I recently purchased a pair of Altra Olympus 5 mid GTX boots. They are a great fit for my wide feet, very comfortable with plenty of padding under foot, and waterproof. Only downside is the Vibram tread started to peel off after only 160 kms (100 miles). I’ve been able to glue the treads down again with Supaglue which holds really well, but that’s not acceptable. I’m taking them back to the store for a replacement pair. I should abandon them but they are the only waterproof trail runner I could find that suited my feet. By the way, Altra is owned by VF Corporation which appears to be a largely U.S. owned company, not Chinese.
Oops, sorry, it is Salomon who is owned by a Chinese company, I got the ownership crossed. You are correct, Altra is owned by VF. Currently I wear the same boot (Olympus 5 mid GTX) on my extended hikes. I like the extra padding, but not the durability. Having experience with Altras, I do examine the tread after every hike and I have added some super glue twice when the tread loosens. Altra does honor its warranty and will replace the shoes. when they wear prematurely. If you contact Altra directly (at least in the US) they will send you a new pair and allow you to keep the old pair, which is fortunate. You might also want to look at the Topo Trailventure Wp for a similar fit. I have a pair I have not yet worn on a long hike, but they are very cushy in the heel, which I like. They appear to be more durable than the Altras. Thank you for your comment.
Vivobarefoot did the same to their expensive and popular leather boot, Tracker FG. Same practice with my old favorites, Crispi Besseggen. It seems like a universal trend, and that its a constant fight between consumers and manufacturers for that profit margin. Candy here in Norway is being sold in smaller and smaller packages, for the same price. Its an open secret known by everyone. Sadly, your needs as a consumer will continue to be exploited. The rate at which models are downgraded is probably determined by the rate at which consumers are able to figure out if they are good or not. It might be one of the things that drive the overall development towards products that last a shorter amount of time as well. That way, consumers wont be able to catch up to which models are good before they are worn out and out of production. Now, the biggest plot twist in all of this is when companies start to earn money off of claiming to be "sustainable" and friendly to the environment. Everyone is clawing at that slightly more profitable startegy. At the core of it is the fear of other people. I may conclude this whole debacle by demonstrating that I am not afraid.
It certainly is an interesting issue. The "sustainability" one probably deserves more exploration. For example, "synthetic leather" is considered sustainable, but it is made of petroleum products and does not biodegrade, why is that preferable to leather, which is natural and does biodegrade? These are interesting issues, but I think the bottom line for most corporations is profit.
As a trail runner, I’ve given up on a lot of fortress sure that the long peaks feel dead in 100 miles superiors were a little better, but I prove that oh they were making your air quality is gone in the garbage but they’re changing so much stuff and oh well the change bunch of stuff and more peoples are buying their shoes and Endo Bobby find a way to go to come back. Good luck to you. I’m at the trail runner might work for you. I use innovate or Tapo.
I have some Topo's I will wear on my next long hike in a few weeks. I like the spongy nature of the heel, but I wear mids and the ankles are not too comfortable, but the only way to find out is to try. I did wear Superiors in the past, but felt the Olympus were better for me. However, on my last rim to rim, the Olympus did not do too well. The adventure continues. . . Thanks for your comment.
I know that the point of businesses is to make money, but the constant cutting corners gets tiresome. I sure wish I could find a quality shoe that remained so consistently.
Hi there. i just been close to buy olympus 5 to replace my 4's but just founded your video. Price dropped from 140£ to 80£ in UK so I was close to buy. I tried Lone Peak but they are to thin for my. On rocky grounds I had some hill aches etc. Now after many years in love with Olympus 4 come time to change. Question is what for? I'm not great runner, generally working sometimes go for run, just trying...Generally love them for hiking/backpacking. Longest hikes 3-5 days. What would you recommend? Tom
I am currently wearing both Olympus 5's for walking and mid GTX Olympus 5s for hiking, so I believe they are still a workable shoe, just not as good as the Olympus 4. Your local price sounds good. I also wear the Topo Trailventure WP mid, you need to get the WP mid for the rock plate. They are as cushioned as the Altras and feel to me like wearing a slipper. I do have problems with the uppers wearing through too quickly on the Topos. I have never worn the low-cut Topos, so I have no information about them, but others really like them. To me, all shoes are a compromise, but my current top choices for hiking are the Altra Olympus GTX mid and the Topo Trailventure Mid WP. There are also still some Olympus 4's online with wholesalers who picked up a few as close-outs. If they are your favorite, that might be your best option. Good luck finding the best next shoe!
@@GC-Hiker thanks for answer and suggestions! I do love them but on the market it’s slowly less and less stock. I though to change another colour for fun but recognised all gone. T.
I have not worn the 5's much, but in my experience with several pairs of the 4's, the uppers wear out much faster than the treads--of course I am on dirt exclusively, they would probably wear much faster on pavement.
Altra's shoes have lost their durability as well. I had pairs years ago that lasted hundreds of miles and the pair I bought this spring tore after two months and maybe 50-70 miles. Garbage tier quality
I recently purchased a pair of Altra Olympus 5 mid GTX boots. They are a great fit for my wide feet, very comfortable with plenty of padding under foot, and waterproof. Only downside is the Vibram tread started to peel off after only 160 kms (100 miles). I’ve been able to glue the treads down again with Supaglue which holds really well, but that’s not acceptable. I’m taking them back to the store for a replacement pair. I should abandon them but they are the only waterproof trail runner I could find that suited my feet. By the way, Altra is owned by VF Corporation which appears to be a largely U.S. owned company, not Chinese.
