Altra  Lone Peak 5 Trail-Running Shoes - Women's

This is all I wore on my AT thru hike- I went through almost 4 pairs, each lasting 500+ miles. I was thankful to never have had discomfort in my feet from my shoes, a common problem on the trail. These shoes are very breathable which means they drain water fast- a very good characteristic when walking through ankle deep water for miles on end. The other great part about them is that the toe box is really wide, so you don't end up with squished toes on the long downhills! I also wear these shoes for trail running and have loved their performance in that setting as well.

I loved these shoes when I first purchased them: they were the only sneaker that gave my very wide feet enough room to spread out. I used them for hiking and walking. Unfortunately, I beat down the footbed after about 100 miles, which was 5 hikes. They lost their squish, I could feel rocks poking my feet, and my knees started hurting because the shoes no longer provided support where it was needed. My 6 year old Birks provided more support on pavement than the dead Altras. It was a huge bummer that I spent so much money on shoes that worked well for about 1 month. In contrast, I can usually wear running shoes (of other brands) for 1-1.5 years before they start hurting my knees. I can't imagine these shoes working for someone who is heavier than I am (>120lbs) and/or someone who actually runs in these things. The shoes would be beaten down even faster. Everyone I know who has purchased Altras has had the same problem. I will not be purchasing Altras again, unless they make some big changes to their shoe design.