Customer Reviews Altra Escalante 3

I was hoping the reviews left by others who have had previous versions of this shoe were not accurate but sadly, they were not. This shoe feels heavy and stiff; it's the first time I had to 'break in' a pair of Escalantes. Also, the laces went from being too way long on the 2.0s to barely long enough now. The tab on the tongue is so small that's I can barely grab it; I like that it's there but it's not really useful as currently implemented. I hope Altra reads all these comments and makes some changes to the next model to turn it back into the great shoe that it once was.

Where to start? I have the Escalante 2.0 and the 2.5, both great shoes for running or everyday wear (not good for lateral movements, however). The 3.0 has a stiff upper so if feels narrower because it doesn't allow your foot to spread over the sole if it's really wide (which is why many of us come to Altra, right?). The length also feels shorter because I bought the same 10.5 I wear in all my other Altras (Lone Peak, Escalante, Superior) but in the Escalante 3.0 my toes can touch the front. There is less cushioning so impacts feel harder and the shoe sounds noisy running on pavement, I miss the running-on-thin-clouds-while-wearing-slippers feel of the previous Escalante shoes. The sole is stiffer and less flexible as well. All in all it feels like a totally different model from previous versions. The only thing I would use it for is everyday wear for walking or being out and about because it looks nice. That's the only positive I have to give the 3.0. Altra is taking a wrong turn and beginning to alienate their customer base. I fear for the future of the Lone Peak, now that the Escalante is dead.

Was to tight on the bunion/1st metatarsal head area. Wore them for an hour tops, got to the store and the pain set it. I had to return them. That part of my foot always hangs over the edge, even in the 2's. Even just a cm wider in the 2's there would have been nice. I know its hard to design any wider and all without making the shoe look weird, but it doable. I returned all three altras I bought unfortunately, Torin 5 (6?) were to bulky looking. I liked the Provision 6 a lot, but they were tighter than the escalante so didn't want to risk it. Would like to try those again though lol

Original Escalante remains my favorite shoe. This feels different enough -- stiff underfoot, restrictive on top, when the original was cushy, flexible and just all around enjoyable to wear -- that I'm not sure it justifies having the same name. I've really tried to get used to it, but unfortunately I can't run comfortably in this. Hoping the next iteration goes back to basics.

I have been running with these shoes for about two months. The knit upper has started to come away from the sole, which didn't happen to my Escalante 2.5s with five months of running and a month of walking. It STILL hasn't happened to a pair of Escalante 2.0s that have been in rotation for more than a year. I know shoes aren't supposed to last forever, but I expect some average degree of quality.

I've run in older model Escalantes and Escalante Racers. These shoes offered something special. My feet felt free. I never hurt in the older models. I'm now 84 miles into the Escalante 3s and I'm not loving them. There's something different about the shoes that have begun to hurt my feet and calves. The fabric is not as comfortable as previous pairs that I have owned. The shoes are not as responsive. I'm so disappointed as I was hoping to make a smooth transition after running out of my stockpile of older Escalantes.

Had 3 pair of the original Escalante, loved them; so comfortable. Liked the version 2 and 2.5, but not as much as the originals. Version three got sent back Running Warehouse for being too narrow! Length was fine and toe box was ok. Wanted to love them, but couldn't wear them. Re-introduce version 1 again (exactly as they were), and I'll buy 'em for sure. Altra is losing customers to Topo, which is what I ordered when these didn't work out.

The shoe is plenty wide (seriouslysame width despite the hate, just compare the insoles) but the upper doesn't stretch like it used to so that explains the width haters. I think it's plenty wide, my beef is that they sucked all the fun out of the shoe. The 2 and 2.5 were softish and bouncy and like slippers in a good way. These are just hard and heavy, an Escalante Racer that's hot and heavy and nowhere near as fun to run in nor as fast. Don't bother with the Escalante 3, go straight to the Escalante Racer.

