Customer Reviews Altra Escalante 4

I like this pair better than my previous pair of Vihos. The break-in period was shorter this time. Great for road running or walking. Laces need more grip at the tie point. Also the tongue curls inward when sliding these on but neither of these issues is too much of a hassle.

I ordered the black and they're not black. They are dark grey (see attached photo next to my black sock). Also, the stitching around the top of the toe box is too tight. Aside from these two things, probably great shoes for somebody.

original footshape fit is back, so comfy!!! only complaint is that the tongue is a smidge thin and the heelstay isn't padded/a little bit low (have a very bony and thin top of foot and heel, size 15)

Tried the Escalante 4impressed! Super comfy, great for running & daily wear. Would definitely buy & recommend to others.

I spent many years as a fairly serious runner, my life being owned by Uncle Sam and a certain three-letter agency that required us to stay in very, very good shape. I ran six days a week--tempo runs, interval runs, track sprints, LSD runs and recovery runs--and would wear out a rotation of 4-5 shoes every 2-3 months. Right around the time I parted ways with that phase of my life, I discovered the Altra Escalante, just as its updated Version 1.5 came out. It was a revelation. The second I stood up in them I knew they were something special, and from the first 1/4 mile on the promenade I was converted. The unique sense of cushion under the midfoot, the spring and energy return, it was the PERFECT slower/recovery/distance shoe for me. Had I known what Altra was about to do with the next three iterations of the Escalante, I would've bought 15 more pairs right then and waited out the Dark Ages in pure bliss. But alas, hindsight is always 20/20. Today, I run only in Altra shoes, and for the past few years it's been just the Escalante and Escalante Racer (now THAT is a five-star shoe). I've stuck with Altra even through the abomination that was the Escalante 2, always getting my hopes up and coming home from the next maiden jog disappointed, so I had very low expectations for the new Escalante 4. Yesterday, my new Escalante 4 arrived on my doorstep. Short on time, I immediately installed my Lock Laces and took them out on a quick 4-miler. My initial reactions: 1) They immediately reminded me of a heavier Escalante Racer. The character, landing and toe-off felt remarkably similar. Now, the Escalante Racer is a brilliant shoe, possibly the best shoe Altra has ever made (hint, go buy 15 pairs now, just to be safe), but I didn't buy this shoe to run the kind of runs I do in the Racer. V4 definitely has less cushion than the first Escalante, but it also isn't stiff and awful like V2 and V3 and your fore/midfoot doesn't feel like it's slapping the pavement. 2) Again, I came into this with very, very low expectations. There didn't seem to be any perceptible spring or energy return (like with V1.5) but after the first couple of miles, I checked my Garmin and realized I was running my slow run around 0:15 to 0:30/mile faster than normal. Take that for what you will, but the updated design of this shoe might lead you to slightly faster times. 3) Build quality was what I've always expected of the Escalante, and in this sense the new version certainly satisfied. What I was primarily pleased with was, FINALLY, an all-black option. I don't do the whole rotation thing anymore so I'm generally in my Escalante 4-5 days/week and my Racer on the weekends for speed work. My Escalante gets dirty, and dirty fast. I've been waiting years for a completely black version. 4) For the last half-mile of my run I decided to pick up the pace a bit and finished off my run around 7:00/mile pace, and this confirmed my initial reactions to the shoe--it feels and behaves a lot more like the Escalante Racer than normal Escalante. A thicker, heavier Racer and not the slow/recovery run shoe I bought this to be, but not enough of a stark contrast for me to complain about it. Time permitting, I'll try to take them out again for a longer run this afternoon and hope for the best. I don't see them as needing much (if any) of a break-in period and don't see any issues coming up. Again, this is definitely an improvement over the last version and I'm already planning to order the green version for my dusk road runs along the coastline. What I'm more excited to try is the new Escalante Racer, with my fingers crossed that Altra didn't do to them what they did to the earlier Escalante. If I'm being honest, if it weren't for concerns about durability/longevity, I'd probably just run all of my runs in the Escalante Racer, but then there's the part of me that remembers the wonderful first versions of this shoe, and then the practical side that knows the Escalante always lasts me 5-6 months so just stick with it. Again, a good shoe but still not great. Will continue with Altra.

I received this shoe from the company for free in exchange for an unbiased review. This shoe is interesting in many ways. If you've never run Altra, then it's definitely a brand new experience. The roomier toe box is real. I didn't feel like my toes were crammed in any way. I enjoyed the zero drop feel as well. It feels fast. The shoe is lightweight and capable of handling all sorts of runs - long runs, fast runs, easy runs, etc. I especially will continue to use it for some shorter, faster runs while I'm still adapting to the zero drop feel. There was enough cushion to feel comfortable on some longer runs but I'm sold on this being something that you use for runs longer than 1.5 hours. I'm not sure it holds up well enough but I honestly haven't tried it yet. It's a great shoe and remains part of my rotation!

