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Altra Lone Peak 9 Review: The Best Backpacking Shoe Ever Made? — Transcript

by Ridge & River · 2,869 words · 391 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

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0:00I have put thousands of miles onto my
0:02Lone Peak over the last decade and it is
0:05the shoe I will continue to wear on all
0:08of my backpacking trips. What's up trail
0:10fam? Today we're talking about the brand
0:12new Altra Lone Peak 9. Uh you can see a
0:16lot of shoes here on the table. These
0:17three over here are the new model we
0:19just got into the store and all of these
0:21shoes here on the table are actually my
0:23shoes. Uh we've got the all weather two,
0:25some mids, the sixes and the sevens.
0:28I've been rocking the Lone Peaks I don't
0:30even know, maybe for over a decade now.
0:32I I used to have the twos and the threes
0:34but I tossed them in the bin because
0:35they smelled like hell. But I have been
0:37wearing these Altra shoes in general as
0:40you'll see over the next few videos we
0:42pump out for these Altra shoes. I've got
0:44a ton of these just sitting in a bag in
0:46the back and I'll bring them all out and
0:48talk about how they've made some changes
0:50from these old models to this new Lone
0:52Peak 9. Right out the gate, the Lone
0:54Peak 9 definitely got an upgrade in
0:57materials. So it's got a reinforced mesh
1:00upper that's a little bit more
1:02breathable and lightweight. You know,
1:04it's got a little bit better airflow
1:06than the sevens here in particular and
1:09it is a little bit heavier than the
1:12eights. So with that, you know, it's got
1:14that reinforced upper, a little bit
1:16better toe protection here, a better
1:18mesh. So overall, more protection and
1:21lighter weight, more breathable. So
1:23right out the gate with that upper here
1:24on the on the toe box, definitely going
1:26to be an upgrade over the last two
1:28models. Something else to talk a little
1:30bit about is some blowouts that the shoe
1:33has seen over the years. So you can see
1:35here for instance on this six, there's
1:38there's not much going on here in room
1:41of like toe protection or toe rubber.
1:44That's what makes this shoe in
1:45particular a little bit lighter and then
1:48as you see as we go up into the seven
1:49and the eight, they start to get a
1:51little bit more rubber construction on
1:54the toes here. And then if you take a
1:56close look at the 9, like you'll see
1:58here in our B-roll, it's pretty gnarly
2:00the amount of upgrades. So, there was a
2:03a complaint about the upper of this shoe
2:04with toe blowouts. You know, people use
2:07this Lone Peak as
2:09a through-hiking, backpacking shoe. I I
2:11think between this and the Hoka
2:13Speedgoat, this might be like the most
2:14popular backpacking shoe on the face of
2:16the earth right now. Um it's pretty much
2:18like one of those things that belongs in
2:21every backpacker's kit. So, they've got
2:23a lot of feedback from a lot of
2:24different people. Toe blowouts, a little
2:26bit of breathability issues on this shoe
2:29were definitely fixed on this Lone Peak
2:319. Now, we'll get away from the top sole
2:33and go to the mid sole of the shoe. You
2:36know, this is where you're going to get
2:37a lot of that kind of snug feeling, the
2:39way that it holds your foot. Is it firm?
2:42Is it soft? Does it have good
2:43cushioning? And again, I think that they
2:46have responded well to the 6, 7, and 8's
2:49issues in this 9. Um it definitely feels
2:52like Altra is listening to us on this
2:55most recent shoe. There were some pretty
2:57big complaints with the 6, 7, and 8 over
3:00the last few years, and I feel like they
3:02are finally finally listening because
3:05this shoe seems to have, so far at
3:08least, fixed all of those major qualms.
3:10So, it's got that same stack height of
3:1225 mm coming in again at that Altra zero
3:16drop shoe with that EGO midsole compound
3:20on here.