I was a loyal Altra customer, but Altra has abandoned the design concepts and quality that made them successful. ( High quality construction w/ Zero drop and a wide toe box) Now Altra is a poor copy of HOKA.

I was excited to try these, as I love my Escalante 2.5s. The visual styling is a big step up, but unfortunately the comfort was not. The heel rise feels dramatic, and overall the shoe feels very stiff and dead. I miss the lightweight, flexible, bouncy ride of the 2.5s. They feel much more like a pair of Nike trainers than the Altra shoes that I love. I am sending them back for another pair of Escalante 2.5s. I hope Altra continues to make shoes in that vein. I will gladly buy them.

I cycled into these as I was running out of miles on my 3 pairs of 2.5s. After 1601 miles on 5 pairs of the 2.5s I had finally found my shoe. When I heard about the 3 I was cautiously optimistic and excited. I had a chat with one of the reps about the differences between the two versions before I decided to take the plunge. I ordered a pair in 10.5. The same as my 5 pairs of 2.5s. Broke them in easy by wearing them to work a few days then a 6 mile run. I now have 434 miles on 2 pairs of 3s. They seemed alright but they were definitely not as similar to the 2.5 as the rep made them out to be. The toungue is completely different. Fatter and more traditional. And the the finger pull is smaller and useless. The tread and souls also very different. The laces were also changed but that isn't as big a deal for me since I run with Caterpy or Lock Laces...but the lacing set up is blecky...the double inside out set up flat slit eyelets are annoying and make using my Caterpy's nearly impossible and I need to go to the XL verios because the lacing set up takes more lace. This all seems to create a tighter set up on the upper which is frustrating becasue I came to Altra from Xero and Vibram 5 Fingers in seach of the ideal space between barefoot and space boot that most other companies design to. Now comnbine this constrictive lacing inflexibility with the beefier, tighter upper and you end up with a shoe that doesn't have that natural foot feel. While not shorter it is definitely narrower and I contemplated trying and 11 (1/2 size up) but I am afraid it will be to long. All in all this shoe is not the Escalante...looks and feels more like a Rivera. I am in the process of buying the left over 2.5's in the hopes of finding something else that is more my style. Please consider keeping one true low-mid cushion true foot shape non-trail shoe in the line up. By the way I have run 2 50km races in my 2.5s. Even came in 5th in the last one. 2 Overall male and 1st in my age. I do love the Lone Peak 6 but I used the 2.5 as my work horse...even for off-road :-(

I've worn Escalantes for several years and it's been my favorite shoe. Always fit great, comfortable, and can go all day. But not Ver 3's. They are so tight on my feet they hurt. Length is fine, but with laces pulled tight, there's a good 2.5 inches between the left and right lace points. I'm actually going to toss them. Disappointed.

This shoe is nothing like the previous Escalantes. It's much stiffer in the sole it's also much more narrow in the toe box. It's still a bit wider than most brands but just a touch. The cushioning is also not my favorite, I feel a little higher off the ground with these shoes, and at the same time it feels much more rigid but not responsive. The 2.5's were the best- I wish I would of bought another pair of those instead of upgrading to the 3's.

The escalante used to be a shoe that let your foot work naturally while still protecting it. It had plenty of room, a stretchy upper, and just the right amount of cushioning. For some reason, Altra has felt the need to keep changing things that don't need to be changed. This new tongue configuration, with only half a tongue, is no good. It takes away adjustability in a key area of the upper, right over the metatarsals. In that area, it is too tight, and there's nothing you can do about it. they keep talking about locking the foot down, but there is no need to. The shoe keeps getting more constricting and less comfortable. Simply put, it is too tight! I really wish Altra would stick to their roots instead of chasing other companies. The escalante was perfect from the beginning. Now, it's just meh.

This shoe is the opposite of what made the escalante great. It's clunky, heavy, and narrow. Sad I purchased it and I wish I could give it 0 stars. If you liked the original escalante or the racer series do not buy this shoe.

