or the closest things you can get (don’t get lost in the sauce).