Minimalist/Barefoot Approach Shoe

I've had pretty good luck with the Evolv Cruzers and they seem to fit what you're looking for except for the part about leather uppers.  I've climbed 5.9 (Prime Rib of Goat in Mazama) and carried a big pack several miles.  They pack flat.  They fit my wide feet.  I've even done some trail running in them since it was all I had to run in.  I've been through couple of pairs of them but the first pair was surprisingly durable.  I'm now in TX4s except when packability matters.

Altra has fulfilled your request: check out the Grafton.

I bought a pair of the Altra Wahweap, mostly for casual wear, but gave them at a shot at walk off shoes this week at Seneca. Would not recommend, rubber is not sticky and shoe is too flexible. I'll probably try the Grafton at some point.

I bought at pair of the new Altra Graftons, size 14 (runs true to size).

Caveat:  Approach shoes suck; they aren't that comfortable for hiking, they climb worse than the cheapest climbing shoes, and they look ridiculous. And they are by far my favorite style of shoe, I have 3-4 pairs of them!

My current favorite approach shoes are my old Scarpa Vitamins, here are a few comparisons:



Though the Graftons look wide, they are actually the same width as all my other approach shoes at the widest point. It is just that the widest point is further forward. Since they are foot shaped, they are a little shorter overall. The wide toe box lets your toes spread out as advertised and the heel cup is excellent, as good as the Boulder X and better than the Scarpas. The heel is a little narrower than my other shoes. They weigh about 1.75 pounds compared to 2.5 for Boulder x's or Vitamins - roughly the same as Gecko Lites.

First Impressions:
These are my first zero-drop shoes so I wore them around town for a few days to get used to them before I took them up on a hike and scramble in the Flatirons. The dot sole lugs are shallow so they do not gain any traction on loose gravely trail, similar to a 5.10 Guide Tennie. On rocky trails they did fine, but with the thin, sensitive sole I can see getting pretty footsore on longer hikes with a heavy pack. Scrambling up sandstone slabs they did pretty well though the Vibram Mega Grip was much less grippy than C4. Does anyone feel like new rubber has a break-in period? Time will tell. The shoes do not edge at all, the wide toebox allows your feet to move around inside the shoe too much. I jammed them into a hand sized crack and they did well there. The Graftons really shine on the descent - their light weight and running shoe roots made them feel very nimble in the talus and my toes did not slide forward against the front of the shoe.

I would give these 10/10 if, like the OP, you are looking for a "barefoot" style approach shoe. If you are looking to replace a pair of La Sportiva, 5.10 or Scarpa approach shoes with something similar I would only give them a 7/10 since they won't climb as well. My advice to Altra would be to put deeper lugs on the sole with a flat spot under the big toe like a Boulder X or a Scarpa, they will never compete with a Guide Tennie for climbing.

Personally, as someone with a moderate case (and worsening) of hallux valgus (bunion), someone making a wide toe box is awesome. I've tried lots of brands but after an hour or so, my foot was suffering. But with a bunion, having a stiff shoe is the other part of the equation. So I might have to stiffen either the Wahweep or Grafton up with a Superfeet insole. If the rubber isn't sticky, well, thats a bummer. But this shoe is Altra's first entry into the approach shoe market so I am willing to give them leeway while they improve on the models. I am just happy someone makes running (and now approach shoes) that can accommodate my need for a wide toe box.

David House wrote: I bought at pair of the new Altra Graftons, size 14 (runs true to size).

Caveat:  Approach shoes suck; they aren't that comfortable for hiking, they climb worse than the cheapest climbing shoes, and they look ridiculous. And they are by far my favorite style of shoe, I have 3-4 pairs of them!

My current favorite approach shoes are my old Scarpa Vitamins, here are a few comparisons:

Though the Graftons look wide, they are actually the same width as all my other approach shoes at the widest point. It is just that the widest point is further forward. Since they are foot shaped, they are a little shorter overall. The wide toe box lets your toes spread out as advertised and the heel cup is excellent, as good as the Boulder X and better than the Scarpas. The heel is a little narrower than my other shoes. They weigh about 1.75 pounds compared to 2.5 for Boulder x's or Vitamins - roughly the same as Gecko Lites.

First Impressions:
These are my first zero-drop shoes so I wore them around town for a few days to get used to them before I took them up on a hike and scramble in the Flatirons. The dot sole lugs are shallow so they do not gain any traction on loose gravely trail, similar to a 5.10 Guide Tennie. On rocky trails they did fine, but with the thin, sensitive sole I can see getting pretty footsore on longer hikes with a heavy pack. Scrambling up sandstone slabs they did pretty well though the Vibram Mega Grip was much less grippy than C4. Does anyone feel like new rubber has a break-in period? Time will tell. The shoes do not edge at all, the wide toebox allows your feet to move around inside the shoe too much. I jammed them into a hand sized crack and they did well there. The Graftons really shine on the descent - their light weight and running shoe roots made them feel very nimble in the talus and my toes did not slide forward against the front of the shoe.

