Gear Review: Topo MTN Racer 3 Shoe (vs Altra Olympus 5)
Introduction
In 2023, I transitioned to using Altra’s Olympus 5 as my shoe of choice, as I found that it assisted, or made possible, hiking without foot pain secondary to toe compression and friction. I say “made possible” as it also required a different sock, and while I at first started with an unknown Chinese brand called Willowace (which I still use, along with Stance, for day-to-day), I ended up finding out that Creepers socks, while less durable, are simply the best sock in the universe for hiking. My wife contends that they are also the best socks for day-to-day use, but I digress.
Altra’s Olympus shoes were great for foot pain but had horrible durability issues. The first pair lasted, what, one hike before the back ripped out? The second pair, which has not yet been mentioned on my little website given how busy I’ve been, had the fabric simply detach from the sole entirely. They also had a tendency to scoop up both falling debris and debris they’d fling up themselves and deposit it right inside the shoe. The strength of my lacing did nothing to fix it. For these reasons, I abandoned Altra and moved to the competition, specifically the Topo MTN Racer 3.
You can see the Altras below. The pictures are: Altra and Creepers, how they bring in debris, and how the heel peeled on my newest one during the second hike.
Hiking Application
Trepidation filled me when I first purchased the MTN Racer 3, not just because it was cheaper (would the quality be even worse than Altra?), but also because it was the first time in years I was taking a shoe without a rock plate, which I typically consider to be a high priority. I hadn’t seen any complaints about the lack of a plate, though, and it had medium cushioning, giving me a reasonable assurance that I could at least make do.
Below: 1. Topo (orange) and Altra; The Topo is less boxy but has the same interior room. 2. Altra (black) and Topo (blue) rear. You can see that they have gaiter mechanisms and that the Topo doesn’t have the rear “spoiler” which I found to be a pain. 3&4. Tonuges, with Topo’s being much nicer, while Altra has a pinchy flap. 5. The best upgrades to my hiking ever…Creepers toe socks and the Topo MTN Racer 3!
For this review, I hiked around ~150 miles with the shoe, primarily in the Wind River Range. I purposefully took it off-trail for many miles, over talus piles, through snowfields, into creeks and rivers, etc., so that I’d have a good feel for how it worked. (Hint: I loved it enough that I bought my wife a pair.) As with most of my life, no one loves me or buys me things, so I spent all of my own money of the shoes. Since I want to make this simple, I’ll just do some bulleted lists.
Pros:
- Plenty of room for your toes to spread out. (Same as Altra Olympus.)
- Sleeker and more refined (less bulky) outer than Altra Olympus.
- Heel cinches down nicely. (Altra’s Olympus did not, and the pressure needed to keep debris out caused pain.)
- Standard shoe laces are fine. (Altra’s were practically unusable.)
- Soft tongue which feels nice. (Altra’s was a flap of plastic skirting that led to pain.)
- Excellent grip over snow, rocks, mud, and scree, even when wet. (Same as Altra Olympus.)
- No pain over branches, rocks etc., despite having no rock plate. (Same as Altra.)
- Zero foot pain from long hikes. (Better than Altra, perhaps due to extra padding.)
- Price is better than Altra.
- Durability has been excellent so far with no construction issues noted. Tread is still fine. (Altra was a disaster.)
- Toe protection was decent, though nothing to write home about. (Same as Altra.)
Cons:
- Literally none, but please do not machine dry these shoes…ask my wife what happens if you do.
Below: 1. More Altra/Topo comparison. 2. My Topos by a fish. 3. No hot spots. The ankle mark was from going shoeless at camp, and the rest is just dirt.
Daily Application
My wife likes them. I wear cowboy boots, so I don’t wear mine daily. Because they are a hiking tool, I would not use them too often, especially as the grippy tread would be worn down rather more quickly than you might like.
Durability
Over 150 miles and no issues.
Summary
Topo’s MTN Racer 3 is cheaper than the competition, feels better, has far better durability, and literally outclasses the Altra Olympus in every metric. It’s the perfect hiking shoe for me.
Final Rating
A rare 5 stars for this shoe!
