Customer Reviews Altra Escalante 4

I am a fan of the Escalante style shoe, but each iteration is progressively worse. The latest Escalante 4 is wearing in the heel before the 50 mile mark. Never had heel wear on earlier versions.

The shoes fit and feel very good right out of the box but I got the black/white expecting them to be black but they are clearly navy blue and look silly when pared with back socks or black pants.

Light breathable shoe but sole does not last very long, within 4 months the "inserts" in the sole started to delaminate from the main sole attached to the shoe. Nothing like walking on a flat tire!

I have had Altras for years. This is the first pair of Escalantes that have had abnormal wear on the internal heal. Only a few months in of walking- already a hole in the fabric and insulation.

Everything about these is awesome except the tongue just ends up moving all the way to the side whenever you run and is not gusseted. Had to return them.

I love everything about how they feel. Unfortunately, the stitching came away where the tongue connects to the rest of the shoe on both shoes after putting about 30 miles in them.

I love the earlier models. One of the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn. I would wear them for walking around, running, and lifting. This newer model is far worse. The feel and appearance of the tongue and material around the ankle are just awful. I cannot imagine walking around in them as an everyday shoe let alone life in them. Please return to the previous generations .

Ugh, I've owned so many pairs of the original Escalante Racers -- I was hoping the new Escalante's would have the same foot feel. The new soles are somewhere between supportive and free and yet somehow worse than both. The shoes make my feet numb, I feel more injury prone, and they just don't breath the soul of what made Altra, Altra. This is a shoe that lost its soul. Pun intended. Bring back your most popular shoe -- this iteration was a BIG miss. I've tried these shoes over and over again hoping they'd break in, but each time I run in them, I regret it. I love you Altra, this shoe is wrong. Listen to all the reviews of the original Racer vs. these. There are dozens if not hundreds of people saying the same thing. I don't know what my new road shoe should be now that's zero drop and relatively low cushion as mid-foot striker. It's not this one, and there isn't another one in your lineup.

Alta's Escalante 4 is a great shoe in terms of fit, comfort, speed, and flexibility. However the durability is probably the worst out of the 10+ Altra shoes I have owned in the past. The tread on the bottom is worn down after only 30+ miles. I want to love this shoe so badly, but the durability is just not the same as previous models.

Altra Escalante 4 purchased on November 15th, 2024. First use on November 25th, 2024 with an easy 10km. As result, the outsole on the outer part has already gone (see on the pictures) on both shoes !!! After 10 km !!!! At this price !!! It's simply a disgrace. As a long time Altra shoes user (since the lime one Altra The One and the blue one Torin 1), I can compare several versions of different Altra models. And I can confirm without any hesitation that the durability of Altra shoes has shown an inverse relationship with their prices. I already had a durability issue with my Altra Torin 5, With the upper litteraly cut after 3 months. I feel like Altra has sacrified everything that made their strengths (durability, prices, large toebox, low stack) ton the altar of profitability. Altra was once unique because it was THE company which produced zero-drop with large toeboex shoes. But now, they become A mainstream company among others which sells shoes like others companies, and from time to time, releases a model with large toebox, a big marketing tralala to support it ... I doubt my review will be read by some Altra product manager, neither it will be published ... but one thing is hundred percent sure : these will be my last Altra shoes, and once used, I will choose another brand.

Been wearing Escalante's for over a decade. These are some of the best looking, but probably worst quality. Normally, I get ~5-6 months before getting a hole above my big toe. These lasted ~6 weeks.

I was so stoked to hear that Altra was finally going back to the original design of the Escalante. I loved this shoe right when I tried it on. Stake height is great, wide feel is amazing. But only 190 miles in to my marathon training and the tread has almost completely worn out and is falling off the sole. This adds significant setbacks to my training now that I have to find a new pair of shoes at such a low mileage. I was so excited for this return to quality to be disappointed with it falling apart.

Purchased these through the Altra site. The fit was not correct. Great difficulty reaching a human to initiate return. It's been over 3 weeks and still haven't heard from Altra about shoes arriving.

