Altra  Timp 2 Trail-Running Shoes - Men's

There redesigned outsole gives a lot more stiffness and the flex area is further back in the shoe, so you get better heel-to-toe transfer than the 1.5. More rubber underfoot instead of foam, and the famous “squeak” and mud flap are gone. The shoe has less volume and height in the toe area than the 1.5- width is similar but it feels more cramped. If you wear the 1.5 you will want to try this on before buying. The upper fabric feels less ‘premium’ than the 1.5, and the shoe is advertised as a full ounce lighter but it really feels like a lot less shoe on the foot, which is good and bad- but probably an improvement. And they gave us some colors that a lot of people have asked for.

The Timp 2 is a stylish shoe, like other Altras, feature soft cushioning on a zero drop shoe. Altra is also renown for their wide toe box. This wide toe box and softer cushioning reversed years of what I thought was chronic foot pain. I ordered Timp 2 to refresh my worn out pair of Timp 1.5. Many people owned Timp 1.5 because of the wide toe box. 1.5 also had a four point gaiter latch. It was a very good shoe. Timp 2 has been significantly narrowed and there are only 2 gaiter latch points. I was disappointed that this popular trail running product line centered around the wide toe box would be modified significantly. As an enthusiastically loyal customer, I feel alienated and disappointed. Why would Altra do this to a product line that brought growth and brand recognition to the company? VF Corporation announced its acquisition of Altra at the end of Q2 2018. Timp 1.5 was launched in Q3 2018 which means it was one of the final products not significantly influenced by the the financially driven goals of a large publicly traded corporation. VF Corp owns many brands, some that REI shoppers are intimately familiar with: The North Face, Smartwool, and Icebreakers. I imagine corporate saw an opportunity for synergies–investors love this–by sharing production facilities, molds, dies, supply chains, and etc from their portfolio of shoe brands like The North Face, Timberlands, Vans, and etc. It is natural for corporations who have met growth targets to change goals to improve profits. Often, cannibalizing the original customer base who seeded the brand and enabled its success is just part of doing business. I returned the Timp 2 on the day they were delivered. I scoured the internet for Timp 1.5 to no avail and only found complaints on forums sharing my experience. On the positive, I found the Lone Peak 5 to be the closest fitting alternative although it is a little tight on my left first metatarsal head. It could be that it hasn’t fully broken in or the upper is less flexible. I was told the Timp 3 will be wider, but they’re not at my local REI and some reviews I’ve seen on the mfr site state a similar fit to Timp 2.