Topo Athletic - Terraventure 4
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Reddit Reviews:
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Based on 1 year's data from Jan 28, 2026 How it works
Liked most:
292
59
"the splay in the toes is naturally better with that wide toe box"
"the splay in the toes is naturally better with that wide toe box"
"Even after mountain backpacking a dozen miles over very steep rocky trails my toes are never sore or cramped feeling."
50
25
"As someone with severe nerve compression and multiple extruded discs; I need these shoes - they aren’t just for sport. ... Had to scour the internet to order new speedgoat 5s"
"I'm really prone to rolling my ankle. ... they definitely reduced ankle sprains for me."
"with a very nice stiff back around ankle it really plants your foot in place (and I had my ankles srrpingkled number of thimes back when I was playing baksetball)"
260
90
"Ran a 50k and never once bothered my feet."
"enough of a running shoe i have done ultras in them"
"I've used them for 1500 miles of multi-day hiking with no issues!"
92
25
"My longest day in them was 32 miles with 10k gain and not a hotspot to write about. And this was over East Coast muddy rooty rocky wet."
"Best shoe for mixed UK terrain in terms of grip is the La Sportiva Mutant in my opinion. ... Sticks to wet Lake District rock and is decently lugged."
"Yes they're great. I live in PNW and am always on slippery rocks and roots"
14
2
"low drop with a wide toe box ... Altras and Topos have less to zero drop and they don’t have this occur for me."
"For more technical trails I really like the Topo Terraventure. ... It's a moderate cushion, balanced 5mm drop trail shoe with a forefoot rock plate and fairly aggressive Vibram outsole great for technical terrain."
"They're low drop but not zero drop, not hard to get used to especially for trail."
Disliked most:
9
22
"For me the Terraventure 4 had the worst pronounced arch. Paired with the narrower midfoot and need to tighten the top of the laces for better heel hold, it caused me to commonly have more pressure(on the arch) and pain during runs with that model."
"I tried Topo mtn racer3s last week and they had the traction I want but they blistered my arches on all 3 of the runs I did in them."
"I had to immediately return them due to their pronounced arch support. ... My feet hated them"
20
29
"They fell apart quickly ... I wore them for 300ish miles before they had fallen apart."
"The Atacama desert ate up my new Brooks Cascadias in one week."
"the top of the shoes by the tongue was completely worn through, so that the plastic-y interior material was coming through ... both were split next to the tongue"
4
6
"For me the Terraventure 4 had the worst pronounced arch. Paired with the narrower midfoot and need to tighten the top of the laces for better heel hold, it caused me to commonly have more pressure(on the arch) and pain during runs with that model."
"In only the Terraventure 4, the midfoot was so tight in regular lacing that I had to stop running after a few miles due to intense pressure. ... Even with around 65km of running, I still finding myself stop halfway into a run to do a major relace, unlike the MTN Racer 3 which I could do much longer runs with having to stop at all. ... I relaced the left foot of the Terraventure 4 to have the middle section of lacing go straight up instead of across to relieve the pressure."
"In only the Terraventure 4, the midfoot was so tight in regular lacing that I had to stop running after a few miles due to intense pressure. ... Even with around 65km of running, I still finding myself stop halfway into a run to do a major relace, unlike the MTN Racer 3 which I could do much longer runs with having to stop at all. ... I relaced the left foot of the Terraventure 4 to have the middle section of lacing go straight up instead of across to relieve the pressure."
28
5
"First couple of days same old toepo rub. ... My friend, it was truly excruciating on the trail - I'm so glad someone else has experienced it! ... The topo has an aggressive toe spring design - this upward curve lifts the big toe. Secondly, while they are wide, the toe box may lack sufficient height - combine this with the toe spring, and voila, toe rub."
"The Topo big toe rub! ... It was such an annoyance for me on the PCT in '22, and to my surprise, even their newer models do it to me."
"First couple of days same old toepo rub. ... The topo has an aggressive toe spring design - this upward curve lifts the big toe. Secondly, while they are wide, the toe box may lack sufficient height - combine this with the toe spring, and voila, toe rub. ... Both the MTN Racer and the Terraventure gave me grief. ... My friend, it was truly excruciating on the trail"
0
2
"the part at the base of the laces digs sharply into the top of my foot/toes, even when fully untied."
"the part at the base of the laces digs sharply into the top of my foot/toes, even when fully untied."
"Harder to find good lacing that doesn't pinch my instep but also doesn't have heel lift."
Salty_Resist4073 1.0This is the real answer. I currently am using Topo Terraventure 4's (the low top one) after years of loving the Solomon X Ultra.
Just got back from there on Saturday. I used my carbon trekking poles and Topo Designs trail runners I use for backpacking. Didn't regret either choice. I did store the second trekking pole after about 45 minutes of walking, since I found that one was enough and I liked having a free hand for grabbing the walls or whatever from time to time. The only regret I had was wearing Sealskinz "water socks" -- the kind that have a plastic layer inside two fabric layers. I would have preferred just using my wool hiking socks since my feet were drenched on the first step in the water anyway and the water was warm enough I didn't need the insulation effect. They were completely comfortable for 10 miles over nearly 5 hours in the water, but they were not needed.
