I love the Lone Peak 8 on the trails. For my road shoe, The Torin 7 is okay (had to go up half a size). But I really want to try out this shoe as a road running alternative. Keen to hear your review for the Altra Escalante Racer 2.

Great review! Compared to Rivera 4, what's the big difference above the more stack in Rivera? For style, in your opinion which is more suitable for everyday wear, Escalante 3, 4 or Rivera 4?

This shoe uses Altras OG last, which is their widest one. But here's the thing. take the insole out and compare it to any normal running shoe like a NB or even a Hoka. It's the same. it's no wider than a normal running in 2E. Nevermind that NB and some Hokas come in 4E which is clearly wider than any Altra in the toes. And they don't need that "foot shape" gimmick. And yes, Altras tend to run tighter in the heel but it's the midfoot that gives most folks issues with these poorly designed shoes. Almost everyone I've seen try on an Altra has the lateral side of their midfoot and going to the pinky toe hanging off the side of the shoe. Because they aren't designed right. the quality has also gone down big time since they got bought by VFC. I say all this as someone that owns 3 current generation Altra shoes. So just to be clear, Altra has 3 lasts. the OG which is used in this and the Via Olympus for road shoes. then they have "standard" which a bit more narrow that comes on shoes like the Torin, etc. Then they have another one that comes on the riveras, etc. that's even thinner still. "Foot shaped" is a lie and a gimmick, most folks feet don't fit well in any of their shoes. Running shoe brands LOVE marketing and gimmicks. You get all the clown shoe aesthetic with no extra benefit over any other running shoe with a low drop. That's just the truth. I will say that Altra does generally do a really good job of making stable shoes at least. better than many brands. But. they clearly don't have the talent or resources of other bigger brands and it shows with al ot of the very poor decision they make. The next version of this shoe will prob have 28 mm stack based on how it's going. Anyone remember like not that long when 28 mm stack was considered like.. not very minimal, more like maximal? idk what else to say. I would say, they need to fix their durability issues. quit skimping on materials VFC. Fix some of their silly design choices, stop radically changing everything all the time, constantly adding stack to every model, making every model the same shoe with a few differences, etc. make the shoes ACTUALLY shaped like a foot.

I just got those, but it looks like they are not wide enough for me. Also, from what i compared sizes 10 vs 11 they have the same insole width, so that's weird. Currently I'm waiting for the escalante racer 2, because according to runrepeat they should be wider. What is your experience? Also do you have any other WIDE recommendations?

What insole do you suggest to get some more depth? I tried these and my true to size felt a bit snug. I tried sizing up and then they were too long.