Customer Reviews Topo Athletic Phantom 2

Great shoes so far. Have been a HOKA guy for years but these are definitely itself a nice addition to my running shoe problem. Will definitely buy TOPOs again!

I have ran in a few Topos over the years. I needed to return to a 5mm drop after a few seasons on 0mm (knees starting telling me so). Decided to give these a try since they also offered a stiffer ride. That is a fact. Took a good week to get used to that but now my gait and wheels are in sync. Now I can feel that extra bounce the tension plate gives out. The tongue is a bit stiff and long cutting into my ankle above the no show sock line. Glad to see bright FUN colors... after all running is supposed to be happy. Topo needs to do better with its colors and schemes across all RUNNING shoes - come on guys - live a little! The standard Black, awful White, typical Blue, Green or Gray are boring. I do like the colors and design of the new MTN Racer 2 that is more like it - creative and eye catching. Anyway, I am positive these will allow the 300+ miles Topo usually gives me especially since it is firmer. Overall it is a solid runner and delivers what it advertises.

I have been backpacking in these shoes for nearly 150 miles so far, and actually look forward to putting them on to hit the trails! The trails around here are rocky and "rooty", but the sole plate and the tread lugs make it safe and enjoyable. My backpack weight is around 25 lbs with full food and water, but I still have good support from the shoes. I have had only one wear area show up and that is right at the Achilles area padding on both shoes. It could probably have a thicker material there to prevent breakdown. Overall, I am super pleased to have finally found not only a comfortable shoe, but also a very functional one!

Got the 1/2 size smaller... Fit would be perfect if it wasn't for the crazy firm toe protection piece... If you like a good snug fit on the length, you may not like the toe protection. It gets in the way in a painful way with my pinky toe. Might have to suffer with a slightly too big shoe because the size that fits my foot size perfect is ruined by the toe cap/guard... With all that said, if you can find the perfect fit and not be bothered by the toe cap, I highly recommend these shoes.

needs more cushion, plus they are just a little narrow for my bunion

I prefer zero drop shoes for running. I have many Altra shoes and I decide to try the Topo because of zero drop and big toe box. Magnifly 3 is a perfect shoes for my regular training because of comfortable cushion without the big stack height. It is a little heavier than my Altra but not by much.

I primarily bought these for work, as I do a fair amount of walking outside, but also wanted something for some actual hiking. I have a "bad" right knee so I had to give up backpacking and bigger mountain hikes, but still wanted something to help me enjoy the great outdoors. These seemed to alleviate a lot of knee pain, and that is just coming off from a 30 day trial on the Hoka Challenger Mid with Gore-Tex! I like the way these fit width wise, like Keen [also Sketcher Extra-Wide] boots. Because these have that same WIDE look, that are better for those of us with wider toe boxes, like EEE. I have tried almost every brand with wide sizes under $200, and these just simply feel better for my foot, but they should still offer a wide option...PLEASE! Not a lot of interior height either, so going to try some lacing techniques to try and free up some room for my higher volume feet, plus to be able to run thicker or cushioned socks, and also to hopefully eliminate heel lifting(getting a little better). But I am not too hopeful, because there is no leather to stretch or even break-in. Length is like Danner and Sketchers for me, in that they are a half to a full size bigger than I wear in every other boot. I am normally a 10w-10.5w, but had to go down to a 9.5 on these. I have had these for a couple of weeks now and appreciate the waterproof [and breathable] booties, because I also work in the rain, and walk across dew covered drenched lawns in the mornings. However we will see how long they stay waterproof, as I don't have much luck with waterproof/breathable membranes, besides Gore-Tex, and that only last a year for me. Most others brand versions start leaking on me within two weeks to about 3-4 months. My better half says I should be a boot tester for all the brands of boots I have owned and failed. They still do make my feet sweat, even with eVent, especially compared to the apparently very breathable Hoka boots I just tried. I also prefer leather, so this will be the first full nylon boot I have ever tried, and so far I don't mind them. One less boot to Sno-Seal. However, just like the waterproofness, we will see how the outside holds up long term. Likes: wider toe box and squared off toe design(like Keen), stable transition through the gate cycle, Vibram outsole :), speed lacing with a 'lace-lock' feature, isolation from rocks and roots from the full-length ESS rock plate, waterproof [so far]. Annoyances: Slightly heavier than the Hoka boot I just had, sweaty despite the eVent DVdryLT one-piece upper that is supposed to be breathable, stiff sole(so unfortunately lots of heel lift) probably due to that full-length ESS rock plate, no wide sizes(even though they are wider than most other boots "wide" sizes), low volume(so need to wear thin socks), and thin/too flexible removable insole which make insertion after drying difficult.

I hope they last, I run about eight hours a week mostly trails, the Vibram sole was the reason I bought these shoes. They feel less comfortable comparing to Nike, or other brands I've tried but I don't want to buy shows every three month.

I use them to walk in and I would change the mid foot. When I toe off it doesn't feel wright, as if was walking in sand

I am a fan of Topo Ultrafly but I'm not entirely sold on the Phantom 2. My main issue is with the midsole. Even though it uses Zipfoam, it felt clunky and rigid. I hope the Zipfoam feels better on the Phantom 3. The upper was okay but might be a bit warm during the summer months. I also felt that the sizing was a touch small, too. If Topo want to stay in the market, they need to step up their game around their foams.