This is such a great pair of shoes! They are perfect for running, but also love to wear them just for walking as well. They are comfortable and provide a nice amount of support. I found that my feet do not get sore after a run when wearing these shoes. Definitely recommend!

This is my first time trying any Altra shoe. I like the width of the shoe as it feels roomy and not tight. The material is also breathable and not air tight. The cushion didn't do anything for me as I still have pain in my heel! I thought with extra cushioning I will not feel any pain but that's not the case - at least not with my experience.

Due to its wide toe box and flatness this is a comfortable, safe walking shoe for me. But the shoelaces (on multiple pairs) do not stay tied, for some reason. And this presents a fall/tripping hazard.

My husband was having hip and knee pain and switch to Altra Escalante's and the pain went away. He has been very happy with that. His only complaint with the Altra shoes has been how fast they wear out. The body of the shoe itself will develop holes and the heels will wear out much faster than previous brands he ran in.

This is my 6th pair of Altra's in 7 years and the first defect I experienced. Heel padding tore after 6 months of casual wear (Altra did honor the warranty). Overall a very comfortable shoe for casual wear but lacks support for training or serious running.

I generally love the Escalante and have for years. The Smartwool collab was without a doubt the most comfortable Escalante ever - temperature regulating and molded nicely to the foot. This newest version is a bit slimmer in the toe box than usual, so is not quite as comfortable. And after wearing the Smartwool all summer, this fabric seems really hot. It just doesn't breathe like the Smartwool did. Bring back the Smartwool!

They're great shoes but just wear out too fast. I had them for about 4 months with light use and they are at end of life. The heal foam is too soft and the rubber on the soles is far too minimal.

Great shoe. I really like them. I got them in white. But they don't breath at all so your feet will sweat through even the darn tough wool socks will be drenched if you try to them for a work shift, etc. I got the racer version to run in and will keep these for walking until I find something more breathable.

100 miler training shoe. Rotating between 3 pairs at a time. Great fit and keep me injury free. Unfortunately they're on their last leg around 150 miles. Will be switching to something more durable

The old ones were SO good, I do NOT like the updated version! They are more narrow through the midfoot which is super weird with the wide toe box. I order mens for the width but these are narrow. The lace system is so ridiculous, they don't stay tight or tied. Why did you change a good thing?

First Altras and they feel perfect. I wanted to get into running but needed more cushion than my Vivos. These feel just like vivos, wide, flexible, no drop, just with cushion. BUT I've only had them for a couple months and the soles under the outer toes have already worn/lost tread. I've probably only run less than 10 miles (taking easy on Achilles) and with walking I'm under 30-40 total miles. The tops still look brand new but the soles don't seem like they'll last very long. Unsure if I'd buy another pair if this is how fast they wear down. Unfortunate because these are by far the more comfortable/favorite shoes I've ever worn.

I just got my first pair of Altras recently and the Lone Peak 9 in 14 feels like the first shoe I've ever found that actually fits my foot. I immediately ordered a couple more pairs, including a pair of the Escalante 4 also in a 14. In the Lone Peak 9, my toes have room to spread out and there's also a little room in the end so they're not bunched up anywhere. In the same size on the Escalante, my toes are jammed right to the end of the shoe. I haven't worn them out running yet, but not sure they'll work well for me unless I can find some hidden space inside of them. I'd order a half size larger but up at the top end my only option is to go a full size up and I don't know if that would work for me either.

This shoe could be so amazing if you just changed a couple things! Wide toe box...zero drop...so comfortable. I love it! If you want a minimal shoe but not too minimal this is it. BUT .... Why is the tread so cheap it wears down after a few months of just walking? Why is the "black" this weird gray color? Would love if you just improved these two things.

I had a comment about these being dark blue in color and I forgot about that comment and ended up purchasing these. The fit is awesome but the color is not black. I wish I had more characters to complai

Good, comfortable shoe, but poorly made and falls apart rather quickly. Tongue stiching began to unravel after 2 weeks. With that being said I have bought 2 pairs because of the comfortable fit!

I've each had another pair of your shoes prior to these and they fit perfectly. We go the same sizes this time but they are bigger. The lack of consistency has created a less than optimal experience.

This is my third pair of Altras and these fit larger than the others (Superior 5 and Lone Peak all weather). I do like how they look though, I went with the all-grey.