This is the second review I'm leaving for this model (my first is viewable), after about 150 miles on this pair. I began running in my new pair at the beginning of May, almost two months ago. I run almost daily, anywhere from 3-5 miles every morning, mostly slower jogs during the week and one or two quick days in my Escalante Racer on the weekends. At first, I was moderately pleased with the upgrades in the Escalante 4, although not thrilled (see review), but still planning to stick with the Escalante as it has been my go-to "slow" shoe since the 1.5. Then, over the past month or so, I've been waking up with a nagging and increasing pain on the inside of my right knee. I ignored it as it wasn't affecting my actual run--the pain would set in afterwards. Then, yesterday, I put in a slow 5-miler and this morning I'm now having trouble bending my knee or walking. I'm on my way to the orthopedic clinic now for an xray. I don't do any other sort of athletic activity, and certainly nothing strenuous. I have not injured myself in any way, shape or form over the past two months. No jumping, no lifting, no squatting, nothing. In twenty years of running, the ONLY time I've ever experienced this kind of knee pain was almost twenty years ago, back when I was a heavier heel-striker, new runner and ignorantly used the wrong type of support shoe based on an ignorant friend's recommendation. I tossed the shoe and the problem disappeared. I hate to say this as Altra Escalante, for better or worse, has been my go-to for many years and is the only brand of running shoe I own, but I can think of no other reason except for my new Escalante 4 to explain the issues I'm having with my knee. Faulty design? Premature deterioration in shoe structure/support? I don't know, but I can tell you now that I'll be shelving my Escalante 4 immediately, taking a couple days off and then running only in my pair of old Racers for now and if the pain disappears then, unfortunately, the Escalante 4 may be the last iteration of this model I run in. If anyone else is experiencing the same sort of pains, know that you're not the only one.

Use shoes for walking. Tongue is weird making it awkward to put shoe on. Shoelaces come undone within a few minutes. These flaws are contrast to earlier versions. I would never buy again.

Wearing Altra's for 8 years. The inside heel fabric on the Escalante 4's blew out after 4-5 days of walking and caused blisters, used to happen on lone peaks after 6 months of use. No reciept, no love

I've been wearing Altra shoes almost since they existed, and I've been wearing the Escalante since the 1.0 version back in 2018. The 1.5 version's true sock-like upper gave my small foot, but wide forefoot, all the room it needed, and the midsole foam was the perfect amount of cushioning versus road feedback. I had finally found the perfect running shoe. Yay, Altra! In fact, I still have all three of my retired pairs of the 1.5 - I just can't part with them. Fast forward to the Escalante 4.0. It claims to have an upper with a sock-like fit like the 1.5. It does not; it's much stiffer and not nearly as roomy in the toebox. This is the biggest area where Altra has failed from the 2.5 onward - the shrinking toebox. Also, it claims to have the same Altra Ego midsole foam. Again, it does not. I can put a version 4.0 on one foot and a 1.5 on the other, and there is no comparison. They both may say "Altra Ego" on the shoe, but the midsole foam of the 4.0 is dead right out of the box, providing no feedback and dull, lifeless cushioning. I'm 5'11' and 160 lbs., and after 253 miles logged on the version 4, the midsole is almost completely compressed in the forefoot. All foam compresses eventually, but this seems very premature compared to all the previous versions I've worn. I guess I'll never understand why shoe companies will hit on a winning combination that results in a "fan-favorite", like the 1.5, and then alienate their fanbase by breaking everything that was fixed. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

For yrs 250km/wk in USA/CAN cities 0-injury via LP6, LP5, no insoles, no tying, full cush SW socks to take up vol. 50km in Esc = horrible spasms, LP6 on for 50k = :), Esc walk 5mi = spasm. Return.

this is my second pair of altras and i'm just disgusted with the low quality of their products. it's especially disheartening because altras are the only shoes that i've worn that don't kill my feet, back, knees, and hips. except - one day they suddenly do. i can't even remember the name of the first pair i bought, but they were the most comfortable pair of shoes i had ever worn. i walk a lot at work, but they were worn out after three months. i couldn't have worn them more than 200 miles at that point. so, i bought a pair of escalante 4s, and the heel was beginning to fray after one week. based on data from my watch, i had only put 95 miles on them. my entire body hurts now, and i checked the insert and it's completely worn through. i don't have $130-170 to spend every three months on shoes.

I used a pair of escalante 2.5 for over a year for daily walking and work shoes, they were great. These newer pair had interior heel cups tear and wear out in 2 months of light use. Horrible quality

Wanted use for walking and light/moderate strength training.