Customer Reviews Altra Escalante 4

I received it and tried it out, I jogged to the beach and went hiking, I really liked it and was happy, walking and running was very comfortable and smooth. The design is very youthful, I love it

I would have given these the highest rating possible if it weren't for the laces coming undone ALL THE TIME. I had to retie them 3-4 times during a 20-minute walk. Otherwise, I live the fit, the style, the comfort, but they need better laces.

I have an old pair of Escalante 3 shoes that I love. I bought the Escalante 4 shoes because I needed a pair of all-black shoes (these are the black-on-black version). I don't like these as much as my old ones. They are still good shoes, but the upper material is not as soft and they have a "harder" feel in the soles and fit a little tighter. I much prefer the older design.

I run half marathons and I wanted to try shoes with zero drop and a wider toe box - while still being meant for running. These shoes fit the bill! The shoes themselves look nice and durable. The laces are incredibly short - which I knew after reading reviews but figured, I could switch the laces if needed. The toe box is not as wide as I had hoped but it is definitely wider than any other running shoe I've had. These shoes are taking me a while to break in and get used to. My feet usually hurt after a long run, but I know it's because my feet are so used to extra padded running shoes - so I need to build up that strength in my feet again. I think I will end up liking these more after my feet adjust. They fit true to size: I'm a true size 7 and that's what I purchased and they fit great!

When I first put these on, I was really excited. They felt great. I do have to put my own inserts in all shoes because there's never enough arch support. I love the heal because it has a nice smooth fabric that did not irritate my skin. I've recently tried three different styles of altras. They all have a firm ridge along the outside of foot to heel that pronates my foot. I never had this problem with my old ultras. But the main thing is the base of the shoelaces rubs right on my bunion and hurts my first toe, making it unwearable.

Go to shoe. Have bunion and achy soles with other shoes. Am disappointed with most recent purchase, footbed not as soft, and miss the padded tongue. Find myself going back to last years Escalante.

Love the wide toe box. The medial longitudinal arch support is not sufficient for me, so I have to add an insert. Would rate 5 stars with adequate arch support.

These were supposed to be a similar return to the 2.5 that you killed off. Close, but not really. While the toe box is still wide, the height/space/volume of the front of the shoe feels less that I can't tighten the laces much. You also dropped the ball using such short laces. Standard laced barely has enough length to tie a knot. Heel lock lace you definitely need to skip some holes and they're still not long enough, or buy longer laces. Lastly, not sure where the black photo cane from that is on the site. "Black" is actually dark grey. A fine color, but, I thought I was buying black.

Can't put 5 stars. I had to exchange for a smaller size because the 8 was too big for me. I had an older version of the same model so I bought the same size but I was too big this time. And what's the point about reducing the length of the laces??? I had to buy another pair because I can't tie it properly. So now they don't match with the shoes.

If I was being more particular I'd probably give these 2 or 3 instead of 4. I bought these for the wide toe box and mesh upper. I have a narrow foot and they fit well below the toe box to the heel - no slipping. They have 'cured' the sore spots on the outside of my big toes @ the toenail and stopped the pain at the end of my second toe which is longer than the big toe. They have enough of a high profile that my arch inserts have room. My main complaint is the embarrasing squeak when walking. I've been wearing them for two weeks and it continues. Does Altra have recommendations on how to stop this? The laces are too short and slippery - constantly having to relace them before I trip on them. This seems an easy enough fix for Altra. The tongue slips to the side and moves toward the front and makes a wrinkle that needs to be adjusted throughout the day whether I tie them tight or leave them comfortable. Others mention the color is off - that doesn't concern me since I wear them with black, gray, or navy pants - not a big deal. I'm wondering how long until my toenails break through the mesh - but I need the mesh for comfort. As an ex-runner, they don't seem to have enough cushion/ support, I wouldn't use them for short or long distance. Maybe they are OK as sprint trainers. At this point I will wait to see how long they take for the sole to start breaking down and the mesh to get holes - are they worth the price we pay?

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.