This is my 6th pair of Topo Athletic shoes and the first one I'm disappointed with. I've done a few 10-20km runs on them and just one word comes into my mind - sloppy. I am a high cadence short ground contact runner and this shoe just encourages bad form and heel strike unfortunately. Also the joint between eva and zipfoam creates a hotspot under the toe - roomy toe box loses sense when your toe gets blisters because of this.

The first pair I purchased (slate/black) fit perfectly. However, the 2nd pair I bought (yellow/black) don't. There's more heel cushion on the yellow/black pair, so I don't get a good snug fit. My heel slips when I walk. From experience, I know this will lead to discomfort and blisters. For years, I've noticed that different colors of identical shoes will fit differently around the heel. I find this inconsistency frustrating.

I had to return them as the toe area felt cramped and the shoe too tight.

Bought phantom 2 and cyclone at the same time. Cyclone fits great with just enough room in length and toe box for comfort, however my toes almost touch the end of the phantom 2. Not sure if other shoes from Topo fit so different or not, have to size up to a 15 in these instead of my normal 14 just hope it's not a floppy mess!

I want a running shoe with a wide toe box and a bit of heel elevation (my calves get so sore with zero drop). These fit the bill for that, for sure. My only issue is that the arch is too much in these shoes, but I get that I don't have much of an arch, so this is subjective. If they came with less arch, it'd be perfect for me. It's probably already perfect for others, which is great!

I use these Phantoms to knock out miles on the road. The color scheme (Ocean/Lime) is beautiful, toe-box is wonderfully spacious, and the midsole is plush. The two things that might prevent me from getting this shoe again are: (1) The stitching down the outside of the shoe doesn't stretch or shift like the actual upper material, so those stitch lines cut into my lateral metatarsal area. Ouch! [I actually did some "shoe surgery" and cut out a section of this stitching, so that it stopped cutting into my foot.] (2) I'm guess this this is to save weight, but the amount of rubber on the outsole is lacking. On the lateral edge, I wore through the outsole in about 250 miles, and now only have midsole. I underpronate/supinate, so this isn't a brand new occurrence, but it feels faster than normal. I've thrown some shoegoo on that area of the sole to act as a makeshift rubber outsole. We'll see how it works!

The toe box is slightly too wide my toes slide forward and there is alittle to much material just before the laces . I do like the phantoms extra padding for my Achilles problem,the springiness helps this 63 year old runner

While the midsole and outsole are very reminiscent of V-1, I found it very difficult to get a secure lockdown in the Ultraventure 2. I have changed the laces three times in an attempt to dial in fit. The microfiber band that goes around the midfoot is tacky but the heel area and fabric of the upper lacks the ability to keep me secure. The dual density upper is fairly thick but too stretchy and hot. Certainty not the greatest choice for hot weather running. Also, the lace loops are a paracord type(new to V-2). I do wonder if this contributes to the lack of security. The ortholite insole is super comfortable but it is a LITERAL sponge for sweat and water(also an issue in V-1). I rate this shoe as a 3 because i don't hate it...however, it needs to live up to, and/or surpass V-1 to recieve higher marks. I am hyper critical of this shoe because it has potential to be awesome. A positive feature of V-2 is it's loss of nearly 1 oz in my size 11. I will continue training in it but will not be able to race in the Ultraventure 2. Please change the upper on V-3.

I've got 32 miles on these, running on the PCT here in Tahoe. Want to love them and was bothering Topo to get my hands on a pair, but unless they do better over the next few miles they are going back. Likes, wide toe box, that is shaped like my foot. Very nice. Stable, as i have broken my ankle before, I'm always concerned. This was really nice. Dislikes. Typical slippery Topo laces. Liner appears to be odd shaped and does not go back in smooth nor flat. Topo specific gatter attachment. Come on, lets get some industry uniformity. 1st run was 6 miles. Was hoping for more comfort from new shoes. The cushion was not there, better then Altra's by far but still for the stack height, and all the talk about the new mid-sole I was hoping for more. Sure Im, 195 lbs but... What i really disliked is on the bottom of both heals, it was like I was running on rails. I'll add a photo below. Its like they put too much stability control into the show or the foot bed was made out of slightly harder places in lines. 2nd run. 6 miles. They felt better. Laces are still not great and I found myself stopping a lot. My ankles and legs felt tired. 3rd run. 20 miles with 3,500 feet gain. The hardness under the heals seemed to go away totally on my left foot. It went away for about 10 miles on the right then came back. I was surprised how tired my knees, quads and ankles got. Sure the PCT is rocky but I've run this section before with others and nothing like this. No way could I have worn them for a 50k. Feet and ankles hurt the next day. Maybe Im looking for the holy grail of shoes, and I thought this one would have it. Nice toe box for my flipper feet, combined with the structure to be a stable shoe but comfort is not there. After 32 miles, I'll try them again on a shorter run but anticipate sending them back.