Customer Reviews Altra Escalante 2.5

The Escalante 2.5 is fun and bouncy, with a comfortable and soft upper that maintains enough structure to give me lateral confidence. Taking these out on a first run the other day reminded me of everything I loved about the 1.5 and nothing I hated. My biggest knock against this shoe is the colors offered. Sludge grey, forest green, black, and...what can only be described as depression blue. What a treat! Can we get a loud coral colorway like the ladies do? Those look great. Anyway, I can't wait to run some more in these.

Sole flexes now. Width and volume greatly enhanced over previous model. Incredibly comfortable shoe. So why do I need to return them ? Altra is still cutting the length short. I had been told by brick and mortar stores Altra had short lengths. And I'm a size 13 so no way I can go up half a size. If they ever standardize the length they'll have me as a lifelong customer.

Main complaint is the shoes have started squeaking while running. Second straight pair (specifically the right) where squeaking occurs when the forefoot of the shoe is flexed. Happens when the insole is removed too, so it is an issue within the shoe itself. Unbelievably annoying to hear the shoe squeak during every single step! They're running shoes that cost a chunk of change, soooo disappointing. Running shoes are this company's thing, it's unacceptable. Please figure it out or this loyal fan may have to leave.

What's really interesting is I have two pairs of these shoes one is extra wide and the other one is too narrow what is black and the other one is fluorescent green. The one that is too wide does not even state that it is the wide version it just States M- medium. I did notice that one of the shoes, the yellow one, is actually made in Vietnam and the Black one is made in China and that is too tight. The yellow green one has been fantastic the one made in Vietnam and I have a huge foot. I have pretty much a 5F - 6F wide foot that not even Dunham, New Balance, Nike or Asics can accommodate. When I first bought the Escalante's they were like putting on a pair of slippers my feet were so happy...:) . I'm assuming that with the supply and demand and what's going on around the world that not only this shoe company but others are suffering. This is why there are issues with different sizes this is what I am assuming. I have been very happy with this shoe company, it's the only one that can actually fit my feet without doing a special order and even then I typically don't have much success.

Comfortable and breathable! BUT: 1. why are the laces so long?! 2. where is the extra hole for a runner's knot? 3. why are the eyelets on the outer touching each other after lacing the shoes down tight (otherwise they will slip)? i wear 11.5 in every other Altra show model and no other shoe does this 4. why is one of my left toes hitting the from (or is it the top) of the shoe? again does not happen in any other Altra model! I love Altra and wanted to love these. I have none of these issues with Rivera, Escalante Racer, and Torin--strange sizing and other design choices here. I guess I'll wait for the 3.

The shoe is very comfortable but has a weird shape and my foot slips inside the shoe when I'm working out. I bought these shoes to work out in. I bought the Tokala's for more causal purposes and work, but those shoes are actually better for working out as well because they fit so much better.

I like the midsole of this shoe, but probably would not buy again because the upper is too loose and stretchy. My foot slips of the shoe when cornering at speed. I'm going to try a v2, which I've heard is firmer and more secure.

Shoes were comfortable after a day. Wish Altras would keep some of there original shoes on the market. The original Escalante was perfect. No need to change it. The toe box was just right.

To be honest your redesign is not as comfortable as my two year old Escalante's.

I got these shoes back in August last year, but didn't start running consistently until January 2021. The shoes started out pretty good, nice and snug, but quickly became much looser. This is probably due to the "sock-like" upper so I think it is to be expected. It is hard to sprint around the curves on a track due to this looseness, but they serve me well for my slower distance runs (10k pace ~7:30 in these shoes). I have done some hiking in these as well. All in all, these are not horrible shoes! But they're not the best (for me), which is why they don't get 5 stars from me.

The 2.5's are okay, but a serious setback from other escelante's. Won't buy again until an update. I am a dedicated Altra escelante supporter. I've had numerous 1's, 1.5's. And five 2.0 versions. Every iteration had its set backs or improvements but nothing I got too worried about. This update went back to more of a 1.0 feel but with more weight. At first I really enjoyed the extra cushion they brought back. And the upper is comfy. But it's waaay to stretchy. Plus there are no lace lock holes so you have to sinch it so tight for it to feel snug. It feels like the most comfortable walking shoe ever. But not for serious runners. After several runs and one 20 mile run I got horrible tendonitis pain in the top of my foot because the upper had to be sinched down so tight in order to offer enough support. Honestly, I am so in love with escelante's that I threw away the return label immediately. But now I kinda wish I didn't. It shows promise. It's not all bad. I debated between 2 stars nd 3. But this version just isn't for me. It pains me to say this. But I'm going to switch to hoka rincon's until Altra gets some better light weight iterations of a daily trainer.

