Customer Reviews Altra Vanish-R

Like everyone else says, size up. So these shoes come with 2 in soles, I put both of them in the shoes, and go barefoot in them. They feel really good, as long sa you get the tongue properly situated- theres no stitching snafoos that eat up the top of your feet or anything. They feel really good for racing flats, extremely responsive and springy. I've done some 10k's in them and several 5ks, 10 is about as far as I'd want to go in these shoes, otherwise I go with the Viho. I think they're a little overpriced, for how many km i expect to get out of these shoes- about 200 probably. Overall, theyre great shoes.

Shoes came in 5 days after ordering them and today I ran my first short run (3.5 miles) with them. They are a bit smaller than expected ( I wear a 9.5 in other shoes) and I should of gone with a 10. Still, not bad for short distance. I ran on mostly pavement and some rocky trail. It had good cushion to feel the rocks but not too bad. Running on pavement was smooth and pain free. Would highly recommend this shoe, just maybe buy a half size bigger.

I love the idea of this shoe and sometimes really just love this shoe. The ideas there because this is truly a MINIMALIST running flat. The upper is very light and flexible with very sensitive lacing. Because of this the shoe could fit the slightly wider foot but is truly very narrow for an altra shoe. That being said it does have a toe box designed for foot splay and a narrower heal. Sizing is tuff. I do have a slightly wider foot a big part because I do most of my running barefoot or in the Vivo barefoot shoes. Because of this I went from a 10 1/2 my true size too an 11 and chose not to use either of the insoles in order for them to fit me appropriately and to get closer to the ground. For a traditional running flat this is the closest to bare foot your probably gonna get. Last negative, they last a very short period of time. I maybe put 80miles in these and noticed they were definitely starting to 'age'. Didn't touch the shoes for a while and decided I'd see how they felt in a 50k. Now they feel like they have really been put through the ringer. If longevity is important to you these are not the answer. They are great once you figure out sizing and insole conundrum. (They come with two different options and for me neither was the best answer). Great for the track, a true minimalist or someone who wants really light race shoes. And yes I would recommend them to a friend but with Caution. I like the shoe. Don't think a lot of people are gonna be able to get around it's difficulties and would ultimately just like to see a firmer more durable upgrade. Altra if your reading these please improve but keep it true to its nature. I wanna run more and longer ultras in these. If they held up a little better I might by a life time supply.

Love the comments on here. You can tell people don't read the description when buying shoes, specifically race flats that are meant to fit snug. I wear a 9.5 but have often gone up almost a full size to account for shoe design. I bought a size 10 in these and they feel great. Would definitely buy again.

I bought these shoes for speed work and 5K-10K races. The fit is sock-like and is definitely more snug than I am used to. This is not a problem for shorter distance, but anything more than 10K and these begin to become uncomfortable. The shoe is extremely light and very fast, which is exactly what I was looking for. I haven't run into durability issues yet, but I don't have a ton of miles on the shoes yet (around 50). I wouldn't see them lasting past 150-200 miles, but maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised. Overall a solid option for fast paces and short distances. Nice job Altra.

After being turned onto Altra at a running shoe store in Seattle in the fall of 2016, I ran a marathon in them 4 weeks after completing the same distance in my old favorite HI runner, my Five-Fingers. I was really pleased with how much better my feet felt with the Altras. My recovery was much quicker and less painful; from my lower back all the way to my toes. Now I've upgraded to these summer racers. They hug my feet, breathe just right, help me ride my feet like I should. Thanks for making narrower foot beds!! Love your shoes!

I've tried a lot of Altras and this one feel the most snug, particularly in width. It's very lightweight and responsive, though not what I'd consider minimalist footwear. The tread pattern on the bottom, and construction, created an odd sensation on the bottom of my foot - it felt a little uneven or not flat - right out of the box. Trying out the different insoles, I discovered clumps of glue under the thicker one that comes in the shoe. That helped, but didn't solve the weird uneven feeling. I've had these shoes for a few months, and I've mostly been injured. I'm not sure if I've put about 300 miles on them, maybe a little more. They developed holes in the uppers about 2/3 of the way through that time that didn't spread too fast. They didn't hold up as long as the Solstice (and several other brands I've used before), but as long as they should I suppose.

Great Shoe but the sole could be a little bit wider all over, my feet is edging over in the middle.

