The Altra Lone Peak NeoShell running shoe is a new offering from this great company. About 4 years ago I started running, and was experiencing a lot of pain in my feet. Thinking that I had bad feet, I just dealt with it. My troubles were solved when a friend suggested Altra footwear, which really solved the pain issues.
Several years have passed and I have retired many Altra running shoes. I have run over a variety of terrain in different conditions. A breathable waterproofing is one thing that I have wanted, in order to make my running shoes even better. That is the beauty of the Altra Lone Peak NeoShell. It‘s made of revolutionary new fabric that is waterproof on the outside but still allows them to breathe on the inside.
After receiving the Altra Lone Peak NeoShell shoes, I wore them for a walk just to make sure they still had the same feel as my old shoes. The Lone Peak 2.0 has a little less room then the 2.5 but I was fine with it and did not feel any hotspots or sweaty feet. After the initial test walk, I went on some random hikes through American Fork Canyon. I hit Tibble Fork Trail as well as many others.
Crossing steams did not worry me because the NeoShell kept the water out, and surprisingly the fine dirt that I ran through did not get into the shoes. This is pretty amazing! With no NeoShell on the tongue, air circulation is improved which means the shoe will dry faster, and keep your feet a little cooler. Also, the tongue of the Lone Peak NeoShell is gusseted to keep out dirt and debris. Some complaints are out there about no NeoShell on the tongue of the shoe but that was not a concern for me. Water that deep is more than likely going to go over the ankle of the shoe anyway. If this is a concern, the Altra Lone Peak NeoShell shoe has the option to install gaiters that Altra offers for $19.99.
The toe guard of the Altra Lone Peak NeoShell is a little thicker and comes back a little further helping to keeping out unwanted moisture. I didn‘t feel much difference with the changes to the toe guard. The vertical volume in the toe area is not as cavernous but the fit seemed to suit me just fine. I have smaller feet so maybe others will feel more of a difference in the toe region.
The midsole is composed of two layers; Altra‘s A-bound compound stacked on top of a dual layer of EVA. Altra describes the A-bound compound as “…literally a bouncy ball between the road and your feet.”
The Lone Peak NeoShell is also a Zero Drop shoe with a 25mm stack height at both the heel and the forefoot. All Altra running shoes are Zero Drop which my feet love. Another feature of the Lone PeakNeoShell is the Flexible Sandwiched StoneGuard rockplate. This stops those nasty jagged rocks from digging into your feet. This rockplate is positioned between the A-bound and EVA layers of foam which allows the shoe to absorb some of the impact before deflecting it. The Lone Peak NeoShell is rated with a moderate level of cushioning. The midsole on the Lone Peak Neoshell felt comfortable on any surface. I ran on asphalt, rock, sand, fine dirt, and jumped through rocky water. My feet continued to be very responsive and did not ache or feel tired.
The Lone Peak NeoShell uses a Sticky-Rubber outsole with the Trail Claw tread pattern. The pattern contains a series of chevrons down the middle of the foot, and on the forefoot. X shaped lugs are along the perimeter of the midfoot. This pattern always seems to work great on any trail condition. I was concerned about slipping a little going from the rocky water to rocks on the side of the stream but the Trail Claw pattern worked nicely. From my experience, trail running breaks down a running shoe’s outsole much faster than any other surface, but overall the Lone Peak NeoShell Sticky-Rubber TrailClaw held up quite nicely. In fact, better than others I have tried.
The Lone Peak NeoShell retails at $150 but is so worth every penny as far as I am concerned. If you‘re a fan of Altra you will not be disappointed with the Lone Peak NeoShell. Give this shoe a try. Click here to visit the Altra website.
– Rena
Neat tread design.