Altra  Superior 5 Trail-Running Shoes - Women's

I'm only about 1 year in to my barefoot & minimalist conversion. I'm a soccer athlete & coach who has been locked in to wearing big brands for 20+ years & shoes that were too tight. The Superior 5 are 1 of my favorite pairs of shoes. Pretty close to feeling like I'm wearing nothing but a smidge of cushion underfoot so I can run some longer miles here in the city. More side to side support than the Escalante's (which are straight line- predictable movements only). The wrap tongue is comfortable & does not move & is probably, in part, why this shoe is a bit more stable. I do have a wide but thin (not meaty) foot, perhaps that's why it doesn't bother me like other reviews. The lugs on the bottom are probably not as stout as some trail runners may want. All I know is they are light, can handle & feel good on pavement miles, I don't worry about breaking an ankle, the toe box is perfect for my foot, heel cup feels fantastic, and I can wear these all day. I just wish I could find more colors in my size 9.

I have been running with the Superior 5 for a few weeks on the loose granite trails in Colorado. Traction is really important when picking a shoe here, or else you will SLIDE! So far I haven't! If you want something light & fast this is a great option, It excels on mellow forest service roads to moderately technical trail. I did take them off trail a few times and think something more beefy like the Lone Peak would be better, especially if you plan on running on more sharp rocks, punchy roots, scrambles etc. They dry so fast after water crossings too. My only complaint would be the laces. They are so long...I would swap them out with laces ~10" shorter, but tucking them in to the lower laces works too. I have been running off and on with the stone guard but TBH can't feel much of a difference, I wouldn't mind if it was more rigid to add some more structure to the shoe for those times I plan on doing some more technical trail. It adds negligible weight to the shoe and is optional though. Can't wait to do a trail race and these and watch them really shine!

The only thing I would point out is this shoe can get slippery if they are wet. Other than that, like all my Altra shoes, I love the way they feel.

These are so light weight and comfortable. The grip was great in the mud!

I've run ultramarathons on every iteration of the Superior, the 4.0 being the best trail shoe I have ever worn. Unfortunately, the heel counter on the 5.0 makes them unwearable for me due to the counter rubbing incessantly on my Achilles and thereby changing my strike. While this probably does make the shoe more mainstream/friendly to heel strikers, it definitely changes the foot strike for mid/forefoot runners. Issues with control on descents can be remedied with lacing and doesn't actually require a stiff heel. The transition away from the soft heel, which was a pretty unique feature of the Superior, is a disappointment.

After wearing my Superior 3's until they fell apart, I've had these new Superiors 5's for only 2 months, and put 27 miles on them. Suddenly the inside of the toe guard has come off and rubs against the top of my toes in a way that makes them unwearable. From other reviews, that seems to be a common problem with this shoe, but Altra's warranty department has denied my warranty claim since they can't see a defect in the pictures they asked me to send. (Have you ever tried to take a picture inside a shoe?) I'm looking at different brands for foot-shaped trail runners now, because I tried the new Lone Peaks and hated them too.

Bought this style last year because my previous 2 pairs of Superior were perfect for trail running, however, this model is not the same shoe. The size seems to fit shorter as my big toes hit against the toe box, but is mainly the bottom of the short that is more of a problem...not enough grip or tread. As a matter of fact I fell 3 times in a row in the first month that I ran in them in the trails. I would also slip more easily in mud or going downhill. In the end I treat them more like Road runners, wearing them on a mix of flatter, less technical surfaces. So disappointed they aren't like the previous design which fit like a glove and performed in trails so well.

I been with altra shoes for years since lone peaks 2.5. As a long distance runner I love how wide these shoes are because when you run for hours your feet swell up and need room to expand. Finally an amazing light weight shoes that is wide enough to run comfortably in for hours. The previous superiors shoes were way too narrow for long runs so my feet would end up hurting after a few miles. I absolutely love these shoes and strongly recommend them. If your a long distance runner and have never tried wide shoes I strongly recommend you give these a try. It does take time to adjust but trust me you we never go back!

This is my first pair of Altras. I could see from the photo that these were not going to have thick, protective footbeds, but they are even less cushioned than I expected. That being said, I am keeping them for daily wear even though I'm not using them to run in. I love the toe room. I don't like the padding around the ankle-the edges of it are too defined and should be more rounded....not sure how to explain that, but my feet feel the edge of the "collar" directly under my ankle on the insides of both feet. I do get compliments on them, and I think they look nice for casual wear. A good first Altra experience, and I'll likely be back for some thicker-soled trail runners!

I have been using Altras for trail running the past 10 years. I have very wide feet, and Altra overall has been the best shoe I can find for my feet, I would definitely recommend for anyone else with wide feet. I began running in Superior Trail, then switched over to Lone Peak. I appreciate the zero drop in both shoes. I really enjoyed the thinner, less cushion of the Superior Trail shoes compared to Lone Peak, but after using a wide pair of Lone Peak, have not got back to the Superior Trail. I would recommend having a wide foot option for Superior Trail to support people like me with very wide feet, to be able to continue using a more minimalist shoe but with a wider toebase.