Customer Reviews Topo Athletic Ultraventure

Bought on sale so can't return but normally wear 10 and these are a little tight. Will go with 10.5 next time. Haven't used too much yet but seem well constructed. We'll see how they hold up.

I just ran the Laurel Highlands 50K in these yesterday and they did great! So much of that trail is rocks and roots and I felt confident in these shoes. There were two times I thought a rock plate would be nice, aside from that I had zero complaints.

I use the Ultraventure for lightweight backpacking. Would be five stars if Topo made them in half sizes above size 13.

Just completed running the TMB in these puppies. Handled the trail very well. Only got a couple of small blisters on the sides of my big toe and I think both of my little toenails are doomed to an early death. Durability of the shoe was excellent, but I would prefer a little more room in the toe box. I used to be an Altra guy but Topo May be winning me over. Thanks guys.

I suppose on my first purchase of trail shoes I found the best on the market because right out of the box these shoes fit perfectly! For a size-11 wide foot, I love the size of toe box. The venting provides for a great airflow to help keep my feet cool. The toe is protected from those inevitable kicking of rocks. I didn't have hot spots, blisters, or any sore parts on my feet even after several 20-mile days on the JMT. Overall, a very comfortable and great shoe! I likely will be buying a Topo shoe again. BUT, I've put about 300-miles on these shoes with 260-miles (according to my Fitbit) on the John Muir Trail, and the sole has began to separate (see pic). I just returned from the JMT and not sure if it's because this iconic Sierra Nevada thru trail is that rugged with all the rock garden terrain, and not sure what the lifespan of trail shoes are, or perhaps this is a defect, so I'll be looking to do more research on this. Regardless of this, this shoe was extremely comfortable and felt right at home on the JMT. Even with this sole thing, I'm sure Topo has made a customer for life in me. Thanks for a great fitting and comfortable shoe when I needed them on the JMT!

My previous trail running shoes were Altra Timp 1.5s and I loved them. They were the first shoes that did not squeeze my forefoot at the ball and toes; however, as shoemakers tend to do, Altra redesigned the Timp 1.5 as the Timp 2 and narrowed the forefoot. I have a pair of Topo Runventure 2s and Topo Halsas and I love both of them, so I decided to give the Ultraventure a try. So far, so good, but it is more snug in the forefoot than my beloved Timp 1.5s. Please make them wider.

I bought the Ultraventure after having put about 300 miles on the Mountain Racer. I was looking for a slightly softer and more flexible ride for longer training days in the Colorado Mountains as Spring/Summer miles build up. I am happy to report that the cushioning and sole delivered on that, but I found myself wanting a more dialed in fit in the upper that I feel with the Mountain Racer. I find myself having to re-tie my shoes to get the mid foot and heel lockdown that I need on steeper ascents and descents. The fit is close, but not quite there for me, hence 4/5 stars. It's also not so bad that I won't continue to run in this shoe. Ideally, Topo will put the Ultraventure sole on the Mountain Racer upper and produce the perfect shoe. Call it the Mountain Trainer maybe?

I normaly wear a 10 in other shoes. When in topos i go with a 9.5. This show was very comfy cushion wise. Its also fit very secure around the heel and across the mid-foot. The rubber outsole was very grippy. The cusioned sole and the rubber outsole provided enough protection from rocks without having to add a rock plate.

I love these shoes! I ran two hundred mile races in the fall and won another in late winter. I wore one pair for the duration of each race and they were comfy the whole time. The only change I would make is to add more grip. I find myself having to slow on technical, wet, rocky trail. I have already converted my wife and two other friends over to these shoes and they all love them.

Have had 4 or 5 runs in the Ultraventure and very pleased thus far. Spacious tie box (which is why I bought it) as advertised, stable sole and mid foot, and not a zero drop (5mm). A little heavier than I like but it's worth the quality of what I've noticed thus far.