I'm on my second pair of Vanish R's now and I love the lightweight, minimalist feel of this shoe. It is fast and comfortable- even on longer runs. My only issue is that they tend to wear pretty fast. It starts with a hole in the toe and then the sides start splitting at around 300 miles. I feel like I could get another 100-200 miles out of the tread if the upper didn't blow out. Oh yeah- they tend to run a little small.

4 stars for a pretty solid shoe. These are the only light-weight, foot-shaped, zero-drop racers in existence. Altra has a monopoly in this market and they've produced a nice first-run model. These are the only shoes that my feet can tolerate since the minimalist craze died several years ago. The cushioning is a little soft for my liking and I'd prefer that it came with 2-3 less mm of cushioning as well. I use the thinner, white insole and the collar of the shoe seems a bit high. It was actually fairly annoying at first, but I got used to it and it's no longer an issue. One major complaint, which is actually kind of minor since it's really an accessory, is the shoe laces. My god, they're terrible. Super long, floppy, and cheap. I had a mini-depressive episode every time I had to tie them. Obviously, you can replace them, which I did, but that first couple months was rough. Overall, I'm not in love, but it's certainly above-average.

I was excited to see these because I hoped they would be my ideal shoe - the sock knit upper of the Escalante on a thinner, less mushy, but flexible sole. Minimalist, ya know. They are not that. They ARE super light. The upper is not stretchy, though, but woven. The sole is thin but very stiff. I like the shoes okay - even though the day I got them I put them on without socks and instantly sliced a chunk off the back of my right achilles, which put off my wearing these for a couple of weeks. (Stiff soles will do that.) I'll definitely wear these as I wear my Escalantes, and I like their style and their fit - but I really wish Altra made a proper minimalist shoe, with a thin and flexible sole.

I really love the overall structure of these shoes. They make me and my feet happy. I'm really looking forward to the next version of these shoes in the future.

I just got these in the mail today--and they run very small! I wear a 7 in the One 2.5 and in the Escalante but am going to need (at least) a 7.5 in these. The toe box is very shallow, which may be part of the problem. Hope the 7.5 fits, they seem great otherwise!

This shoe is way too narrow in the mid foot. I feel like the sides are going to rip apart. I have a pair of Nike flyknits and they are actually a quarter inch wider. Altra seems to be losing what made them stand out from other shoes being foot shaped.

This shoe definitely has a different fit for women than the other Altra shoes. I would suggest only ordering 1 full size or a half size down from the size you typically order from Altra. I order 1.5 sizes down initially, like it was suggested, and I couldn't even get the shoe on my foot!

I ordered a half size large. The shoe fits well. However the toe box is too narrow. My toes spill off the edge of the shoe. I wonder why Altra makes narrow shoes? If anything they should make wider and wider shoes as their customers feet splay out and grow over the years. The other issue I have with these shoes as these are definitely not durable shoes. They're pretty disposable. I guess if you're a serious runner you can afford to spend $0.30 a mile on shoes. Also, while they look nice for sports, they definitely could not be worn to with jeans to the office. I was hoping for a very minimalist and athletic shoe that could be worn daily. I know it was a high hope, and I do hope Altra pursues the market between their current offerings and true minimalist shoes. As of right now it's an untapped market. I am still happy to have these shoes as trainers because they FEEL great to run in.

I've worn out a pair of the Escalante, and two pairs of the Solstice. This My favorite Altra shoe. I normally wear Vivo bare foot shoes and shoes that have little to no padding. The Vanish are the closest to being a minimal shoe that Alta produces. That said, they wear l out quickly. The second pair I bought are ready to be replaced after two months. It would be great if they we half the price or twice as durable. Or both !

I haven't been running very much over the past four months, but these shoes look like I completed hundreds of miles worth of running. In actuality, I ran ~40 miles on them and maybe walked another 30-40. I have used them as a transitionary shoe going from traditional drop to zero drop. In that sense they performed to standard and are quite comfortable. They are very light (which is fine by me), the sole wears out in about 80 miles of use, and the upper rips in multiple spots on both shoes. Take a look at the photos and determine if they're the right shoe for you.

I was quite excited about the shoes, however have been unable to enjoy them due to how drastically small these fit compared to my other Altras. I recommend going up a 1/2 size.

I loved this shoe, unfortunately it only lasted 82 miles before a hole developed right above both of my big toes. Granted I was wearing either very thin socks or no socks at all when using this shoe, but this its the first time I have ever had a shoe that my toenails cut holes in the top. I have used Merrell Trail Glove, Vapor Gloves, and New Balance Minimus; the Vanish had all their strengths with the right balance of cushion. Too bad it just didn't last very long.