Oops, sorry, it is Salomon who is owned by a Chinese company, I got the ownership crossed. You are correct, Altra is owned by VF.
Currently I wear the same boot (Olympus 5 mid GTX) on my extended hikes. I like the extra padding, but not the durability. Having experience with Altras, I do examine the tread after every hike and I have added some super glue twice when the tread loosens.
Altra does honor its warranty and will replace the shoes.
when they wear prematurely. If you contact Altra directly (at least in the US) they will send you a new pair and allow you to keep the old pair, which is fortunate.
You might also want to look at the Topo Trailventure Wp for a similar fit. I have a pair I have not yet worn on a long hike, but they are very cushy in the heel, which I like. They appear to be more durable than the Altras.
Thank you for your comment.
Vivobarefoot did the same to their expensive and popular leather boot, Tracker FG. Same practice with my old favorites, Crispi Besseggen. It seems like a universal trend, and that its a constant fight between consumers and manufacturers for that profit margin. Candy here in Norway is being sold in smaller and smaller packages, for the same price. Its an open secret known by everyone. Sadly, your needs as a consumer will continue to be exploited. The rate at which models are downgraded is probably determined by the rate at which consumers are able to figure out if they are good or not. It might be one of the things that drive the overall development towards products that last a shorter amount of time as well. That way, consumers wont be able to catch up to which models are good before they are worn out and out of production. Now, the biggest plot twist in all of this is when companies start to earn money off of claiming to be "sustainable" and friendly to the environment. Everyone is clawing at that slightly more profitable startegy. At the core of it is the fear of other people. I may conclude this whole debacle by demonstrating that I am not afraid.
It certainly is an interesting issue. The "sustainability" one probably deserves more exploration. For example, "synthetic leather" is considered sustainable, but it is made of petroleum products and does not biodegrade, why is that preferable to leather, which is natural and does biodegrade? These are interesting issues, but I think the bottom line for most corporations is profit.
As a trail runner, I’ve given up on a lot of fortress sure that the long peaks feel dead in 100 miles superiors were a little better, but I prove that oh they were making your air quality is gone in the garbage but they’re changing so much stuff and oh well the change bunch of stuff and more peoples are buying their shoes and Endo Bobby find a way to go to come back. Good luck to you. I’m at the trail runner might work for you. I use innovate or Tapo.
I have some Topo's I will wear on my next long hike in a few weeks. I like the spongy nature of the heel, but I wear mids and the ankles are not too comfortable, but the only way to find out is to try. I did wear Superiors in the past, but felt the Olympus were better for me. However, on my last rim to rim, the Olympus did not do too well. The adventure continues. . . Thanks for your comment.
Sad to see this trend in Altra. The new Lone Peaks have also received lots of negative reviews.
I know that the point of businesses is to make money, but the constant cutting corners gets tiresome. I sure wish I could find a quality shoe that remained so consistently.
Hi there. i just been close to buy olympus 5 to replace my 4's but just founded your video. Price dropped from 140£ to 80£ in UK so I was close to buy. I tried Lone Peak but they are to thin for my. On rocky grounds I had some hill aches etc. Now after many years in love with Olympus 4 come time to change. Question is what for? I'm not great runner, generally working sometimes go for run, just trying...Generally love them for hiking/backpacking. Longest hikes 3-5 days. What would you recommend? Tom
I am currently wearing both Olympus 5's for walking and mid GTX Olympus 5s for hiking, so I believe they are still a workable shoe, just not as good as the Olympus 4. Your local price sounds good. I also wear the Topo Trailventure WP mid, you need to get the WP mid for the rock plate. They are as cushioned as the Altras and feel to me like wearing a slipper. I do have problems with the uppers wearing through too quickly on the Topos. I have never worn the low-cut Topos, so I have no information about them, but others really like them. To me, all shoes are a compromise, but my current top choices for hiking are the Altra Olympus GTX mid and the Topo Trailventure Mid WP. There are also still some Olympus 4's online with wholesalers who picked up a few as close-outs. If they are your favorite, that might be your best option. Good luck finding the best next shoe!
@@GC-Hiker thanks for answer and suggestions! I do love them but on the market it’s slowly less and less stock. I though to change another colour for fun but recognised all gone.
T.
@@tenzin044 Sadly, all good things come to an end.
How is the fit in toe box comparison?
The new 5's have a narrower toe box, but more stretchy upper material. I far prefer the 4s.
Is the tread much less durables in the 5s vs the 4s?
I have not worn the 5's much, but in my experience with several pairs of the 4's, the uppers wear out much faster than the treads--of course I am on dirt exclusively, they would probably wear much faster on pavement.
Altra's shoes have lost their durability as well. I had pairs years ago that lasted hundreds of miles and the pair I bought this spring tore after two months and maybe 50-70 miles. Garbage tier quality
My prior pair went 11 months of walking, but maybe I was lucky. It sure does seem though, that they don't make shoes the way they used too.