Customer Reviews Altra Escalante 2

I had to order these a half-size larger than I usually wear to get a comfortable length. I wish they were just slightly wider. I have high arches, so I had to readjust the laces. (I may remove the strip that holds the laces on top of the tongue.) I replaced the inner soles, which were adequate, with high-quality ones that have excellent arch support. I wear the shoes for throughout the day. They're light and comfortable. They look nice and are relatively unobtrusive since they're all black.

Great shoe, but not for me! Unfortunately, I really think that if Altra offered wide width shoes, this could be the shoe for me. The wide toe box is great, but without the corresponding midsole width, this is just too uncomfortable for me to run in. I got a HUGE blister from a short, 4 mile run. If you have anatomically flat and wide feet, this shoe is NOT for you, despite reviews saying that it is.

I usually wear a max size of 10 in athletic shoes so I was surprised that the 10 was short. If you have a Tailor's Bunion (bump on the pinkie toe side of the foot), the shape of this shoe/toe area looks perfect. I have a big bunion on the big toe side and the shoe was rather straight there. Not as comfy as I hoped for so I’ll be returning these. My podiatrist recommended this brand so I may still try a size 10.5 but I’m a little nervous it may not work out either.

I've owned 3 pairs of the Altra Lone Peak and the Escalante runs very long compared with those, at least 1/2 size too big. They are stretchy and don't offer a lot of support. I returned them.

I like the large toe box but my foot is not shaped the way the shoe is. My second and third toes are longer than my big toe so they hit the curve. I guess I’ll have to go back to the traditional shoe shape

Ouch -- waaaay too tight across the ball of the foot; I couldn't even get my foot into the shoe without removing the insole. On the plus side: toe room was good, as expected for Altra.

My foot doctor told me to try these but I did not realize they were so flat and wide so I'm not sure what I'm going to do but these just don't work.

I loved the comfort. It's like walking on air. It has a wide toe box which I need. But, the shoe is so difficult to put on .....even with a shoe horn because the heel is kind of flimsy.

These shoes fit fairly well and are mostly comfortable. Unfortunately I think the toe box area arches inward more than my foot does, so they are not a good match for my particular food configuration.

While I ultimately returned these, I would still recommend that you try them if you are looking for a zero drop shoe, plenty of room in the toe box, and some cushion. I get tired of saying, "Why aren't shoes shaped like feet?" These shoes are definitely shaped like feet, albeit it in a little bit of an exaggerated way, as another reviewer mentions. They definitely curve in too much to the inside. My big toe was sitting in the middle of the shoe. A nice change from being squished into a narrow toe box, but I think Altra can take it a liiiittle easier on the curved foot shape. These were firmer than the original Escalante, which made me feel like I was unstable (and walking on a marshmallow). The Escalante 2 did not give me that unstable feeling, but it still offers a nice amount of cushion if you need it. The white is super cute, but the overly shaped toe box makes it look a little goofy. For reference, I wear a 7.5M in Altra and Merrell, and an 8.0 in most other brands of running shoes. I wear a 38N in Birkenstock. I tried a 7.5M in the Escalante 2 and it fit as expected.

I ordered these shoes because I have a pair of Altra boots and love them. I use Superfeet inserts in all of my shoes so the "barefoot" effect of Altra shoes is offset somewhat due to the fact that I use those inserts. I also have a bone spur on the top of one of my feet and in most shoes with an open toe box (no seams) my feet do fine. But this shoe has a seam that was right on top of the bone spur and while I might have been able to live with that, after a day of wearing them indoors, my knee was killing me which was not true in the moring when I put them on. So I returned them. They might do fine for someone else.

I own these shoes in a different color so I assumed these would be the same, since it's the same model, same size. I wore them for a day or two and realize the are too snug. The first pair, from Oct 2019 were made in China, these, Jan 2020 were made in Vietnam. Clearly a quality control problem. And I tossed all the packaging as I assumed they'd be the same!

I cannot wear these shoes. I don’t know what has changed, but they are far too stiff in the upper. Maybe the tape that the laces run under? Unfortunate change; I love Altra shoes and this would have been my second pair of Escalantes. They are just too shallow; and I do not have a particularly high instep. Even with the laces loosened as much as they could be (and the shoes still tie) after ten minutes I was seriously uncomfortable. Back they will go. Too bad, I liked the look of them. Interestingly, my new Lone Peaks are *fine*. Just got back from a four mile hike. Do better, Altra!