I now have 318mi on my first Ultraventures and 20mi on my second pair. These are absolutely the best fitting trail shoes I've used and I've tried many over the past couple years as I searched for the replacement to my Pearl Izumi Trail N3's. The fit, comfort, cushion, and out-sole are fantastic and I've had zero issues even doing an 18mi run right out of the box with my first pair. At 250mi I noticed the mid-sole started to break down and now at over 300mi they are at the end of their useful life due to the cushion in the mid-sole has flattened out completely and has lost most of it's cushion and all of it's protection...I can even feel the out-sole lugs under my foot. A couple improvements that would make this shoe nearly perfect would be 1st - a thin rock plate or film to offer just a little more protection. 2nd - a few more color options. That's it. Overall an excellent shoe...my new favorite.

I now have 318mi on my first Ultraventures and 20mi on my second pair. These are absolutely the best fitting trail shoes I've used and I've tried many over the past couple years as I searched for the replacement to my Pearl Izumi Trail N3's. The fit, comfort, cushion, and out-sole are fantastic and I've had zero issues even doing an 18mi run right out of the box with my first pair. At 250mi I noticed the mid-sole started to break down and now at over 300mi they are at the end of their useful life due to the cushion in the mid-sole has flattened out completely and has lost most of it's cushion and all of it's protection...I can even feel the out-sole lugs under my foot. A couple improvements that would make this shoe nearly perfect would be 1st - a thin rock plate or film to offer just a little more protection. 2nd - a few more color options. That's it. Overall an excellent shoe...my new favorite.

As a hiker/trail runner this shoe caught my attention from the reviews. It is frankly a hybrid of a Hoka ATR 5(W) and an Altra Timp. The fit is snug but not tight in the heel and mid foot, and comfortable in the forefoot- but not as wide or as much volume as the Altra. I did size up 1/2 size which I recommend. What I do not like is that it has a fairly narrow heel outsole and the feel has a much more "squissy" feeling than I expected. Trail stones barrel right thru the sole into your foot-meaning where is the rock plate? Wish the shoe had a little more structure to it as it naturally breaks down and moves your foot into supination after about 50 miles. The Otho-lite insole is worthless. I put in one of my inserts and the shoe's feeling improved dramatically. I will keep the shoes for general wear and short jaunts, but for me it is not for long distance hiking or runs.

good fit with a wide toe box but snug over foot, perfect for us who have wide feet that aren't fat. great cushion, just right. not walking on a squishy cloud, while still padding against and angry rock or root. needs a rock plate, a super angry stealth rock definently gets noticed while most dont.

good fit with a wide toe box but snug over foot, perfect for us who have wide feet that aren't fat. great cushion, just right. not walking on a squishy cloud, while still padding against and angry rock or root. needs a rock plate, a super angry stealth rock definently gets noticed while most dont.

Pros: Great foot-shaped last, with the right amount of toebox room. Super comfy ride balancing responsiveness and cushion. Heel fit is nearly perfect. I have a narrow heel and wide forefoot, and this shoe fits them like a glove. Traction is pretty great, and the outsole shows limited wear after 200 miles. The insole is more durable than any other shoes I've worn, which is another plus. Cons: Upper wears out prematurely and renders the show useless. Both pairs I've completely blown out at 230 miles, on the medial side of the upper, where the upper meets the midsole. Shoe also doesn't drain as well as the 'gills' seem to want it to. Ultimately, this has been my go-to shoe for 50Ks, 50M, and 100K's races/long runs as of late. I just hope they fix the durability, as I strictly resort to using this shoe for long races rather than everyday training. FYI - not an ambassador, not sponsored, just someone that likes what this company is doing.

Pros: Great foot-shaped last, with the right amount of toebox room. Super comfy ride balancing responsiveness and cushion. Heel fit is nearly perfect. I have a narrow heel and wide forefoot, and this shoe fits them like a glove. Traction is pretty great, and the outsole shows limited wear after 200 miles. The insole is more durable than any other shoes I've worn, which is another plus. Cons: Upper wears out prematurely and renders the show useless. Both pairs I've completely blown out at 230 miles, on the medial side of the upper, where the upper meets the midsole. Shoe also doesn't drain as well as the 'gills' seem to want it to. Ultimately, this has been my go-to shoe for 50Ks, 50M, and 100K's races/long runs as of late. I just hope they fix the durability, as I strictly resort to using this shoe for long races rather than everyday training. FYI - not an ambassador, not sponsored, just someone that likes what this company is doing.

