Customer Reviews Altra King MT 2

My new favorite hiker. Always happy with Lone Peak's however looking for something with a little less stack height and volume. Had never heard of or seen the Mt King advertised, but stumbled a cross a You Tube video and decided to give them a try. Hiked about 30 miles in 1st 2 weeks.. Have more feel to ground, not sloppy or too cushioned.. feet feel great. Perfect for my gate.. 61yr old , 6' 2" 180lbs. Wear 11 in Lone Peak 9, 11.5 in Mt King.

Trail walking and some trail running. Took a "fingers crossed" chance & these are perfect. Like past (wider) Superior and Lone Peak had a baby- will buy another when I find them on sale again.

Issue is very much back to the basics and feels very minimalist while giving you protection where it counts. I hope they keep making this issue for years to come with small improvements. The Velcro strap is such a game changer in keeping your foot stable on very rough terrain. The Varon souls are very grippy on any surface. The only thing I don't like is that I want to wear them when I run on the street which wears down the tread very fast. Overall, a great shoe that doesn't get the headlines like many others.

This product is excellent for technical terrain, muddy conditions, speed trail racing, and various other activities. We are confident that you will not be disappointed. It is a highly recommended and great overall choice.

Arizona trails. This shoe is awesome. Not clunky, not too wide. Love these.

The King MT2 is well built. Tough as a boot, light as a runner, and natural as a minimalist shoe. It has great traction, support, and protection, but they feel very connected to the ground. It is true to size, so if you are used to adding a half size because it is Altra, no need. I did not think I would like the strap (it is annoying when trying to tie the laces) but the strap is great for support and keeping the laces from untying themselves. One of my favorite shoes ever. (My activities: marathon, trail running/hiking, soccer, CrossFit, Spartan)

I use it for short and long distance hiking, the sole grip any ground firmly, they're light weight and feels durable, great design

I use these for hiking with the fam, back packing, running trails. I have flattish feet, a kind of narrow heel, and I like feeling attached to the trail. These shoes are about perfect for me. My toes are free and the fit is still secure. I went through my barefoot phase and can't go back to high heel running shoes. Low to zero drop are the deal. These have really modest cushioning but have molded perfectly to my feet. I find that more important than the amount of cushioning. My feet can get a little sore but never feel bludgeoned after a long hike with elevation. These are shoes you buy when you want to feel like you have human feet. They are low profile trail runners not pillows. The tread is pretty grippy and has stayed relatively so their entire life. My old King MTs were durable as. I'm thrilled that you guys reintroduced this shoe. Thanks!

I always buy one size larger as I've noticed through the years that the sizing seems to be one full size too small, now that i have adjusted the shoes are perfect. This style of trail running shoe has a much better, less spongy feel for the ground and look great!

I use these primarily on country roads and pasture trails. I currently have over 1,000 miles on my Lone Peak 9's and can't wait to see how these hold up against them.

This is close to prefect for those who want a more technical shoe but still want that Altra comfort. My use case for it is backpacking in the mountains, lots of off-trail, talus and scree, etc. The velcro strap is amazing for adjusting the fit on the go. The low stack height is crucial for stability on uneven terrain and traverses. The drainholes absolutely rock, shoes dry quickly after water crossings. Please make an updated version! This shoe is missing a good toe bumper, this is a shoe for rough terrain so toe protection is a must! Another thing to fix is the toebox, it is kind of angled, which steals some room from the toes and requires sizing up. But most importantly, please, just keep this shoe in the lineup and don't ruin it!

I could write a thesis on how practical these are. If you are in, or on: decomposed granite, mud, caliche boulders, snow, grass, obnoxious speed-bump-root-systems, talus, doing big miles while taking long easy strides on equestrian-graded trail, side-hilling on damp, loose soil, or wet rock-hopping while in the general vicinity of the established red line, the King MT2 will take care of you. Confidently. However, (and this is a big however), I did replace the paper-thin insoles with slightly thicker beaded EVA insoles. This is an important point for long-duration use as Altra has built them low to the ground - and Im so very glad they did, as they are laterally stable and have bite and purchase on every surface Ive found myself on, while under packs of 25 - 50lbs. Paired with the right sock, I've been in and out of creeks for16 hours without taking them off. No tape. No blisters. I'm 56yo, so Ive tried, well, alot of shoes; King MT's are the one. Will there be a King MT3? I sure hope so, but am praying they don't change the basic architecture. I'm training for the CDT in the spring and attempting the Calendar-year Triple Crown the following year, and if I even get a WHIFF of a hint that Altra is discontinuing these, Im dropping a load of cash and stocking up. Ive put alot of miles on Timps but quit after version 2. After seeing Altra finally added Vibram soles, I gave them another shot but I no longer fit in them. The width is fine, but the volume has changed as I get pressure on the TOP of my 5th toe. Not good. You won't have that problem in Kings. I'll echo what others have said: go 1/2 size up. Altra, are you listening? Please do the world a favor: build a waterproof mid with the King MT soles.