3:21But, here's the deal with this one. The
3:249 is a touch firmer than both than not
3:28both than the 6, 7, and 8. So, it's got
3:31a little bit of a stiffer feel to it,
3:33and they did that on purpose because,
3:35you know, these these two shoes here are
3:37really mushy, really soft. Some people
3:40really like that. They like to feel
3:41every single thing under their foot. You
3:43want to feel like a little rock, a
3:44little stick, a little twig, know
3:46exactly what you're stepping on. Yeah,
3:49you know, I like that. I liked that feel
3:51with the Altras, but with this one they
3:53did make that mid-sole slightly stiffer.
3:56You know, it provides better energy
3:58return. So, when you're putting that
4:00power into the shoe to propel you
4:02forward, it's going to respond better
4:04because it's stiffer. It's not going to
4:06be as mushy. The power is not going to
4:07sink into the shoe. It's going to propel
4:09you forward a little bit better. So,
4:11better energy return and a little bit
4:13stiffer in that mid-sole overall as
4:15well. So, something to take note of.
4:17With that stiffer mid-sole, it makes
4:19this shoe more of a technical beast. You
4:22know, whereas Altra has always made like
4:25long-distance really great backpacking
4:27and trail running shoes, they were known
4:29for being a little bit softer. So,
4:31again, this is an upgrade if you're
4:33looking for something slightly stiffer
4:35to give you better optimal performance
4:38on those long, long, long hikes and
4:40trail runs. Now, let's drop from the
4:42middle of the shoe down to the out-sole
4:45of the shoe and the lugs. So, the
4:47MaxTrac pattern, the lugs, you know,
4:50they haven't changed a ton. So, the lugs
4:53are still 4 to 5 mm deep, but they're a
4:56little bit more angular. So, you can see
5:01it just by looking at the shoe. The The
5:039 here has a slightly
5:07slightly smaller angle on the shoes. And
5:10again, that was created to give you a
5:12little bit better, you know, forward
5:14energy, forward propulsion, to sit on
5:16the trail and everything that you're
5:18pushing off against a little bit better
5:20to give you better traction on those
5:23those wet hikes where you're going to be
5:25in the mud or the water or any sort of
5:27rocky uneven terrain. So, those lugs can
5:29really sink down into what you're
5:31stepping on and provide you optimal
5:32support. Compared to the 7 and 8, that
5:36angle gives you a better kind of lateral
5:38push-off and stability on descents and
5:40those tighter turns. When you need to be
5:42doing tight turns, being quick on your
5:44feet, have lighter sand, this is going
5:45to give you slightly better traction in
5:47those environments, as well. All right,
5:48so we've talked about the top of the
5:50shoe, the middle of the shoe, and the
5:52base of the shoe. All in all,
5:54it has the same feel as the Altra shoes
5:58have tended to over the last decade. It
6:00has that same wide toe box, so super
6:02comfortable on your foot. Um it's going
6:04to allow those toes to splay out and do
6:06exactly what our toes are supposed to
6:08do. Toes are not supposed to be locked
6:11up into your shoe like this. That's why
6:13I don't wear Nikes. I don't wear fashion
6:15shoes. Even right now, I'm wearing my
6:17extra tough boots. I I like a shoe that
6:20allows my foot to do what it's supposed
6:22to do. We used to walk on flat feet like
6:24this. Altras are meant for your foot.
6:27The fit is very familiar to those older
6:30Lone Peaks, again with that generous toe
6:32splay, but the heel collar on this shoe
6:35is what they changed. So, let's find
6:38this shoe here. Again, with this Lone
6:40Peak 7, you can see it's a little bit
6:43wider here. It might be kind of hard to
6:46see on camera. We'll try to get a good
6:47shot of it.