I cannot in good faith recommend this company to anybody I care about. I bought a pair of Escalante 3s because of the wide toe box, and only to wear casually. The lack of padding and zero drop wouldn't work for me as a daily running shoe. Within 4 months, the heel interior is virtually gone and the shoes are too painful to wear. I never imagined that the shoe would disintegrate with such minimal use. I also didn't imagine that Altra would be so miserly as to call this "normal wear and tear" and deny any form of warranty. I CAN imagine what would have happened had I run in them... they would have been finished in a month. Please don't spend your hard-earned money on shoes that (1) don't last and (2) have a meaningless "warranty." In the interim between submitting the warranty claim and it being rejected, I bought a new pair of Altras, but will return them ASAP.

I hate to say this, but this Altra Escalante 3 is NOT a zero drop. Seriously, I've been wearing NOTHING BUT ESCALANTES FOR THE PAST 5 years. The 2.5 was the Greatest Shoe ever created. This shoe has a BIG ELEVATED HEEL. Seriously, this isn't a joke. When you feel the inside, it's MUCH THICKER IN THE HEEL THAN THE BALL OF THE FOOT. The old pair was zero drop and then would only narrow PAST the ball of the foot for a smooth step, but the 2.5 were a FLAT from heel to ball. This Shoe is GARBAGE. It's literally no different than any Nike or Reebok you would buy. I don't know why they did this. It feels awkward walking in them as well. I'm all hunched over forward. This is CRAZY. The Escalantes were literally my spirituality. Now I gotta find a different brand. All the Altra walking shoes look the same. Big and clunky with an elevated heel. This is REALLY SAD.

I've been wearing Escalante's from the beginning but not any more. All versions were great until the 2.5's and even worse with the 3.0's. The toe-box is not as wide and my toes felt cramped as most have stated. Of course the standard Altra reply is, "we'll send your comments to our technical department". Since there are so many complaints since the 2.0's, I don't think their technical department cares at all. But the deal breaker for me was the addition of holes in the outsole. My very first run in them was on wet roads after a light rain, maybe 35 degrees out. After 5 minutes, I notice the bottom of my feet were getting cold, or so I thought. After a mile I realized my feet weren't cold but they were getting wet. A mile later, I realized my socks were actually getting wet. At mile 3, the bottom of my socks were very wet and I could feel them squishing inside. At the end of my 4 mile run, my feet were soaked. I removed my socks and wrung the water out of them. Then I removed the innersole and everything was saturated. Then I examined the soles and noted tiny holes all over the bottom which were part of the design. I'm not sure the reason for the holes but maybe to shave weight? When you look at the photos of these shoes, you do not see these holes. These holes are not mentioned on the Altra site. With it being winter in the Northeast where I live, I often have to run on snowy or wet roads. These shoes are not compatible. Of course Altra will forward my comment to the appropriate department. So glad they had a 30 day "tryout" policy.

Long time Racer user but decided to give these a try because the Racers are always sold out everywhere. My arch was in pain after 400m...........I had to take a few days off the pain was so bad. FYI I have been an active runner for over 3 decades. I've never had such arch pain before

I've been running in Escalante's since the first version was released, and seen Altra slowly pull back the reason this shoe was a success through progressive design changes. Now it's not even an Escalante anymore. I really don't know what it is, but they should just change the name at this point and call it something else. I fear Altra is completely deaf to longtime customer feedback and have convinced themselves that making yearly changes to a successful shoe design is somehow progress. Bummer. What a massive failure by management. Time to switch to another brand I guess.

Really disappointed with the Escalante 3s. These were my second pair of Altras (first were the Escalante Racers that were ran into the ground with close to 700mi). After less than two months of usage and 192.43mi of running in these shoes exactly, they literally started falling apart. One strip of the outer sole is peeling off and of course was at it's most pronounced a few miles into a half marathon I had been training months for. The timing made worse by the fact that I just purchased another pair of Escalante 3s for my upcoming marathon. Needless to say, I will be checking the return period for those and will not be purchasing any more Altras for the time being.