I know it sounds a bit counter intuitive but does anyone know of some good insoles that could add at least a couple mm of drop to my altras? My previous hiking footwear was a pair of keen boots with 12mm drop and my daily shoes are 4mm drop so I’m a bit weary of going straight to zero drop, especially with my thru hike of the CT starting in a little over a month so I don’t think I have time to adjust. The only reason I want to stick with the altras is because they are the only trail runner that I have found that can accommodate my oddly wide mid foot. Hokas were not even close and Topos had an awesome toe box but the mid foot was not near wide enough.
This looks interesting. At the end the description mentions that the insole is designed to eventually compress to 1-0mm at the heel. Is this saying that it gradually compresses into zero drop or am I misinterpreting?
That's my interpretation too. I think if you're open to easing into 0 drop, the Bridge Insole could work at which point you could just remove them. But if you want semi permanent drop added, I think you could try a heel insert or an insole like Super Feet Orange with a built up heel. It might be good to go to a store to try them on to see if they feel more like normal shoes.
Also I don't know your exercise history but if you've been doing a lot of running with 4mm drop shoes, I think you will be fine hiking in 0 drops if you start now with shorter hikes to get a feel for them.
Got his VF Corp money and left!
Just get the new Altra trail runner that has a heel drop
That’s a road shoe
They are coming out with a new model. Its called the Forward Wild
The curve on that reminds me of a banana
Go to Amazon or the site of your choice and search for "heel wedge inserts," or just Google that directly. You'll find inserts that are specifically to lift your heel only, which you can place under your shoe insole.
Worked for me on the AT last year and saved my Achilles (and LASH)
I bought the Superfeet Hikers (green). Currently on sale at REI.
Shoutout Coach at Marion Outdoors!!!
You can put heel-only inserts in there. Put them under the stock insoles and you can't even tell they're in there. Feels great.
Try Topo next time. Same great foot shape, low drop.
With the Pursuit, Topo is open hand slapping Altra. Altra more or less sucks after they got megacorp acquired. I talked to one of the founders in a public setting and he could barely contain how bad a mistake they had made in selling. Topo just got bought too though! We’ll see!
I tried Pursuits and wanted to like them but the the arch hurt like a mofo. I traded them with a friend for a pair of used Topo mids and they’re great, I guess I just need someone else to break them in.
I've been loving my Pursuits ... mainly for running currently and no long distance hiking in them yet. But I was waiting for zero drop Topos!
The arch support is too much
I have a pair of terraventures but the midfoot was to narrow. Topo chokes up at the midfoot a bit which helps secure the shoe for most people but I have an abnormally large midfoot (noticeabley wider than toes) so they don’t work well for me.
is there any way you could fix that with lacing? Or a different model Topo? I agree that the Altra shape is better than the Topo, but at the end of the day it wasn't that much better for me to justify the durability issues. Or do the insole thing, that's totally fine too. Just trying to brainstorm a bit.
Just spend more time barefoot around your house for the next couple weeks, no need to buy insoles. You will adapt quickly.
you're getting downvoted but youre right. the effect of changes to drop in hiking stride is really overstated by a lot of backpackers. It's different for running, but if you're just hiking, you can make the adjustment in a relatively short amount of time. probably adjust within a couple of days, if even that. running is totally different, changes in drop shift the load to different points in the kinetic chain and can affect your gait a lot, but the amount of force put on those spots just isnt the same with hiking.
Fully agree with this analysis. I hike in Altras and work on my feet all day in Brookses. I made these choices to repair nerve damage done about a year ago. Healing is happening. My feet adjust to the drop differences No problem.
Even running isn't a big deal to adapt to. I've run ultras in z3ro drop, 12mm drop...
The running shoe industry obsession with drop is seriously overblown
I use tread labs in my Olympus. They have a rigid orthotic heel cup/arch support that probably gives me 2-3 millimeters. I had been dealing with moderate plantar fasciitis until switching to these. It may very well be the arch support only that fixed it, but I also think the slight lift did something too. Bonus that you can replace the covers ($25ish) instead of the whole insert ($70) when they're worn out
I use Protalus brand inserts. They are a huge help with plantar fasciitis. I buy them online.
You probably can’t just fix the fit of a zero drop with an insole. I’d consider a different shoe. Topo athletic is good but has terrible inventory issues. But they are 5 mm drop. but anyway, good insoles would be super feet green or powestep
I have used these for a few years in my Altra Olympus: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07R4MWJ2M/ They add about a 3 to 4 mm drop (really heal raise).
They are hard/rigid and make all the difference in the world for me. I just move them to any new replacement Altras I get.
Lots of trail runners come in a wide width
I tired all those that I mentioned in wide. The only ones that were wide enough in the mid foot was altra.
There really aren't that many running companies that make actual wide lasts for their shoes. New Balance is one of the few. Their fresh foam line will be 4mm drop with a width of 4E.
I’m actually using there 4e fresh foam x more as my daily shoe right now. I had originally planned to get the trail version if they worked out well and I do love them for daily use but seem like they would be a bit unstable on trail though. I was also considering the hierro v8 but had a hard time finding information on its durability and comfort for hiking.
You’ll be alright
If you already daily wear shoes with a 4mm drop, I doubt you'll notice going to zero drop in the Altras.
4mm is the thickness of a credit card.
Credit cards are a little over .75mm thick, so it's a little over 5 credit cards. Sorry to be so pedantic, I'm working on it.
Not pedantic. Comparing 4mm to a credit card is ridiculously inaccurate in this case.
Damn you. I just looked it up so I could be the one to post this necessary correction.
But you could be even more precise than me! The pedantry isn't fully realized!
....I did read that they must be .76mm thick
Damnit... Completely read that google search wrong. I'm not even going to delete that post. I deserve the abuse.
Your idea isn't counter intuitive at all. You might check out PR gear's Bridge insole (8mm drop): https://prgear.co/products/bridgesoles
The founder of PR Gear is Golden Harper, also founder of Altra (he left in 2021).