I have wide feet and usually run in Inov-8 Trailtalon 290 but these don't offer enough protection on stony tracks and are poor in mud. First impressions of the Ultraventures weren't great because they look dull, chunky and heavy. The styling could be improved but I was surprised when I realised they are lighter than the Trailtalons. They fit my feet perfectly and running in them was a joy from the first run. After only 2 weeks I ran a 45km trail marathon and the Ultraventures performed brilliantly. They remained comfortable throughout despite being submerged in muddy water after about 15km. I like that the Ultraventures have good cushioning but I never feel unstable or out of touch with the trail. The fabric also does a good job or shrugging off moisture, e.g. damp grass, but without being too warm on the hot days. These trail shoes are great but there is one significant flaw which means I probably won't buy them again. I am am a forefoot striker and the midsole under the ball of my foot became significantly compressed by 200km. That indent now rubs the inside of the foot's ball, is uncomfortable and I suspect would cause blisters if I ran another marathon in these. Having enountered this issue I've seen lots of other runners reporting the same issue. That's such a shame because these are great allround shoes for U.K. trails. My Inov-8s always lasted more than 800km before the sole was too compressed and it's very disappointing that the Topos only lasted a quarter of that distance. If Topo can fix this then I would definitely buy another pair.

They are ok. Was hoping for an "Original Altra" fit, but they are too narrow in the toe box for that. Wish the heel sole were a bit wider. They feel more like a hiking shoe than a running shoe. Support is good, cushioning is good too. Nothing blows me away about the shoe. Quality is above average.

Despite the stack height, I don't find it all that cushioned or responsive for mid- or forefoot strides. Length may be sort of true to size, but heel and mid foot fit could be snugger for less lateral sliding on turns and more technical terrain. Toe box shape is better than most brands however it still assumes that one's toes taper from big toe to pinky. A lot of us have a more rounded toe outline (long 2, 3, and 4 toes), so a gentler, rounder taper would be nice for less contact with the 3 and 4 toes at the end of the shoe during flex and push-off. And toes splay forward as well as outward when pushing off, especially at the 4 and 5 toes, which this shape doesn't entirely account for. It appears that the 12.5 size has been dropped, which is too bad, as 12 is too short and 13 is too long and exacerbates the heel sliding due to being over width.

I had same issue as another 3-star reviewer. My feet in the Ultraventures roll inwards. I haven't developed blisters or anything, but they feel awkward, especially when walking. I have bought and ran through many pairs of the Terraventure and Ultrafly lines and have never had this issue.

The last is good. For me the 13 is too big and the 12 too small (actually the 12 op is probably perfect except on extended hikes). Also, my pair roll heavy toward the inside and I hav never been diagnosed as an overpronator. If I can find an insole to fit, it may help. All about the toebox for me.

The last is good. For me the 13 is too big and the 12 too small (actually the 12 op is probably perfect except on extended hikes). Also, my pair roll heavy toward the inside and I hav never been diagnosed as an overpronator. If I can find an insole to fit, it may help. All about the toebox for me.

I hiked 700 miles of the PCT in Altras - my first intro to a toe box that did not deform my feet. Although they were comfortable, there is literally nothing to them in terms of lateral support or stability. This contributed to the injury that forced me off the trail. When I got home I started looking for an alternative shoe with a comparable foot shape design and was stoked to find Topo shoes. I bought the Ultraventure hoping for a more supportive shoe and was not disappointed - at first. The shoe fits great and offers the support I was looking for. But the build quality needs work. Within a week I noticed some delamination on the tread, which I fixed. 3 weeks later another section of the sole started peeling away from the bottom. Even though the Altras are too sloppy for my taste, at least they lasted nearly 3 months of continuous trail walking. *Topo Note: Hi Eric, thanks for making us aware! It sounds like you received a bad pair. If you'd like to reach out to our customer service team at info@topoathletic.com with some photos, we'd be happy to see what we can do to help!*