Hiking Shoes or Altra Lone Peaks? The Trail Runner vs Hiking Shoe Question

I spent 100 miles testing the popular Oboz Sawtooth hiking shoes, and while they were good, they didn't even compare to the comfort that my Altra Lone Peak 6 trail runners provided. In this video, I'll briefly cover the differences between a hiking shoe and the Altra Lone Peak so that if you are trying to make a decision, you'll have some insight from actual experience.

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[Sirrehpotsirch]

I'm a very big hiker. I was taken in by the light-weight trail runners, which were extremely comfortable for the first 5 miles. After that, and with the added weight of a pack, the trail runners were like wearing thick socks with minimal support. Something that seems to be missed in many of these videos is that the equipment must fit the hiker. Many pieces of light-weight gear are great if you weigh 165 pounds with an ultra light pack. I will never miss carrying an extra pound in shoe weight at the end of the day if I have to contend with aching feet and ankles and a backache.

[timbull]

Hi I've recently walked approximately 300 miles on the Portuguese Camino using LP 5's. I added an additional set of Sorbothane sole inserts due to lack of sole padding. Worked a treat. I'm 69 and weigh 100 kg. Far better than my Merrell Moabs. The extra toe box width is brilliant.

[paddywiggle]

One other main difference that you should be focusing on is what muscles you need to be strong to use either shoe. In a trail hiker, the foot and ankle is much more stable, causing the work and movement to move up to the hips. Since your ankle and foot is not moving with the terrain, your hips have to adjust for that, and thus have adequate strength to support you. With a trail running shoe (not all but ESPECIALLY the Lone Peak) your ankle and foot have much more pliability in the shoe, meaning you will need more foot and ankle strength.

[HuggyBearHikes]

Love my Lone Peak 5....I'll never go back to traditional hiking boots. I wear my Lone Peaks everyday for the past year. Love the wide toe box and breathability

[WalkingEng]

I took my Lone Peak 5's to the Camino de Santiago, so 500 miles, with about 100-150 miles of training before the trip. I covered and average of 16 miles per day on them and they never faulted at all and not a single blister in the whole trip. Most of the terrain is simple trails, but with some challenging sections. I'm still wearing them now more as a general day shoe, they didn't wear out too much and I think they've still got 200+ miles remaining. They are incredible and comfortable.

[wildweeds]

I've went through a few Oboz Sawtooths, but my favorite is the Hoka Speed Goat. I rotate between shoes, mainly these two for the most part.

[mattpelofske]

It's fairly easy to find last year's model of Lone peak's for way less money I Got a Brand New Pair two years ago for only $65 so I'm always wearing last year's model basically

[viveviveka]

It might be worth adding that some shoes have light, breathable uppers (a huge plus for me) PLUS protective soles (thick foam, inserts, stabilizers, rock plates, or tough outsole materials, etc.).

[theredpilllion]

👍😃 I got the Altar Lone Peak trail runners for my wife. It’s the best trade I’ve ever made!

[childcrone]

I loved your description of the difference when you put each of these on: with the hiking shoe your foot goes into the shoe, vs with the Altra the shoe goes around your foot. My first barefoot-friendly hiking/running shoes were Lone Peaks 4 or 5 yrs ago and I love how they let my feet function and respond.
For much more durable and terrain-capable trail shoes & boots, I'd say check out Vivobarefoot. They seem costly at the outset, but you get better performance and a few times the mileage out of them.
About a year ago, when I wanted some outdoor work & hiking boots that would be mud/snow-capable, I chose Vivobarefoot Forest ESC boots. I've had them out in every situation I bought them for and I love them more every time I use them.

[TheSurfskidude]

I have been wearing the exact same OBOZ ( outside Bozeman😁 ) for several years and buy 2 pairs every time they go on sale… one for my every day wear and one for hike a bouts with no pack over 15 pounds. When a pack gets heavier I switched to more support in my LOWA’s. Thanks for the comparison.

[HuskyMike]

All good points and echos my experience going from hiking shoes/ boots (Merrells) into Altras. The Zero Drop took a bit to get used to but otherwise was a positive transition- including never getting blisters. Wanted something with a bit more cushion (and perhaps a longer lasting sole) so I'm currently wearing the Olympus 4s. So far so good.

[Dharma_Bum]

I got 1000km (600 plus miles) out of my LP5s before the soles were too worn to grip properly on trail. Still wear them around town. They still look new despite rough rocky terrain. I won’t wear anything else

[gregwickstrom]

I recommend Lowa or Zamberlain boots. If you're carrying a fairly heavy pack, you'll need a heavier boot that provides arch support and protection. I like Lowa because they offer great low, light hiking boots as well as heavier boots for more serious experiences.🏃

[peterbedford]

The Altra toe box was a huge game changer for me. I can backpack 15 miles/day with the Altra and my feet feel great. Never get a hiking boot again.

[ruggedland]

I had gone through several pairs of Moab 2 and just recently discovered LP5 (bought a pair for $63 at REI) and love them to death so far. I’ll alternate between these two depending on seasons but mostly LP5 in summer/dry months

[brockowens]

Cris: stumbled across your site last week. Great info! We have a permit for R2R this September. This will be my first big hike so trying to decide if low top hiking boots or mid top hiking boots would be better. Again, I am a novice so need as much support/help as possible. Thank you in advance!

[derekgrimes]

SUBSCRIBED.. ! I´ve been humming and hawing about what kind of footwear to invest in for loads of hiking and your video here was a great help; so thanks very much.. ! I´ll go more in direction trail runners because I occasionally like to push it a bit; and like the look of Hokas (maybe the goatspeed 5) because I sometimes have knee problems, I wonder why the altra lone peaks are so popular; I´ll have to check them out too but already don´t like the look of the sole. Vibram might be more durable and grippy. All the best from France; see you in the ALps sometime.. !

[jeket]

Just climbed Mt Kenya with the Lone Peak 5. Very cold wet conditions. My Shoes dried out fast when soaking wet and were surprisingly warm and very grippy on the snow at the top. Others that had traditional "hiking boots" had cold wet feet the rest of the trip because their boots never dried out. I will never use hiking shoes/boots ever again unless I'm on glaciers and must wear crampons.

[viveviveka]

I'm leaning toward something in-between — more protective and durable than the Lone Peaks but not as heavy, clunky, hot, sweaty and unpleasant as the others.
I have the Trabuco Max on order. We'll see how it pans out.
I have some Mt. Emey hiking shoes that are surprisingly close to what I want. Just not quite.