StrongishOpinion 1.0Consider the Topo Terraventure. [https://www.topoathletic.com/mens-terraventure-4](https://www.topoathletic.com/mens-terraventure-4) I didn't like their Ultraventure (felt too squishy - I pronated like crazy) - but their Terraventure has held up decently for me. Feels (to me) like a wide toe box Speedgoat.
ablairo 0.5Topo Terraventure 4
AceTracer 0.5Hi, I sell shoes at a local gear shop close to the PCT. You need to give me more information about your feet, your size and width. Chances are your shoes are too small. I personally hiked with the Topo Terraventure and love them, and I’ve also hiked over 1000 miles on the Ultraventure. Mainly I like their durability compared to Altra and HOKA. But again, it’s whatever shoe works for your foot and you’ve given zero info on that.
TV4 isn't quite as good as TV3, but still way better than comparable options I've tried. TV4 does have a bit more upper protection and drainage in the back.
I’ve gotten 500+ miles on several Topo models, though I hear Norda 001 last even longer.
AlveolarFricatives 0.5Same. On my 3rd pair of Terraventure 4s right now. Each pair lasted for 550+ miles (885kms) and they’ve been great for me in all conditions. Snow, mud, technical trails in the forest and the desert. They are the best
Topo Terraventures and Mtn Racers are also great trail shoes with a wide toe box. Low drop but not zero drop, so an easier transition from Brooks. And Topos last way longer than Altras in my experience. Was only getting 400 miles on Altras and I get close to 600 miles on Topos.
Timps are high cushion. I know it sounds counterintuitive but for many people, it helps to use a less cushioned shoe in order to strengthen the foot. For trail I typically run in Topo Terraventures (wide toe box, low drop, low cushion) and after a tough, rocky 100k my feet were fine. It might take some getting used to, but it’s worth it!
These are my go-to. They last me about 575 miles on average.
Really? I’ve worn Topo Terraventures during many ultras at this point, including a few that were very technical. They perform very well! What’s different about the Xodus for you?
Weird! I have flat feet and Topos don’t bother me at all. I’ve definitely experienced that high arch feeling in other shoes, but never Topos (and I have 6 different models of them!)
AmongUs14 0.5Came here to say this! Don’t be scared about the drop, such worries are not nearly as important on the trails, especially with such a significant elevation profile. A larger drop will not even factor in at all for some of those ascents/descents, in terms of foot placement… The Terraventure would be my absolute top pick for anything technical and steep like you are describing. They work great on buffed out single track too. Rock plate on the forefoot, slightly lower than average cushioning, yet stable enough to feel super confident charging downhill. They also have a natural footbed with a narrower mid foot than Altra, which means your foot gets to splay naturally while still being able to get that lockdown feel that you sometimes just can’t get with Altra. Seriously, do not let the drop deter you here. You would be completely shunning some remarkably capable beasts for the exact terrain you describe.
Both those shoes are much higher stack and I would not recommend either for technical terrain. MTN Racer 3 *could* be a good option if you can get a good midfoot lockdown, but it lacks in that department in my opinion. But its stack is still fairly high, and you lose a ton of ground feel vs Terraventure. Not sure about the new 4 version. Vista’s stack is much too high to ever be considered suitable for technical terrain. I know of the terrain you are referring to in the NE and I would not recommend either for it, personally.
Any_Trail 0.5How long are your Traverse lasting? I've had multiple pairs of Terraventures and they consistently last me 700 or more miles.
I'm on my 7th pair of Terraventures and they consistently last me 700 miles and I generally retire them due to a hole in the side. I don't think I've ever experienced more than an inch tear though. To be honest I don't take anyone who refers to things as bombproof seriously.
I had 5 pairs of the 3s and then 2 pairs of the 4s. I just get the current model, but I went through 4 pairs on the PCT and Topo hasn't been updating them yearly.
crowseesall 0.5Topo athletic, great toe box too. Unfortunately their website sucks so it’s hard to filter the features you want (e.g. a rock plate). I have the ultraventure 4 pros and the terraventure 4’s, both awesome for the mountains where I live.
I actually wear topo athletic terra ventures as my regular shoes around town here in Calgary. When I was away for a few years I had the same issue and thus wore my topo ultra ventures on the plane. They were so comfortable for travelling they became my go to travel shoes and hiking shoes. So now I run two sets at a time, one gtx for shoulder season and one non gtx for my regular backpacking.
Dontopia 0.5ferdthe4 0.5Got some new topo terraventure 4 shoes. Got my first run in this morning just over two miles on pavement, just over two miles on trails. Trails are wooded/brushy hilly and a bjt rocky in places on my property. Really like them so far weren’t bad on pavement and were great for me on the trail. Have used new balance in the past a fair bit as I try to buy usa made stuff. Want to try a pair of Carson’s would like to the get the standard issues ones. Wish they made half sizes 8.5 usually fits me best. Have also used brooks, and Asics too. Not a big fan of the newer 990’s trying to transition to zero drop shoes. Before the topos I tried some Merrill Moab flights I got on clearance. The felt good trying them on but rubbed my arches wrong while running. Toughed it out with them since I already bought them and took them with me on a deployment for pt shoes. Anyways sorry for the ramble pics of the trail area and terraventures. https://preview.redd.it/fm6l8swb9h9f1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=67cca5826cf6123d7232e21677801b1a37c1cc75
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