Customer Reviews Altra Superior 5

Love these so far. I also love the Superior 4.5 I wear 12.5 in the Superior 5, but in the Superior 4.5 I'm a 13 subtle difference in toe box Once I got the right size, great out of the box, slight different feel, overall still great initial fit, feel and support

i've run the superiors since the 2.5's and, though the 5's have some big improvements (i think the upper is a big improvement) and the heel is dialed, but the last is just a little too narrow for me. i always say the model before was the best and by the time i hit the end of the new version i'm convinced the new one is now the best. 43 actual, sized 45. altra, make these wider again.

Loved my first Altra shoe during the summer, but they've almost killed me as we moved into last wetter weather. Very grippy and comfortable in dry conditions that I wanted to wear them all the time. However they are also the slipperiest shoe when it's damp I ever owned. They are now relegated to dry conditions only.

I use this shoe for grass and gravel PT, fits great now that i returned my previous size and ordered a whole size up. Just the right amount of cushion I was looking for, wide toe box and good quality so far.

Have had them a couple months now and I wear them every day and trail run in it many days per week too. This is a good shoe however I have one problem that is minus 1 star. Perhaps it's because my instep is slightly higher than the average, but the laces can dig into the top of my foot since they attach to the eyelets fairly low down on the upper and so tend to go up and over the top of my foot rather than straight across. I have to be careful to not make them too tight, but not too loose either for running. Given the nice wide toe box it's often helpful to tighten up the upper nice and snug sometimes for technical running on slopes but I can't really do that. Altra should definitely reconsider this design and make the tongue not so wide in the Superior 6.

On my second pair of these, definitely a great shoe... Still not a huge fan of the lace holes/setup but still one of the better trail shoes with a low stack height. Really wish they would come in khaki or an olive drab...

Took them out for a tenner straight out of the box. The only thing I did was put my custom insoles, they are so good. No blisters at all - that is a first for me after 15 years of distance running. I can feel the trail but my feet are not naked, they are tight in all the right places, and they have great traction. Only downside is that my heel feels like it is not in the shoe when I run, yet when I stand still it feels like it is lower than everything else. It is weird. I still really like them!

Don't use for weight training involving deadlifts or squats

First off let me say that I love Altra Superior shoes. I had a previous version that I loved an put an ungodly amount of miles on. That previous version got 5 stars from me with no hesitation because it was the best running shoe I've ever had. Finally it was time to get a new pair so of course I went with Superior. This new version did not live up to the previous version though and I was very bummed about it. My feet kept sliding forward on downhills and my toes would get crunched up at the front. This was a huge problem for me and I thought I might return them, but I gave them a shot. I figured out that the upper portion of the shoe is very minimal as to have no structure and the laces are stretchy. Both of these cause the issue of my foot slipping forward. So I purchased new, non-stretchy laces and it seems to have solved the problem pretty well! Also, a smaller point of contention is that I like the aesthetics of the previous versions much better too!

Overall, the superior 5 is a well designed shoe. The feel, response, and color schemes are great. I'm really glad altra kept the burrito style tongue on it. The reason I gave only four stars was it didn't have the front hook for gaiters. I'm shocked and kinda disappointed in altra for not including it. I kept tiny rocks in my shoes and know this would've been prevented with a front hook. But, I still believe the superior 5 is a good shoe and all. But, if you run on trails and half of the time those trails are loose dirt, I would take this into consideration before buying them.

great

I hike for my work, averaging 80 miles a month in the busy season with a 50+ pound backpack. I like these shoes because they are very lightweight, dry quickly, and have a good shape (roomy but not sloppy). Zero drop is nice and I don't like the squish of lone peaks or other trail runners. I wish they were more durable. Less than 300 miles in sole is delaminating and the upper is tearing where in meets the sole on the outside edge of both shoes, about where the laces end. This version seems to hold odor more tenaciously than previous versions of the superior, which I find mysterious.

I've run through 5 pairs of Superiors since the 3rd edition. They were my go-tos for everything up to 50k. The 5th editions are uncomfortably narrow in the toe box. I went up a half size and they're still restricting. With the Vanish XC long gone and my lack of interest in the new maximalist shoe lines, this will likely be my last Altra. It was good while it lasted...

Why is altra narrowing their shoes it is pitiful to think that the reason in the beginning was to provide foot shape shoes most peoples feet are now shoe shape. I hope they chang this in the future because this is one of there most minimal shoes and the narrower they make it the more injury prone it makes you.

Three starts only because I found the shoes to be uncomfortable without the stone guards in them.

Love the gray pair ran 7 miles right out of the box bought a black pair for work they don't work

This shoe is light and fast. I love it in the right conditions. The fit is fantastic and I have completed up to 20 mile runs in them without any issue. Traction is awful on a damp or muddy trail.

Tried size 8 at a store: was too big and unstable. Wound up getting size 7 from the website and the toes were scrunched up against the front of the shoe. I would have sized up but Altra doesn't offer these in 7.5, which is strange. It's disappointing because I wanted to love these for being my local trailrunning shoe, counterpart to my mountain running Lone Peaks, but it wasn't meant to be. P.S. My Lone Peak 6 is a size 7.0 wide and the fit is perfect.