Customer Reviews Altra Vanish R

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.

TL:DR 5 stars for great race-day performance, -0.5 for poor Altra customer service and sending two insoles with no docs, -0.75 for durability, -0.75 for difficulty sizing and getting the lacing right. These shoes can be a little difficult to deal with, but when you get them right they're solid racing flats. First off, they come with two sets of insoles and no instructions. It took Altra a few weeks to finally respond to my email asking for a description of what the insoles are supposed to do. They said the thin white is more of the traditional racing flat insole, where as the black has additional arch support. They did not mention that the black soles are thicker, though, and change the fit of the shoe. If you think you'll want the thin white soles, go true-to-size. If you think you'll want the arch support, you'll want to go a half-size up to fit the thicker black soles and have enough room for your toes. Note though that the black soles also seem to have more cushion to them, so they really change up the feel and performance beyond just arch support. With the lack of a padded tongue and the mid-foot gripping system that the laces loop into, getting these shoes tied comfortably can be a real pain. I have to tie them a few times whenever I lace up to get the tension just right so that the shoe isn't loose or constricting the top of my foot. They also don't seem to be holding up to distance quite as well as my other Altra shoes, I don't think they'll last much past 200-250 miles. Once you get them right, though, they fly. I PR'd at 5k in these, barely noticed I had shoes on since they're so light and responsive. If you hit that sweet-spot in the lacing you get great toe-off flex and energy return. These are about perfect for interval day or races up to 10k (maybe a half if you're really moving). Excellent grip in the mid-shoe without sacrificing the toe box. These are not for casual runs or taking your time. These are for going fast. And they do go fast.

Very light, so probably good for summer, but I'd like to see if it makes it through the summer or tears before that. The back is TOO high. My skin isn't particularly tough on the back of my ankles, so don't know why made this high. Wearing Solstice and that backing isn't as high.

I bought this shoe a half size up because in most of the comments they were saying that this shoe runs small. Honestly the sides and heel of the shoe is pretty narrow so my feet feel fine there; but the toe box is just way too long. I am going to return this shoe now, I was looking forward to walking & running in these.

Light weight and comfortable..but the construction of the nylon upper is very thin and where it attaches to sole is questionable in terms of durability. I am guessing might get 20-30 miles in these before I would blow out the sides are wear a hole through the top. I am returning.

I wear size 11 for running shoe; I'm actually a size 10 or 10.5 regular shoe. I've worn size 11 Altras for running for years. I ordered a size 11. They fit closer to my foot than a 10, and that's JUST trying it on. Will be returning these.

I ordered the Vanish R because I wanted something more minimalist than the Escalante (which I've been running in for a while). Unfortunately, the Vanish R was really narrow and runs very small. As a matter of fact, I ordered two sizes just to be on the safe side. Neither of them fit right or felt comfortable (I have feet that are on the wider side). I just received the women's Solstice and am much, much happier with them. They're still more minimalist than the Escalante and offers a bit more support around the heel. The Solstice was exactly what I was looking for.

Third pair of Altra's in size 12.5. First pair that did not also say EU 47 on them but instead said EU 45.5. My toes were pushing through the end. Exchanging for 13's - hope they fit becuase I really need these shoes!

I really wanted these to work out since they are similar to the lightweight Solstice pair I own. First order was my fault because I forgot to size down 1.5 sizes like suggested. I returned them and ordered the down size only to have them be too small. I just gave up after that since I didn't feel like trying 2 more sizes to find the right one. I'm happy with all my other Altra shoe purchases though!