Altra Lone Peak 3.5 Review

I started running in Altra shoes about a three years ago.  I wrote several reviews during my ”Week of Altra,” a few months back.  I just got the latest in the Lone Peak line of shoes, the Lone Peak 3.5.  I’ve written reviews for several Altra shoes in the past.  Click the links to read my past reviews:

Instinct 2

Paradigm

Instinct 3

Lone Peak 2.5

The One 2.5

Instinct 4.0

Olympus 2.0

Escalante

Instinct Everyday

As with all of Altra’s shoes, the Lone Peak 3.5 has the FootShape™ toebox, which allows your toes to spread out.  It helps eliminate issues resulting from compressing your feet/toes.  This is a common issue with most other company’s shoes because of their narrower toe box.  Altra’s zero heel drop (meaning that the heel and forefoot are the same distance from the ground) promotes proper form, provides better propulsion, aligns your feet, back, and body, and is not weighted more heavily in the heel (like most shoes) which promotes heel striking.

The Lone Peak 2.5 is one of my favorite trail shoes.  It’s extremely responsive and comfortable while providing just the right amount of protection and cushion.  There have been some really nice improvements in the Lone Peak 3.5. Here’s a comparison of the two shoes.

	Lone Peak 2.5	Lone Peak 3.5
Weight	10.6 ounces	9.7 ounces
Stack Height	25mm	25mm
Outsole	Sticky-Rubber TrailClaw™	MaxTrac™ Rubber with TrailClaw™
Cushioning Level	Moderate	Moderate
Midsole	Dual Layer EVA with A-Bound Top Layer	Dual Layer EVA with A-Bound
Insole	5 mm Contour Footbed	5 mm Contour Footbed
Upper	Quick-Dry Trail Mesh	Quick-Dry Air Mesh
Cost	$120 (on sale for $84, select sizes)	$120

LP2.5 Pic

LP3.5 Pic

The Lone Peak 3.5 is 0.9 ounces lighter than its predecessor even though it has the same stack height.  This could be due to different types of rubber used in the outsole and different mesh materials used in the uppers.  Other than that, the shoes are fairly similar in terms of specs.  One thing I really like about the design of the Lone Peak 3.5 is that the area around the ankles are cutout to prevent rubbing of the ankles. 

The Lone Peak 3.5 also added drainage holes to keep your feet dry.  This was probably my biggest issue with the previous versions in the Lone Peak series.  I really like to run through creeks, especially when it’s hot out.  There’s no better way to cool down than to just take a seat in a cold creek.  Most trail shoes don’t drain well enough for my taste.  I end up sloshing through miles before my feet dry out, but not with the Lone Peak 3.5.  The drainage holes do an excellent job and I couldn’t be happier with them. 

The upper material also got an overhaul to an upgraded mesh upper that is more durable and breathable.  The upper really looks great with the overlays and of course the mountain design on the side. 

The outsole uses TrailClaw lugs, which is a unique tread pattern, beneath your metatarsals for superior traction.  They are a hexagonal shape that does a really good job of gripping while not retaining that mud in your tread.  The rubber material is made of a compound, MaxTrac, which provides a great amount of grip, no matter what type of terrain you run on.  Granite outcroppings, muddy single-tracks, and gravel fire roads are no match for these shoes.

Another new feature of the Lone Peak 3.5 is the new 4-point gaiter system that expands on Altra’s awesome GaiterTrap on previous versions.  In addition to the hook and loop tab on the back of the shoe, there is now a loop at the front of the laces and points on each side (inside and outside) of the shoe to secure the gaiters and prevent even more debris from getting in your shoes.  Altra will be coming out with their 4 point gaiters later this year.

I have put about 60 miles on the Lone Peak 3.5’s and really like how they perform.  I feel confident going on technical trails and steep downhills with shoe’s great traction and there’s enough cushion to prevent bone bruises from rocks and roots.  This is one of my most used trail shoes recently and I think you will like it.

Pros:

Zero heel drop

Wide toe box.

Extremely comfortable

Decent amount of cushion

Lightweight at 9.7 ounces

Decent price ($120 on sale at Altra.com)

4 point gaiter trap

Cons:

The 4 point gaiters from Altra will not be available until later this fall.

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The Lone Peak 3.5 is an amazing trail beast!  While I really liked the previous versions, the Lone Peak 3.5 is really awesome with its improved outsole, mesh upper, 4-point gaiter, and lighter weight.  You can get the Lone Peak 3.5 for $120 on the Altra website.   Please let me know what you think of Altra or if you plan on getting a pair to try out.  I would love to hear what you think.  It has really helped my running and I am becoming more injury-free as a result of running in Altra shoes.  Don’t just take my word for it, hit the trails and look around.  I’ll bet you see a lot of people running in Altra shoes.  There is a reason why. 

Note:  I received this product in exchange for a review.  The review is my personal opinion of the product and I was not required to give a particular opinion of it.  I am not a doctor, so please use all of the products that I review at your own risk.