Altra shoes - worst service ever

[scrabbler]

If any place says they are using SurePost, RUN AWAY AS FAST AS YOU CAN. SurePost sucks in every way possible. It's hard to find a slower service.

[Dogwood]

Like Keen shoes or Microsoft or ZPacks or Mountain Laurel Designs or Brooks introducing new products to markets the products go through an evolving process hopefully for the better. Products don't always, and probably rarely do with long duration production runs, stay static in their design and build quality. At one time Keen was experimenting with new 'green' adhesives. It didn't work optimally. Keen, to their credit, recognized this and went with different better performing adhesives and seam technologies making overlays, rands, and soles less prone to delamination. Keen was offering part or full replacement value applied to newer evolving models. Different versions of Windows were released with Microsoft knowing there were still issues with the platform. To Microsoft's credit they addressed these issues providing free downloads to tweak performance and applicability issues. Likewise, Altra recognized their uppers had durability issues as their number one complaint. Altra, again to their credit, recognized this with a different upper in their Olympus 3.0 version verse the Olympus 2.5. *That amounts in my book to addressing customer concerns considering customer input! What is Brooks on their 12th or 13th generation of the Cascadia model?

SO, when offering reviews I like to see included what version shoe one is referring and as Puddles stated, "You can only review a shoe based on how long you've owned it, and the miles, and conditions you've hiked in them" or minimally, as Greenlight stated, "The hundred miles I mentioned were on trail, rocky, rooty, muddy, sloppy, miles. So, I have a good start with them. I'm expecting them to last at least 500 miles under those conditions. If they don't, I won't cry." Why might Greenlight not cry? Maybe, he recognizes that lighter wt trail runners have pros in their light wt but are sometimes lacking in durability?


Let's get real. Some of the top rated light trail runners are not as durable as a light hiking shoe or boot...which is why it might be sensible to have different footwear for different hiking situations.


For myself two of the important criteria affecting durability of trail runners beyond the particular model shoe and better matching it to the terrain is whether I'm day or LD hiking with little(UL/SUL) kit wt and whether I'm on maintained single track verse going rogue off trail on abrasive and mixed routes. My body wt has a lot to do with the longevity of a light trail runner as well! At one time I used to drag my toe going through trail runners rapidly. I eventually found out why. When I reduced the kit and body wt and stay on maintained ST paying attention to better ergonomic non pounding mechanics as a hiker I saw better durability in trail runners.


How much wt do we carry in our kits and on our bodies? How efficient and ergonomic are our mechanics? How well are we matching footwear to our hikes?


Maybe, just MAYBE, it's not all the gear's fault!

[GankenBerry]

i've never dealt with customer service but im not really a fan of how easily and soon these shoes crumble apart.

[Deacon]

i've never dealt with customer service but im not really a fan of how easily and soon these shoes crumble apart.

I wore my Altra Lone Peak 3.5’s 489 miles from Rutland to Katahdin last summer, the worst terrain for shoes possible.

Yes they fell apart when I finished, but I knew they would do that because they are so light and flexible, and grip slippery surfaces like no other shoe I’ve ever worn. I never fell once on this trip.

That’s the reason I accept quick degradation of Altras. I’d rather buy a brand new pair each LASH, than put on a pair of clunky “long lasting” boots.


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[FreeGoldRush]

No, 100 miles is certainly unacceptable. I think for most people 500+ is a more typical number.

The way the shoe connects your body to the trail is far more important than how many total miles you can get with them. We are too fragile to prioritize anything else.

[Gambit McCrae]

I get about 500 miles out of a pair. I typically replace them once a year. The 3.5's I used this year I have 440ish miles on them and they still have some good life left