Altra Experience Wild - Women's Review

Altra designed this 5 mm drop shoe as an alternative to their infamous zero-drop runners. The Experience Wild weighs 8.20 ounces per women's size 6.5 shoe and offers a secure midfoot lock and subtle rocker that keeps you moving. The Footshape body of the shoe maintains what many runners know and love about Altra while offering a bit of a heel lift for runners who prefer a bit of a differential.

Comfort and Fit

The Altra Experience Wild represents a rather niche category in the world of Altra trail running shoes. It offers a more standard differential than their other trail shoes, allowing its comfort and ride to appeal to runners on a more massive scale. Standing at 31 mm in the heel and 26 mm in the forefoot, the midsole and total stack create a comfortable crashpad underfoot. I really appreciate that its tall-ish stack offers protection and comfort without being mushy. The underfoot comfort of the Experience Wild is suitable for running on the roads as well as the trails, making it an awesome choice for runners who want to leave their front door and see where the neighborhood streets, parks, and trails may take them.

The Experience Wild features Altra's signature Footshape design. The wide toe box pairs well with the midfoot lock, providing plenty of wiggle room for toes to splay and swell during movement. The upper mesh is breathable, not especially resistant to cold weather or water, and comfortable without being super soft. The mid-to-rear of the shoe is well structured and feels fairly standard in its fit. There isn't a ton of extra cushion, but the Experience Wild isn't a rigid shoe either.

Traction

In a surprising twist, the Experience Wild offers one of the most functional Altra outsoles I've had the pleasure of testing. Its MaxTrac rubber with shark-tooth-shaped lugs (triangles) offers multidirectional grip with teeth that bite without digging into the earth too deeply. The lugs are 3.8 mm deep. This depth, combined with the bitey edges, offers solid traction for multiple terrain types.

Stability

The width of a typical Altra shoe is enough to offer solid stability in most cases. Luckily, this trend holds true when it comes to the Experience Flow. The width of the toe box and structure of the rear of the shoe combine to offer a secure ride without feeling laterally imposing. The Experience Wild is all about comfort and security, allowing it to score highly in this metric. Its rear outsole is wider than some, further adding a secure edge to this trail running shoe.

Foot Protection

The Experience Wild is fairly protective, but it lacks a few key features that I look for in my truly rugged terrain kicks. While this shoe is thick enough underfoot to not need a rockplate, its lack of one decreases its score in this metric a bit. The underfoot protection is adequate, however, providing plenty of sole protection on variable terrain. The toecap of this shoe is subtle and offers very little in the way of protection. The design of the forefoot makes this protection feel a bit like an afterthought. The Experience Wild has gaiter traps, making it easy to adhere gaiters for upper protection.

My biggest protection gripe when it comes to the Experience Wild is that the upper mesh is thin. While the breathability is nice, it isn't quite thick enough to protect from rogue water splashes. While this isn't my top recommendation in terms of protection, its other solid attributes outweigh this potential drawback to make the Experience Wild a versatile shoe for most terrain types — though potentially not cold weather.

Weight

Each women's size 6.5 shoe weighs 8.20 ounces, which is on the heavier side of things when it comes to trail running shoes. The thick heel and platform of the Experience Wild are where much of the weight rides, and this shoe is noticeable underfoot. The weight of this shoe is not a dealbreaker if the rest of the elements align, but it is definitely a bit chunkier than some of the more agility-focused options.

Sensitivity

Even without a rock plate, the Experience Wild isn't particularly sensitive. Its generous stack height may not deliver the most responsive trail feel, but it doesn't hinder performance either. While runners who crave a more tactile connection with the terrain might prefer a different shoe, the Experience Wild remains a strong choice for those who prioritize cushioning and underfoot support.

Should You Buy the Altra Experience Wild?

The Experience Wild has much to offer trail runners in terms of comfort during mellow, rolling trail runs. It isn't as versatile or agile as some runners might like, but its moderate price tag makes it a worthwhile pick. We scoured the internet to see what kind of reviews were left by other runners and noted several reviews that call the durability of the Experience Wild into question. Throughout our testing, during which we pounded trails and pavement and wore these shoes around during daily tasks, we did not have any durability issues arise. The lightweight upper may not be as sturdy as some, but there were no noticeable concerns.

What Other Trail Running Shoes Should You Consider?

Within the Altra family, the Experience Wild is a solid choice. The Lone Peak 9 is a 1 mm drop shoe that offers a less significant underfoot stack but a comparably spacious toe box. The Topo MTN Racer 3 offers a similarly wide toe box in a slightly more flexible and sensitive package. Even at 32 mm in the heel, the MTN Racer's 6 mm drop allows runners to feel the ground beneath them with ease. For a sturdier, wide-toe-boxed shoe, the durable and reliable Topo Ultraventure 4 offers a longer-lasting approach to wide-toe-box trail running. The Ultraventure lacks the smooth rock-n-roll of the Experience Wild, but it is another trail companion to consider.