Customer Reviews Altra Escalante 4

The shoes are great but I have been wearing daily for their purpose and I am slowly feeling the difference after three weeks. Can they last three months? I don't think so

Shoe is great for every day use. I wanted to shoe that was not very tall, but offered enough cushion to go on long walks and some road running. Only shoe on the market that has a wide toebox and zero drop. The cushion on the Achilles heel does not feel good bare skin so you do have to wear longer socks.

I love my Altras, so you won't catch me saying too much bad.... But when I order a black shoe, I want it to be a black shoe, not a dark charcoal gray shoe and the color on the black just wasn't quite right

I'd almost given up on Altra since they "updated" the Racer (Racer 2s just didn't really work for me) but in the never ending quest to find the perfect zero drop daily trainer I thought I'd give these a chance since I'd heard they're comparable to the 1.5's, which I loved and ran numerous marathons and ultras in. I was amazed that these fit my feet perfectly right out of the box with a very spacious toe box and are super comfortable. Sizing feels maybe a quarter to a half size shorter than the Racer 2's for comparison. The ride is very enjoyable with the perfect blend of cushioning and responsiveness. Not too firm but also not too soft like I found the original Escalantes to be. The only downfall I see to this shoe, as has been a problem with Altra for a while now, is the durability. After only !4 or so miles there is already smoothing on the tread in numerous spots, the kind of wear I'd expect to see on a shoe with at least 50-100 miles on it. None of my other shoes from other brands or my numerous pairs of racers have shown that much wear this quickly. Disappointing as otherwise this feels like a great shoe.

Trying my first pair of Escalnate. So far, so good. The only downside is its upper. I have to adjust the shoelaces every time so that my foot can slip in and out. A bit annoying.

I had my last pair for three years. They are a perfect gym shoe and a nice dark black. Unfortunately, my new dog ate them. My new ones arrived today and are not remotely black. They are navy/gray color as someone else described. The picture on the website definitely shows a true black. I already have a gray Altra and I'm bummed that my go to gym and work shoe is no longer going to match with all of my black clothing. I highly recommend advertising it as the color it is, or even better, pretty please bring back the nice dark black version! The shoe itself still looks and fits great. I guess time will tell if the sole peels back as others have mentioned.

I absolutely love these shoes. I bought one pair around the beginning of June and loved them so much that I bought another pair a month or so later. They are awesome to walk in and wear on a daily basis. They are so comfortable right out of the box. The only complaint I have is that the first pair I bought now have holes in the back of the heels so they now hurt my heel when I wear them. They are only 3 months old! It's unfortunate to pay that much for a pair of shoes for them to only last 3 months.

I really love these shoes and they have actually been really great for my shin splints and back. However, a section of the sole is peeling off after only about a month and a half of wear possibly even less than that. I don't really wear them that much since it's summer and I've been in mostly sandals, but I've been wearing them to the gym about four times a week. They peeled off after less than 25 days of wearing them which I've never had to happen with any other shoes. However, I continue wearing them because they have been the best shoes for my back and shins. I just wish the sole was better quality.

I have an older version of this shoe that I love. I bought this version hoping to love it as muchbut I just don't. They aren't as softplus my old shoes felt like they were made just for my feet when I put them on the first time. These are somewhat stiff and feel like they are mass produced.

I LOVE these Escalante and want Altra to return to its core of being a comfortable, flexible running shoe. I love these! I wish Altra would bring back their Plush model as it felt like these with additional cushion (for 50+ like me). I am a runner/ walker and Physical therapist and believe in the zero drop shoes. But they can not be too stiff for running, and for running- I do not like the "rocket bottom" shoes. Stay true to your original vision Altra!!!

I loved the Escalante 2.5, but I cannot buy them anywhere anymore. I could not wear the 3s at all. However, I can tolerate the new 4.0s. I wish the sole/cushion feel were like the 2.5s because this shoe doesn't have that same feel and feels firmer. Plus, the shoe is not as bendable as the 2.5s and feels more stiff. I like to feel the ground, but I also like the support because I cannot wear barefoot shoes with thin soles. However, the new fabric/net choice is a definite improvement because my toes will not poke holes in it so quickly. Please bring back the 2.5s, but with this new fabric around the shoe, my feet will be in heaven! Thanks, Altra!!!!

Incredibly comfortable, and a great fit! Barefoot shoes don't agree with my feet, so it's really excellent to find zero drop shoes with cushioning in them. They feel amazing, and the toe box is big enough to wear toe spreaders during the day, which helps me rehab some injuries. I'm confident these are going to be excellent cross training/standard gym shoes. Would have been five stars, except the blue color looked like a pale turquoise (kind of blue green) or electric blue online. In person it's actually an (imho) boring and unattractive powder blue/baby blue. If I had seen these shoes in person prior to purchase, I 100% would have picked a different color. It's terrible. Absolutely recommend them for comfort and function. If you have feelings about colors (which I clearly do *lol*), see them in person first or else just go with the boring basic black or gray.