I have had the MT king shoes now for about 4 or 5 months and I have put at least 75 to 100 miles on them. I also just ran my first Ultra 50K in them and I really do enjoy these shoes. Many may not like the fact that they have a Velcro strap but that to me has been extra helpful for down Hills and keeping your foot locked in on top of the marathon knot that I already have laced up. The grip is amazing and I mainly got them because they were the thinnest sole that Altra has in their trail shoe lineup. For any minimalist or Barefoot runners these shoes do bend a lot more than they are advertised to and after putting some mileage on them definitely get more flexible. I tried the superiors and they were just too narrow and just did not fit very well. One thing to note with these shoes is they are at least a size too small so I suggest sizing up at least the size higher than you would usually go. Comparing them to my size 15 lone Peaks with my size 15 Mt Kings they are a good inch shorter. Granted my lone Peaks are far too big because I like to have that extra leeway in front of my foot. I would really like these shoes to be just slightly longer but they have done great and they are perfect. The soul has even held up great running roads and trails I see little to no wear yet. Another thing that is not mentioned in the description of the shoes is the breathability is far beyond anything else Altra has in their trail shoe lineup. My lone Peaks are far too hot and hold moisture. But these shoes actually have four holes that directly lead to the insole of the shoe and the insole insert has holes in them allowing water to directly drain out. This is extremely useful for creek crossings or draining sweaty feet. So far I really enjoy these shoes and I do recommend them.

I got this shoe for my shorter runs and races (10k or less). These shoes are fast and secure. The vibram lugs grip the trail incredibly well and they feel really nimble with the low stack height. The rock guard is welcome as I've never had an issue on all kinds of rocks. As someone else has mentioned, I wouldn't mind a change to the original (wider) foot-shape toe-box, but I also had no problem sizing up a half size. The velcro strap keeps everything locked in really well so no movement. Overall fantastic, fast shoe for the trails and technical running!

I'm a pretty avid trail runner who has tried various shoes. I always stick with the wider toe box shoes and try to stay zero drop as well. So I've used quite a few Altras - typically the Lone Peaks. I wanted to try the King MT shoes because they looked great and had good reviews. I'm glad I did! I really like these shoes. They don't have much cushion, which is good because then I can feel the trail. The Vibram soles are grippy. The Velcro is slightly annoying, but I do like it because it keeps my shoelaces from coming loose. The toebox is wider than a normal shoe, but it's not quite as wide as my Lone Peak toe boxes. Still, it's enough room for my toes. All in all these are great shoes!

Best shoe I have tried for trail running and obstacle course racing! 3rd pair of Altra Kings I have purchased and the one i recommend for OCR.

I run/fast-walk chunky, sandy, loamy single track trail with significant pitch. These shoes never disappointthe traction & ease of last second foot placement is always comfortable and sure. Buy 'em!

Favorite trail shoe. Comfortable but secure fitting, long lasting aggressive tread and enough cushion without compromising ground feel . I use them primarily for trail running in Tahoe but Also one of my go to shoes for Thru hiking Long trails. Love to Add SOLE cork insoles for extra support and they also are zero drop. Please keep making this shoe!

Absolutely awesome shoe. I almost exclusively wear Altra for work (long days in the operating room) all outdoor activities and the King Mountain are by far my favorite. Especially good for steep technical downhill. I've taken them through sand stone slot canyons, mountain peaks, adventure races, and they perform flawlessly. Hope they stay in Altra's rotation for a long time to come.

I go on long long treks in the Hawaii mountains and go off trail quite a bit. These shoes provide surprising grip on uneven, rocky, and grassy terrain but are light and keep me moving fast!