The Comfiest Trail Shoe for Road Runners Is the Altra Experience Wild 3
- Unlike other trail shoes, the Experience Wild 3 is soft and pliable.
- The shoe’s cushioning is balanced with a 4 mm drop.
- Its MaxTrac outsole provides good traction on the trail with 3.5 mm lugs.
Just like running in zero-drop shoes, the trail can be intimidating for newbies. I have finally come to terms with the fact that the rail “trails” I frequent are as low stakes as a walk in the park compared to the technical, rocks-like-knives trails many of my comrades run on. But I still run in trail shoes when groomed trailheads get sloppy. Shoes like the Altra Experience Wild 3 are the kind that my road shoe feet can tolerate when I make the switch. They’re hardy, with lugs on the soles and a protective toe sweep, but pliable too.
The Experience Wild 3 is one of Altra’s shoes that happens to have a 4 mm heel-to-toe drop, making it not only a welcoming trail-running beginner shoe but also a transitioning-to-low-drop-is-easy option for the zero-drop-curious.
Pros
- Great traction over wet, loose surfaces
- Roomy midfoot and toebox
- More secure upper than previous version
Cons
- Outsole not as grippy as Vibram Megagrip
- Laces could be improved; kept bunching up
| Best for | Trail, Mixed Surface |
| Weight | 11.4 oz (M), 9.9 oz (W) |
| Drop | 4 mm |
| Stack Height | 32 mm |
| Lug Depth | 3.5 mm |
Trail Runners Love This Guy Too
Don’t get this road runner wrong: the Experience Wild 3 is a true trail shoe. But it’s beloved by all—trail newbs, trail vets, trail-running-wannabes—because it’s just so dang comfy to run in and wear.
Unlike other trail shoes I’ve tested, the Experience Wild 3 doesn’t cause pressure points on my ankles or toes, nor is it unbearably stiff, requiring miles of breaking-in. The tongue and heel are padded and feel snug around my ankle. A small knock is that the sides of the collar have a weird angular cutout, but it doesn’t cause any annoying rubbing. Intel from Altra also hints at an updated, less-cutout collar in a future iteration.
The upper has a toe sweep to shield your feet when they get stubbed. There’s also reflective detail so you can be seen in low light.
Balanced Ride
Besides its wide toebox, Altra is known for its balanced cushioning. The Experience collection has a 4 mm drop, which gives you some lift if you’re too shy to fully commit to zero-drop. The Altra Ego P35 midsole provides medium support without numbing your feet to ground feel. Testers praised the Experience Wild 3’s foam.
“I really enjoyed the cushioning in this shoe,” said tester John Mikovits. “I typically like something a bit more minimal and this still gave me that feeling without being overwhelming.
“I also feel like the cushion in this shoe provided a much better feeling on my foot compared to previous versions. I have ran 50Ks in the Lone Peak and loved it, but I think that I would have enjoyed a bit more cushion like in the Experience Wild 3 to provide a little bit more comfort without feeling like a chonky boi!”
Grippy Outsole
The shoe has a MaxTrac outsole and 3.5mm lugs, which bite into soil and aren’t too severe on the road. I appreciated how the lugs shed wet sand and mud when I ran on a beach every day during a family visit in Gloucester, Massachusetts.
Some testers wanted Vibram Megagrip—which is available too. The Experience Wild 3+ is a little steeper in price at $165, but if you want the tackier benefits of Vibram, it’s worth spending that extra cash.
For everyone else who’s like me—and not like me (hi, brave trailmeisters)—the Experience Wild 3 hits that sweet spot. The shoe provides a smooth ride on the groomed—or unbeaten—path.
Shop Men’s at altrarunning.com Shop Women’s at altrarunning.com
Amanda Furrer, Editor, Running Reviews, studied journalism at NYU and writing at Emerson College. She has reviewed gear and covered other topics in the running space for almost 10 years. Since 2013, she has consecutively run the Boston Marathon. She also has a master’s degree in gastronomy from Boston University and was formerly a professional baker for two years before hanging up her apron.