I love this sneaker so much! It is a half-size too big, but with a thicker sock it's perfect. If you're in between sizes, I'd say go smaller. These are so comfy though and supportive on my arches and do not make my knees hurt as they provide a bounce.

Walking and at work (12 hours a day). Very comfortable but the shoelaces are cheap and won't last. Highly recommend a better quality lace for expensive shoes.

This have a great wide toe box and zero lift, which i love. The opportunity: I got blisters on ankles for first 2-3 weeks then after three months (used to walking) the ankle support wore through fabric and foam. Never had this happen in my life with a shoe.

I've been running in the Escalante 2.5 for a few years (I bought more than one pair) and was so in love with that shoe that when they finally kicked the bucket last month I bought the Escalante 4 assuming it would be similar enough. Not so. The toe box is significantly narrower, which makes no sense since Altra is known for having wide, foot shaped shoes. When I first took them out of the box I immediately noticed the narrowness but thought that maybe my older shoes had just stretched out (not the case, they're actually narrower). The outsole is also slightly slippery on wet sidewalks if the concrete has any exposed aggregate, which I never found with the Escalante 2.5. Just a minor issue, but the laces are also extremely short. Like difficult to double knot short which infuriates me. I swapped the laces out for the ones from my old shoes. Honestly not a huge fan but I'll keep running in them until I find something that feels more like the 2.5 again because my old shoes are so dead. I'm also sad because I've struggled to find shoes that fit my feet my whole life since I have very "foot shaped" feet (wide toes, narrow heels). The Escalante 2.5 was like my holy grail. Why would a company that prides itself on room for toe splay, narrow the toe box?! Mourning the loss of a great shoe and back to the drawing board I guess.

I have been buying altra's for years. Escalate and escalate racers are my favorite. The last few years these have just gone down hill. Please stop competing with Hoka. Go back to the 1.5s with less cushion.

Putting these on was like a dream. Love the zero drop, love the glove-like feel, super fast. However, the outsole wore out WAY too fast. Would love to find an alternative that lasts longer.

In a world of massive stack heights, a shoe like this is kinda hard to find. This is what I'd imagine OG altra vibes were giving, but I'm newer to wearing altras. I like what they offer: fairly low stack, zero-drop. Decent step-in comfort with a foam that's nothing special but doesn't need to be; it's soft enough without feeling like you're just sinking through it. Groundfeel is great. I'm not a barefoot type so this is about as minimal as I'll go, and these are pretty much the only shoes I could find that fit the bill. Some cushioning but low-profile, zero drop. You feel yourself doing all the work in these. And for me that's a good thing. I'd imagine most folks into the Escalante feel the same way. I really like the stretchy knit upper. Helps give a seamless feel. All of that said, the fit is off. Length is true to size imo, but the toe box is not very roomy. I have bunions and there is definitely pressure in that area, and compared to the experience flow 2, my other pair of altras, my toes feel squished. Same size. I think the upper saves them from being a no-go for me. Sizing up would just make them too long. And for me heel slip / looseness is a constant issue with every shoe so sizing up is not a simple solution anyway. If you can handle a snug toe box (as ironic as that statement sounds for an altra shoe), they're good for what they're meant for. I just think the shape is off. Also, I ordered the black / white. The upper is not black. It's a dark greyish blue. Kind of like they were washed repeatedly and the color faded pretty badly. To my eyes anyway. I don't want to dock stars for that, but I can't help the fact that it bugs me lol. I'm not sure how the black / black looks IRL, but black / white is definitely not like the photo. Like any shoe, fit and shape are paramount. Unfortunately, the mark has been missed here. I still use them and like running in them. I can't speak to durability as I've only got maybe 20-25 miles on my pair and I rotate shoes, but the build quality is not the greatest imo. We'll see. For the money I expected a bit better. It's a specific shoe that can work for the respective specific needs and wants of users, but falls short where it shouldn't. There really isn't anything quite like it on the market unfortunately, though, so for me, it is what it is.

I loved the Escalante 3, it's been my go to work shoe for over a year, so moving to the new model 4 seemed logical. Well not so fast. The responsive sole is great, but the arch bump is very painful. It cramps the arch in my right foot and standing in them is a no go.

Somehow these escalantes feel a bit tight. I do still love the shoe for what it offers, (zero drop, light), but I do not like them as much as the 3s. I also would not purchase another pair myself, which is saying something because I had 3 pairs of the 3s. I wear these on speed run days, I always feel faster in these coming from a heavier shoe. These are very light weight. I would still recommend them to a friend despite my personal dislike.