Customer Reviews Altra Solstice XT

Nice wide toe box, zero drop, flexible sole ... these are a great minimalist shoe. I wear them everywhere and they really help strengthen the foot and give me good stability.

I'm on my first pair, and I've had them for about 7 months. Unlike my MSR Lone Peak's, these have held up great! I wear them pretty much everyday. They're very pliable and I'm able to just slip them on and sometimes use them as slippers when I just need them to take out the trash. I'm on here buying my second pair.

Love these shoes. Comfortable enough for every day wear, and supportive enough for workouts. Do be aware that it will take a bit to get used if you haven't worn wide toebox shoes before, but once you do, they're great.

I use the Solstice XT at the gym (lifting weights & stationary bike) and lounging around the house. It works perfectly for both apps. This shoe fits me like a glove, in other words, perfectly. It kind of reminds me of the Topo ST-3 only it has a stiffer sole. Almost feels like I'm not wearing a shoe. Love this shoe!

I have tried every barefoot shoe from every brand and these are by far the most comfortable and durable of them all. I wear them for crossfit, weightlifting, walking, short runs and every day lift. If I had to choose one shoe to own it would be this one. They are stylish and perform great. I'm 26 and my wife doesn't like any of the barefoot shoes I've owned she says they don't look good but she loves these.

I really liked the previous vanquish, but felt like the outsole wore out pretty quickly. This solves for that and is a good feeling and looking shoe. I run on a lot of crushed rock trails and it is perfect for them.

This is my third pair of Altras and I'm a big fan of the zero drop. I feel like alignment in my hips and back is much improved. I use them to run, lift, and hike.

I run with this shoe and prefer less padding and this shoe is perfect for me.

BLUF: if you have the old Solstice and like it, but want more longevity from the soles, stop reading and buy the shoe. For the purposes of painting a picture of my use profile, I used my old Solstice shoes for road running and my Superiors for the trail. I don't lift in anything with a sole thicker than Five Fingers or Trail Gloves. With these, I was looking to replace my Solstice shoes and hoping for a low stack height since I'm not a fan of thickly cushioned shoes. One of the comments I read for these on either this site or Expert Voice specifically stated that these shoes performed better as runners than doing all the tasks of cross trainer or cross fit style shoe. After reading that, I went for it and I'm really happy. They are heavier than my old Solstice shoes, but I appreciate the added rubber and lateral support. If you're looking to use these for calisthenics, they're great and I've found them to be great performers through a 5k. The breathability is reminiscent of the Vanquish, there's ample room in the toe box, and the lacing system gives a snug fit without feeling uncomfortable pressure across the top of your foot. If you're looking for a suitable MetCon replacement, this is not the shoe for that. Also, they lack the additional eyelet so if you have ankle fitment issues without doing a runner's loop/heel lock these may be problematic.

I like the Lone Peak for hiking, so figured I'd give the Solstice XT a shot for daily exercise. I'm SO glad I did as these are the most supportive, comfortable and lightweight athletic shoes I've ever owned. I use them mostly for street walking, jogging and strength training. They feel nice and roomy in the toe box to spread out, yet so supportive and light on the upper foot. Sounds weird, but I really look forward to putting these on every day! Never thought a shoe could get me excited to stay active but this one truly does. As long as Altra keeps making these, they'll be on my feet! Thank you Altra!!!

I use these for F45 and for HIIT training workouts. I think they are an incredible shoe. I'm surprised to see folks recommending them as a running shoe, but hey, whatever works for people. I need a little bit more cushion in my running shoes, but these are great for training and HIIT.

needed a training shoe for OTF, and turned to the Altra for the combination of treadmill and weights. These are not the torins, but for distance on a tread (3 to 5 miles) they do the job. These are not running shoes, but you can get some basic miles in them as you complete your HIIT workouts.

This is the shoe I've been waiting for. I love the Altra Solstice for runs up to 10k, as an all day shoe, and because of that I've been using it in the gym a lot. The problem is that it doesn't have the grip for sled pushes on turf, the lateral stability for agility drills, or the platform for power lifts. This shoe solves all of this. Other cross training shoes are built off of a lifting shoe and I find they don't work great away from a lifting platform. These are cross trainers built off of a running shoe and are exactly what I was looking for. If your style off cross training is focused more on speed and agility with a few sets of deadlifts/squats/cleans mixed in for good measure, this is the shoe for you. One caveat, I do agree with the other review saying these shoes won't hold up well on rope climbs. The Solstice XT isn't bad for a few mile long run either, it's just a little lacking in the cushioning. Altra should keep the original Solstice around too as it is the perfect shoe for 10k and under.

I recently had knee replacement surgery. Obviously I will not be running anymore but I knew I wanted a shoe that would have a fairly broad sole and also provide good floor feel when I work out at the gym. I originally tried the Torin 4 in a local store but felt the amount of foam was just too much to provide the kind of feedback I needed between foot and floor. I ordered the Solstice after some online research. They are exactly what I needed. The wider toe box & lower stack height provide the stability and contact with the floor I need.

I use these as gym shoes and they're awesome. The zero drop soles feel amazing, and really help with sesamoid issues (ball of foot pain). I tried the Escalante 2 first, but the soles were quite a bit too squishy & unstable for leg day (they are great for running, however). The Solstice, on the other hand is perfect for working out. Ordered these in white, and I liked them so much that I also just ordered them again in black.

Very versatile shoes. Comfortable and roomy, flexible and love the zero drop for weight lifting. Highly recommended for someone who doesn't want the mainstream Nano or Metcon. These are great, highly recommended!

A great workout shoe as it was designed. Excellent for lifting, lateral/HIIT type workouts. I also feel it is a good sneaker for short HIIT running intervals. I highly recommend for your day to day plyometric and weight training/HIIT workouts. Well done Altra!!

I wear these on the days I don't do cardio at the gym. For running I wear the paradigm 4. Otherwise I wear these for weight training & or any other exercise. These are by far the best shoes, definitely a favorite. I also wear them all day at work & I work in a warehouse. Comfortable all day!

This is a solid all-around trainer. It also looks.

Stylish, zero drop, wide toe box. Not many shoes tick all these boxes. There are some other minimalist shoes on the market that have these features (vivo), but only Altra have enough padding to make these daily wear shoes. I wore my escalante racers walking all over europe last summer. Both shoes have a bit too much padding coming from true minimalist shoes, but Solstice are a bit closer to minimalist shoes. I have removed the insole to get as close to the ground as possible. Very importantly, the solstice are ALSO aesthetically pleasing enough to wear with jeans and slacks. A final unexpected good things: the traction of the rubber! It's awesome grip! One improvement that could be made: more durable upper. It's a soft mesh. It's comfortable and breathable, but I'm sure it would tear easily.

The wider toe box is fantastic. And the cushioning feels much more comfortable after a long day in these shoes than any other brand.