ALTRAMen's Solstice XT 2 Cross Training Shoe

The ALTRA Men's Solstice XT 2 excels in providing excellent support for lifting and sprinting, making it a standout choice for gym workouts and quick bursts of speed. The FootShape toe box allows for natural toe splay, enhancing comfort during dynamic movements. Its lightweight mesh upper ensures breathability, while the responsive midsole offers a good balance of cushioning and stability. The outsole grips well on various surfaces, giving you confidence during intense training. However, it’s worth noting that this shoe isn’t recommended for long-distance running. Overall, the Solstice XT 2 is versatile and stylish, perfect for those focused on strength training and sprints. Highly recommended!

The media could not be loaded. These shoes fits true to size and have great traction for out on the disc golf course. The wide toe box is very comfortable. These shoes last a good while and have seen some miles. I will be buying another pair.

Over the years, I've tried at least a dozen zero drop shoes. Almost all have very thin soles that aren't practical for wearing on any pavement that isn't perfectly smooth and free of stones, etc. Also, most of them just don't fit quite right. In their enthusiasm to go mininimal, it seems lot of manufacturers try to be needlessly creative with the uppers and lose what actually good about traditional shoes.These Altras are the polar opposite. The soles are both thick enough to be comfortable and thin enough to be flexible. The uppers have the fit of traditional trainers; a good thing, IMO. And the toe box is fantastic. I'd say I have slightly wide feet. But it seems lately, all the trainers I try are tight in the toe box. As a result, I've been getting some pain in the joints in the ball of the foot. It seems the Altras are going to relieve that. In fact, I almost feel like I'm relearning how to walk now that my forefoot and toes have room to spread out and work properly.I've only worn the shoes for three workouts, but I'm really excited about what these shoes can do for my feet! I definitely recommend giving them a try!

Apparently $100 doesn't get you anything these days. I got about 2 months of walking/light exercise out of these. The sole is peeling off, and they are splitting on the top of the shoe.They are however very comfortable. I am a big Altra fan, but these do not pass the quality check for durability.

I like these shoes for their comfort and utility and I like that they are wide toebox shoes without really looking like ones.Some early signs of poor quality manufacturing are showing up, though. Stitching came undone on one of the tongue tags so it just flaps around. There is some warping of the toe cap that seems like it will cause the fabricat it's border to fray very quickly.

I originally started my zero-drop running shoe journey a few years back with several pairs of Altra's Escalante 1.5, followed by several pairs of Altra's other lower-stack offerings, most recently including the Kayenta. Unfortunately, with the Kayenta now discontinued, and my current pair of them approaching their tap-out point, I've been on the hunt for a similarly low-profile, dialed-in shoe for my next pair of shoes. I tried out the original Solstice during my initial zero-drop transition but found its EVA midsole overly firm for anything other than short runs (and ultimately ended up sending my pair back to Altra during the 30-day trial period). When I saw that an updated version of the Solstice XT had been released recently, I decided to give a pair a try to see if there had been any improvements since my last try-out.Right out of the box, I was reminded of just how dialed-in the Solstice model feels. I could quickly tell that this was a very purpose-built shoe intended for fast-paced training with lots of lateral movement and quick transitions. In this area, the XT 2 excels. The heel and midfoot areas are the most locked-down I've felt in a shoe before, and even despite the relatively wide forefoot/toebox, I had no concerns about slipping around in the shoes while still having plenty of room to splay my toes in all directions. Outsole grip was fantastic, leaving me feeling super connected to the ground no matter how I moved in the shoes. These things are very clearly built to be able to handle everything that comes with the typical HIIT/Crossfit workout, where grip and stability are a top priority.That said, it was once I started evaluating these shoes for my original goal of using them primarily as running shoes that I realized these weren't the shoes I was looking for. As a disclaimer, I'm a mid- to long-distance runner currently running 5 - 6mi at a time and aiming to gradually get back up over 10mi/run in the near future. While the XT 2 grips like nothing else and appears to be built to handle shorter, more explosive-type runs (30min or less, closer to 80-90% effort or higher) with no trouble at all, its insole/midsole combo just doesn't have the rebound or cushion level to be able to accommodate the longer, slower-paced miles that make up the bulk of my training. In the same vein, and since I'm typically out on the road for an hour or more at a time, these shoes just don't have the breathability that becomes critical when running outside during the warmer months.So, long story short, for distance-focused runs, I think you'll do much better with the Escalante (the 3 is fire!) if you like the stack level/ground feel of the XT 2 but also want a little more cushion and breathability. For HIIT and occasional shorter runs, I don't think you'll find a much better shoe than this one!

I read the reviews that the Solstice were not resilient. But I've owned many Altra before and know that I'm pretty easy on my workout footwear. I only wear them in my gym and do not run in them. I liked the idea of the zero drop and the wide toe box.The Solstice is comfortable. I wear a size 8E and ordered the size 8 and it fit fine. They also look great.The issue is that they are falling apart. After a few workouts , I noticed the mesh is tearing and the label on the tongue has come off (not a big deal but speaks of the manufacturing.)They were fairly expensive and would avoid these at all cost. If you are going to buy them I suggest you purchase a roll of duct tape to keep them together.

Easily the best training and everyday shoe. If I could wear these to work, I would. Extremely comfortable and flexible. Feels like you have the protection of a shoe without feeling like you’re wearing any. Exact size fit too.