The Altra Running Lone Peak 7s are the latest iteration of the legendary trail shoe, combining a comfortable fit with outstanding performance. Read our full review below.
When we’re not hiking in the Lake District or camping in the Peaks, the Adventure Pending team can be found backpacking the world. We carry everything we need in our favourite travel rucksacks, which means gear is kept to a minimum. It’s important to never take more than three pairs of shoes abroad for weight reasons, and a sturdy hiking shoe should always be one of them.
It’s not an option for us to lug heavy-duty hiking boots around for months on end. We’ve been there and done that – it’s a long-term travel blunder that we won’t be repeating.
But what type of shoe can replace a trusty pair of boots? We needed something versatile, lightweight, and with enough grip to prove trail-worthy. The shoes needed to perform just as well over miles in the big city as the local peaks. When Altra reached out with their new Lone Peak 7s, we knew they had the potential to tick all our boxes. Here’s our full review of the Altra Lone Peak 7 trail shoes.
Altra Running’s Lone Peak 7s are the brand’s latest trail running model. Designed to tackle everything thrown at them, these shoes offer a good deal of stability and performance while remaining lightweight and comfortable. They’re primarily recommended for trail running and hiking, but we’ve found them to also work really well as an all-round travel shoe.
The Lone Peak 7s replicate earlier models with a roomy foot-shaped toe box that allows the feet to splay. This is great if you have wider feet, but provides a comfortable fit for all wearers – we’ve particularly noticed a difference when walking long distances in this style of shoe. Altra also makes a wide-fit Lone Peak 7 if you feel you’d benefit from even more room.
The middle of the Lone 7 shoes supports the feet well, while the heel works to keep you stable. If you’re prone to throwing on a pair of runners for every situation, you’re going to want a pair that accommodates your natural foot shape and gives you a little more room to breathe.
We love the Lone Peak’s upgraded MaxTrac™ outer. The shoes provide a level of grip we’ve struggled to find from any other lightweight trail shoe, allowing us to breeze over wet grass, stones, sticks, and rock underfoot. This particular outsole almost feels a little sticky to the touch, which only adds to our confidence to take them on the trail.
It’s clear this sole is geared more towards uphill and flat adventures, but they still perform well when descending. They’re also prone to collecting extra mud due to their flatter profile, which can affect your grip after a few miles in wet weather.
The Altra trail shoes provide moderate cushioning that works to protect your feet and knees. We’ve found that we can still feel the trail below with the Altra EGO midsole, but this doesn’t cause any problems – if anything, it’s improved our response times and allowed for greater sensitivity when tackling new terrain.
It’s also important to note that the Lone Peak 7s are a zero-drop shoe, which has its advantages when tackling longer distances. These also allow for more natural movement which can work to strengthen your feet in turn. If you’re looking to enhance your performance on the trail, we highly recommend a slow transition to zero-drop footwear.
However, we have struggled with the Lone Peak uppers. We’ve found the material here to be breathable and significantly more flexible than other options out there, but it can struggle in wet weather conditions and isn’t so forgiving if scree or other debris finds its way onto your shoes. That said, you can introduce Altra trail gaiters to your running gear using attachment points on the shoes. It’s certainly something we’ll be trying over the winter months.
The Altra Lone Peak 7 Trail Shoes are perfect if you’re someone who tackles a range of distances and terrains. If you’re running a trail race one week but taking on a walking challenge the next, these shoes are the answer to both. It’s both difficult and expensive to buy a pair of runners for every activity, so we’ve been loving these as an all-rounder and will continue to wear them (and anticipate the next model!).
Have a question about these Altra Running trail shoes? We’ve answered a few of the most popular queries below.
We’ve found the Lone Peak 7s to be well-suited to just about anyone, whether you’re hitting the trails on race day or tackling a week-long thru-hike. These shoes have also performed well as a travel all-rounder, allowing us to only pack a single pair to tackle all eventualities.
The Lone Peak 7 shoes are available in regular and wide fits. The men’s can be purchased in sizes UK 6 to 15, while the women’s are stocked in sizes UK 3.5 to 9.5.
Yes, we’ve found the Altra Trail Running shoes to be well worth the money. We’ve already piled the miles through them and they show no signs of slowing down. They’re also competitively priced against others in the market, including the HOKA Speedgoat and the Brooks Cascadia.
There are so many features that make up these shoes! If you have any questions, please feel free to drop me an email – ann@adventurepending.com.