6:48Uh but it's a little bit of a wider heel
6:51versus this is going to be a little bit
6:52of a narrower heel. So, what that does,
6:55again, is lock into the back of your
6:57heel there. It gets rid of a lot of that
7:00heel play, which was causing some
7:01side-to-side motion and causing some
7:04people to get blisters kind of towards
7:06the back of their heel on the Achilles
7:07tendon. Again, you want a shoe that's
7:09going to provide tightness here and
7:11create a locking holding feeling and
7:14give you a little bit more of an open
7:16toe box here. That's going to make your
7:18foot do what it's supposed to do. So,
7:20it's not going to move around and it's
7:21going to allow your feet to be exactly
7:23in the the position that they're
7:24supposed to be on the ground, especially
7:26with that zero drop. So, if you have
7:28like a fatter heel, maybe a little bit
7:30of a wider heel, and you typically want
7:32a shoe that is wider, that's something
7:35to take note of that this has a slightly
7:37tighter heel on that one. So, it's going
7:39to be a little bit snugger in in of your
7:40foot there. So, like we said with that
7:42heel being a little bit more tightly
7:44sculpted, you're also going to notice a
7:45performance increase both uphill, but in
7:49particular downhill. You know, when
7:51you're when you're putting on those
7:53miles and you're going down some steep,
7:54uneven, rocky, or sandy terrain, you
7:56definitely want a shoe that's holding
7:58your foot tight. So, that is a positive
8:00with this shoe for sure. Now, do you go
8:02half size up, half size down? I I don't
8:05really know. We were just talking about
8:07this here before this shot. Counter said
8:09he went a half size up because, you
8:11know, when you're putting on a lot of
8:12miles, when you're doing a lot of damage
8:14to your foot by by backpacking, putting
8:16on extended miles over rough terrain,
8:18your foot's going to swell a little bit.
8:19So, you might need to go a half size up.
8:21But, I was just looking and in this Lone
8:23Peak 6, I have an 11 and 1/2, and in the
8:267 and the mids and the all weathers, I
8:28dropped down to an 11. Is that because I
8:30started rock climbing and my foot
8:32shrunk? I don't know.
8:33That is why your retail store, your
8:35local outdoor gear shop is so important.
8:38You go try these shoes on and make sure
8:39that they fit your foot and get the
8:41appropriate for you. So, if you're
8:43anywhere in the Midwest, make sure to
8:44come to our store in Toledo, Ohio, and
8:46we'll get you fit the right way. If
8:48you're finding these helpful, make sure
8:49to hit that subscribe button, like, and
8:52leave a comment down below. Thanks for
8:54watching. All right, so we've talked
8:56about the meat and potatoes of the shoe.
8:57Now, let's hop into a little bit of
8:59those extra features. You know,
9:01something that's pretty nice on all of
9:03these Lone Peak shoes from Altra,
9:05they've got that gaiter system built in.
9:07So, it's got this little kind of toe
9:09clip piece in the front where you lock
9:11that gaiter in, and then the gaiter
9:13strap here in the back where you're
9:14going to be locking that in again, so it
9:16doesn't allow any dust or debris to get
9:18into the bottom of your shoe on those
9:19long distance hikes. You don't want to
9:21be stopping every mile or two
9:23to unload little stones and sand from
9:26your shoes. That is annoying as hell.
9:28So, again, with this being kind of that
9:29backpacker's shoe of choice, Altra has
9:32known to always continue to keep that
9:35feature in all of their shoes. Uh
9:37something else that they have here in
9:39this shoe and they have had again, they
9:41have a removable stone guard, which
9:43basically sits at the bottom of your
9:45shoe. If you're going through any talus
9:47fields or you're going through any like
9:49really rocky uneven terrain and you know
9:51you're going to be doing that on those
9:52trails, you keep that thing in your
9:53shoe. And if you're going on anywhere
9:55like where it's dirt, really soft,
9:58really easy, flat trails, if you want to
10:00drop off an ounce, take that thing out
10:01of your shoe. So again, just a really
10:03feature-rich driven shoe that is meant
10:06for backpacking long-distance trails.