I would give these 10/10 if, like the OP, you are looking for a "barefoot" style approach shoe. If you are looking to replace a pair of La Sportiva, 5.10 or Scarpa approach shoes with something similar I would only give them a 7/10 since they won't climb as well. My advice to Altra would be to put deeper lugs on the sole with a flat spot under the big toe like a Boulder X or a Scarpa, they will never compete with a Guide Tennie for climbing.

Thank you very much for taking time to post this.

It is highly appreciated indeed. If just everyone would take time to post such a detailed first hand experiences, online shopping would be way much easier to handle.

Thanks again.

I have been enjoying my Altra King mts. At first, I was concerned about how loose (sloppy) they felt, but I eventually got used to how they felt. Now I love them, and find that the rubber is good both for approach on rock, as well as trail. I had la sportiva, and 5,10 approach shoes before, and they irritated my neuromas to the point that I could hardly hike any more. The switch to Altras, and using Correctoes around the house helped me get back to hiking without painful burning foot pain.

Hi y'all - revisting an old thread here.  Have been on the hunt myself and think I have finally found a pair that fits the profile!  Saltic outdoor shoe: https://barefootsaltic.cz/produkt/outdoor-flat-grey/..  Check em out!  flat and wide toe box, Vibram outsole, rubber toe and heel wrap.. I managed to get a pair here in US, but ordered the wrong size.  If anyone is size 43 (US mens 10), and interested in them send me a message!

Sorry to revive an old thread. I’ve been using the Grafton for the past few years and they’ve been great, however they are starting to fall apart now, as Altra have discontinued them are there any other alternatives that are recommended? 

You ever hear of Vibram five finger? Fulfill all the OP requirements.

Such as this

The original poster wanted a leather upper which is not part of the Vibram line

Evan LovleyMeyers wrote:

The original poster wanted a leather upper which is not part of the Vibram line

He says, ignoring the link to a megagrip soled, leather upper Vibram shoe just above.

I use VFF for casual but don’t think they’re good for mountains - anything similar to Grafton available?

John Clark wrote:

You ever hear of Vibram five finger? Fulfill all the OP requirements.

Such as this

I have a pair, I think the older version of these that have been great. With a beefy high traction vibram sole. Mine have a velcro strap instead of laces. 

They are great for shorter approaches/descents. Really good for scrambling. Flat foot / barefoot style. Super light and compact to clip to a harness. Mine are probably less bulky than these.

I dont use them for long approaches because I want more support and cushioning, but for an approach less than 1 hour and a descent less than 2 hours they're great.

Softstar Primal Runamoc's with Vibram Megagrip

I think https://www.baer-shoes.com/bergkomfort-wanderschuh-1093-112-06-0/ fits all the criteria, asked in the original post.
https://www.softstarshoes.com/adult-primal-runamoc-megagrip.html comes closer but not exactly.

I believe this is a fools erand imo, approach shoes much like climbing shoes are designed to an extent to resist your foots natural biomechanics and protect you from being dragged up a big wall, shoved into a sharp crack, squeezed between aiders, etc. 

Having a shoe that is wide will lead to a relatively sloppy fit unless they have really worked out a good way to secure your foot in the shoe and from what I can tell, nobody has managed this as of yet. 

Regarding the drop, while I understand not wanting a drop of 8mm+, I think a drop of 4-6mm is fine. 

I used to be all about this, but I don't think its particularly applicable to approach shoes. 

Have a look at the Unparallel West ridge, they're totally flat, sticky and wider than your regular approach shoe. 

Vibram Fivefingers are pretty limiting as an approach shoe.  Good for walking or running on relatively smooth terrain, but not particularly great for scrambling or climbing. You would need to have exceptionally strong toes to do any kind of edging with them.  You have to be very precise with your foot placements whenever you encounter any kind of rough terrain (scree, talus, tree roots, etc) to avoid injury.  

Bedrock Cairns have a thicker sole that is better for scrambling, and it seems like the newer Bedrock Mountain Clog would perform similarly.

However, if you foot fits the TX2 Leather Evo, that is probably going to be your best bet if you want to do any significant amount of 4th and 5th class climbing in a “relatively minimalist“ approach shoe.  As someone who generally prefers zero heel drop and low stack height shoes, I find the TX2 to be a sufficiently minimal approach shoe.  

Mythos are a climbing shoe that you could probably use as a minimalist approach shoe, if you size them appropriately.