Altra Lone Peak 3.0 Neoshell Low Womens Shoe
First Impressions
I have been in search for a new pair of hiking shoes for a while now. My challenge is that I have a very wide foot and there aren’t many shoe manufacturers let alone hiking shoe manufacturers that respond to my part of the women’s market. This is also despite many women I encounter who have a similar challenge. So while I have been very happy with my Vasque Taku GTX hiking boots, I wanted a shoe that would take me from urban trails to challenging day trails. Vasque and Altra are two prominent brands that appear when you do a search for ‘wide-fitting women’s hiking shows’ so I knew I was heading in the right direction.
I have been looking at the Alta Lone Peak 3.0 Neoshell for a while but had never found them in my size in the stores size to check the fit. My size was readily available online so I recently bit the bullet and purchased a pair online. It is rare, if ever, that I would purchase shoes in this way and I did procrastinate quite a bit before committing to the purchase but I’m glad I did.
When I first put these shoes on I couldn’t believe how comfy they were – I wore them as street shoes for a few days and then decided to wear them on a hike to Camels Hump in the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve. This particular hike is about 6.3 km uphill and 6.3 km downhill with a lot of rock scrambling in the middle. Perfect for testing out where you foot sits in a new hiking shoe. Here are my first impressions …….
Good points
- The tow box is very roomy which is just what I was looking for and easily accommodates my Injinji toe socks
- They are very light at only 594 grams for a pair of women’s size 9.5 US or 41 EUR
- The cushioning is generous and very comfortable even after some speedy downhill walking on an unforgiving fire trail
- The shoe shape matches as far as possible your foot shape. As such they tend to be ‘square shaped’ and a broader at the front but snugger at the back allowing your toes room to move and expand
- ‘Zero Drop’. Traditional running and hiking shoes tend to be higher at the back than at the front, typically around 12-15 mm. However, these shoes provide a level platform. It feels strange at first but I am used to wearing barefoot-style running shoes so the Zero Drop didn’t take much getting used to for me. The manufacturer recommends wearing these shoes indoors for a week so you get used to the biomechanics
- They accommodate the Dirty Girl Gaiters, as well as Altra branded gaiters – they have a small loop at the front and built-in velcro at the back. If you’re going minimalist then this is the type of gaiter you are likely to be wearing
- They have very good traction on dry unstable slopes and reasonable traction in muddy conditions
- They breathe well so my feet don’t overheat
- The purple and grey colouring is stylish and they look good as a casual street shoe
Possible issues
- The sizing charts take some studying. If you compare the size charts of Altra shoes with other manufacturers such as Merrell, Keen and Salomon its almost impossible to work out the sizing. The websites suggest buying one size larger than you normally would but I purchased a 1/2 size bigger and this worked well
- Breathability could be an issue in very hot conditions
So there you have my first impression. I will follow up in a few months time once I have tested them out in a bigger variety of conditions and on long multi-day hikes .
Rating
These shoes are sold as trail runners but they are also suitable for many hikers. At this stage I think it likely that the Altra Lone Peak 3.0 Neoshell’s will replace my Vasque Taku GTX boots for all but very wet and/or cold conditions.
Buy One
You can purchase the Altra Lone Peak 3.0 Neoshell Women’s shoe at Wildfire Sports or Wild Earth or Amazon
Please note that our affiliations do not influence, in any way, the independence of our gear reviews. If we don’t like something, you will hear it from us!
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Front view of the Altra Lone Peak 3.0. The toe guard provides good protection
Altra Lone Peak 3.0 side view
Altra Lone Peak 3.0 sole view
These shoes come with a ‘Gaiter Trap’ which is a fancy name for a velcro tab designed to suit the Altra Gaiters and which works well with the Dirty Girl Gaiters
Altra Gaiters with Dirty Girl Gaiters the gaiters hook into a built in metal loop
Dirty girl gaiters in the velcro gaiter trap at the shoe rear
Disclaimer
This review was done with product purchased from a retail store by the reviewer