10:09We're going to talk a little bit about
10:10the weight of the shoe. So with these
10:13additional features, with the slightly
10:15better lug, the different toe cap here,
10:18the mesh upper, this shoe is slightly
10:21heavier. Um I'm going to look at here
10:23for the exact numbers. It's 11.3 oz for
10:26the Lone Peak 9,
10:2810.5 oz for the 8, and about 10.9 oz for
10:34the 7. So we're we're gaining an ounce,
10:37a half ounce of weight. So again,
10:39for lightweight backpacking, cool, sure,
10:41it's an ounce heavier, whatever, but
10:43that's not a big deal. It is a better
10:45shoe. It has better performance and all
10:46around, so that 1 oz of extra weight on
10:50your feet is going to provide a ton more
10:52support, comfort, and durability
10:54throughout those long trips. So
10:55definitely worth that half ounce to 1 oz
10:58increase here. Not a big deal. Come on,
11:00people, we're not cutting our toothbrush
11:01here. And then one final complaint, you
11:03know, we've kind of touched on it
11:04briefly, but a lot of people have
11:06complained about the lugs in Altra shoes
11:08over the last few models. You know, in
11:10the beginning in the ones, twos, threes,
11:12and fours, it wasn't really a huge
11:13issue, but man, you can severely
11:18severely see it here.
11:20Um not as much in the Lone Peak 6s here
11:22that I've got, but the 7s, my god, is
11:25this flat. And this is basically a a
11:28walking shoe at this point. I mean,
11:29there's nothing left on the front or the
11:32back and the the mids the mid sole of
11:35the foot
11:36it's got a little bit. So that that
11:39angle change on here and a slightly
11:41better rubber component. They didn't
11:43change the thickness of the lugs or the
11:45depth of the lugs that we said, but so
11:47far everyone that I've seen testing on
11:49these shoes and and myself included I
11:51haven't I haven't put a ton of miles on
11:53these shoes recently just because I have
11:55a 2-year-old and I haven't got to
11:57backpack as much as I used to over the
11:59last decade of my life,
12:01but I've heard nothing but just super
12:03super super good feedback that these
12:05lugs are outlasting definitely these
12:07sevens and the eights and they're
12:09they're back to their roots like they
12:10were in the four, five, and six. So way
12:13better lugs on these as well super
12:15important if you're going to be putting
12:16two, three hundred miles on a pair of
12:17these
12:18lugs got to last. All right, so who is
12:21this shoe for? Is it worth the upgrade?
12:24First of all, yes, it's worth the
12:26upgrade. These shoes are meant to be
12:28replaced every couple hundred of miles,
12:31especially if you're using this on a
12:32backpacking trip AT, the PCT, or the
12:35CDT. You're going to be wanting to put
12:37one of these in your in your backpackers
12:39box at at the drop-off where you're
12:40going to be changing out some food every
12:42few hundred miles. Keep those feet fresh
12:45and make sure that they are again
12:47transferring that power to keep you
12:48moving safe and steady along those
12:51one or two thousand mile trails. So
12:53who's it for? Again, long distance
12:55backpacker, an average trail runner
12:58or just somebody who really wants a high
13:00performance shoe and to look badass
13:02every day in their life. I do think the
13:04Lone Peak 9 is one of the best shoes
13:07that's ever been created. You know, the
13:09Lone Peak line in general is one of the
13:11best shoes that has ever been created.
13:13There's a reason that we're on the nine.
13:15There's a reason people keep asking for
13:16this shoe to come back year after year
13:18after year and I think it's a line
13:20that's going to stick around forever. So
13:22yeah, go ahead and quote me on that. I
13:23do think this is the best backpacking
13:27shoe that has ever been created. I have
13:29put thousands of miles onto my Lone
13:32Peaks over the last decade, and it is
13:35the shoe I will continue to wear on all
13:37of my backpacking trips. So, is this
13:39shoe for you? Probably yes. If you're
13:41watching this video, go ahead, hop on
13:43over to our website, and and buy this
13:45shoe. It's worth it. It's a good price
13:47point, and you can also get 10% off if
13:49you use the code YouTube10. So, go on
13:51over to our website, check it out, drop
13:54a comment if you got any questions down
13:55below. Thanks so much for watching. Uh
13:57we really do appreciate you guys, and
13:59we'll see you out on the trails.
14:01Later.

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