Okay, so the shoe is decent. Its light and what you expect from Altra, but I thought the Racer had a better hold. This shoe is not good if you roll your feet on landing. The slightest hill or down hill and you'll roll your ankle if not careful because the upper does not hold at all. The second comment is that I use the shoe as a daily runner and after two weeks the sides, soles, and colors are chipping away.

Love the midsole and the shoe feels amazing for walking and casual wear. However, that is NOT what I use the Escalante for. I am a runner, 35-40 miles per week. These are way too sloppy/loose in the upper. Figure it out please Altra. Balance the stretch with some structure! Needless to say, I returned them after very limited time and am now using the Torin 4 plush, since the Torin 4.5 plush has lack luster feedback as well. Respectfully, if it ain't broke, don't "fix" it Altra!

I've spent the last several years running exclusively on Altra shoes (and the Escalante!). I was expecting just a routine switch-out. But while these are definitely comfortable shoes when you slip them on, the fabric is a too stretchy / flexible, and I find my feet slipping around a lot in the shoes (so much so that I got blisters). Definitely bummed, since I've been such a big advocate of Altra, ever since I started running in them. Not too sure what to do with these shoes now... If Altra ever needs some user testing to test their products before mass producing them, I'd be happy to, because I want to support a brand that I care about.

The combination of lightweight materials and thin outsole made for more rolled ankles than I have ever had in a running shoe. I have the Timp 1.5 and the line peak 4.5 that do not have this problem. I have wide feet but nothing crazy. These feel like my foot is falling off the side.

I want to love these. They're great until 2-3+ miles when my big toes start to get too much friction. My feet just don't love these shoes.

Altra is great brand for run... Escalante 2.5, It is very disappointing. Narrow width, unfixed heel, flexible shell etc The worst! But mid-sole is really fantastic!! I love the 'ego' mid sole! So I will never buy again 2.5

After having 2 pairs of Altra Torins, I wanted to try some other models and bought the Escalantes as they are lighter and look nice. The main differences have been my foot slides around alot when changing direction while running. This doesn't happen with the Torins. I have high arches and need some amount of arch support and the Escalantes don't offer much of that either. So gave it a try, but I am now back to Torins. I also prefer the more aggressive tread pattern on the Torins. All that said, the Escalantes are a good looking, fairly comfortable shoe but I am only using them for walking rather than exercising.

I am still not sure these shoes are going to be good for longer distances. I don't really have time before the 30 days are expired to really know, so I'll just keep them and probably buy a different pair for longer distances if I don't feel the Escalante 2.5's are going to cut it.

happy to leapfrog the 2.0, but not quite ready for a regular runner. No double eyelet for lock-and loop. The sole is doing better than the 1.5 but already wearing down after one month. Still love Altra but running out of running shoe models that will work for me.

I wanted to love these. The sole has a nice feel, definitely more flexible out of the box than the previous version. I ended up sizing up half a size because the lateral part of the forefoot was a bit short for my toes in the same size of the previous version (no big deal - fixed it on the size up). I found them to be pretty nice for just walking about a bit. The upper has a nice feel out of the box. For actual running: - Poor rear foot hold with lots of heel slip. - The left shoe was kicking me out to the lateral part of my foot, giving me 5th metatarsal soreness. I have a lot (A LOT) of Altras and run a ton in Escalantes, Racers, Kings and LPs on every kind of terrain you could think of. I've never had this problem in any of those.

Just got them yesterday so I cannot speak to the durability but I can address the initial fit. Here is how I got here: Ive run my Escalante 1.5s into the ground, they look terrible, and the arch is shot but they were so comfortable. I had to replace them right before the 2.5s came out so I grabbed a pair of cut price 2.0s. When they first arrived, I was surprised to see they had removed a eyelet going from 7 to 6. It took a while to adjust my lacing pattern, but I eventually found something I thought would work. I put them on, went for a run, and they were so tight in the toes, not width wise, but height wise. I kept them right to the end of the return window, hoping they would stretch out, but they never did. After talking with customer service, they said many other customers had commented that the upper was not very stretchy in the 2.0 but they had fixed it in the 2.5. So I returned my 2.0s and bought a pair of the 2.5s. They arrived faster than expected. And lo and behold, the stretchy upper is back! I slipped them on and my toes could wiggle, they were so comfy. HOWEVER, when I sat down to lace them for a run, I was surprised to find that the eyelet layout had changed again. This layout is a problem. Instead of 6 eyelets laid out like the 2.0, they are laid out like the first 6 of the 1.5, which means the last eyelet used for a heel lock is gone. I tried a heel lock with the upper two eyelets, and I tried just lacing them really tight but my heels floated so much when I ran. I would only recommend these to someone who doesn't use a heel lock when running. I might return these and try the Escalante Racer next, or I might put the holes in myself. I don't know, I'm a bit disappointed.