600 Mile Long Term Review - Topo Athletic MTN Racer 3 - Are they any good?!

[@trickofthetrail]

Great review there matie. Plenty of detail to help someone make a decision on buying them. They do look like a cracking shoe. I've been eyeing up the RUNVENTURE 4, because they are zero drop and I prefer less cushioning. I might give them a whirl once my Vivobarefoots have worn out.

[@PaulandaPack]

Cheers Mark. I think the Runventure would be a good one for you - I know you like your Vivo's. The grip on the Runventure looks as good as the MTN Racer, and I'm really enjoying the fit of the Topo's.

[@malachi-]

I've been researching them some, get some Topo FKT insoles, they don't hold water/sweat and are better than the originals... people say it is the original insoles that are holding a lot of the moisture. Thanks for the personal review. I tried some on in an actual store and I was shocked at the comfort.

[@PaulandaPack]

Thank you mate. Unfortunately, at the moment, Topo don't sell the FKT insoles on their UK website. However, I did buy some from the US site and have been using them for about 5 months now. They definitely make a difference, and they seem to wear better than the standard insoles too. 👍

[@SteffenThomsen]

Great review mate. I think the long drying time of the shoe is mainly because of the insole. The Topo Traverse has an insole that doesn't soak in water and therefore dry a lot faster. I think that Topo sells this insole separately, så you could put this insole in the MTN racer.

[@PaulandaPack]

Hey, thank you! That's good to know, I think I'd read that somewhere about the insoles in the Traverse, but I didn't know you could get them separately. The Traverse is probably the next Topo shoe I'll be trying out, so it will be interesting to compare the two. I did find that the uppers of the MTN Racer 3's held onto water for a good amount of time too.

[@michaelharrison9445]

Topo don’t sell replacement insoles to UK customers. I asked for a replacement however they replied that they wouldn’t ship to the UK☹️

[@josephallen7337]

Great review! Although, I have to diaagree with you about the Topo Gaiters. I recently used them on an 86 mile backpacking trip and they worked phenomenally. The hook system works well, is easy to engage and does a great job of keeping out dirt and debire. I highly recommend the Topo gaiters for anyone running Topo shoes.

[@PaulandaPack]

Thanks, that's good to know. I've been using these without gaiters so far, and have found very little debris has been entering them.

[@pauljones5066]

they're still in once piece!! that's impressive after 5 weeks in the Pyrenees! I might get some when the boat comes in

[@PaulandaPack]

Yeah, I was a little unsure how they would hold up for that trip but they did a fantastic job!

[@grahamwallace]

Interesting review, thanks. I’ve just bought a pair of Topo Ultraventure 3 for the Camino Frances in 10 weeks time, which looking at your footage is obviously not as demanding as your hike. Having said that I expect that the road walking on the Frances might take its toll on the tread over the 500 miles. I think the vibram tread is identical to the MTN Racers. A bit concerned about the drying out time, though. I decided on non Gortex shoes thinking they’d dry out much quicker if soaked. I think the comfort of the Topo’s will make up for that issue.

[@PaulandaPack]

Thanks Graham. I think you're probably right about the road walking - it will probably eat the Vibram up quicker than off road trails would. I should hope that you'll still do the 500 miles with one pair though. The drying time was an annoyance for me, but it certainly wouldn't put me off buying another pair as I found them superbly comfy. Hope you have a great time on the Camino!

[@mjxx]

Hey there, I just finished the Camino Frances today with the Mtn Racer 2 (used them for around 100 miles on local trails before) and they held up beautifully. My Vibram soles look better than in this video even! I guess they have another 1-200 miles in them which is absolutely amazing! You’ll be absolutely happy with your Ultraventures, I’m sure of it. Buen Camino!

[@grahamwallace]

@@mjxx Thanks! Buen Camino.

[@otf.outdoors]

Look like a good quality pair of trail shoes, I also hate it when laces come undone, definitely good to have decent ones on a shoe, good idea with the Velcro to Paul , atb Mick 👍

[@PaulandaPack]

Yeah, really impressed with these - especially the grip and the comfort! 👍

[@TomTeriffic]

Hello Paul. I have several questions. Wet shoes usually result in blisters. I assume you had no blisters or hot spots? Did you have any foot pain? How many miles per day were you hiking? Could you hike 15 - 20 miles per day, in the rain, for several rainy days in a row, wearing these shoes? What is the drop on these shoes? What socks were you wearing? Did you wear liners under your socks? Thanks, Tom

[@PaulandaPack]

Hey Tom, These shoes are as close to perfect for me as I have found so far. No blisters, hot spots, or foot pain/issues in over 500 miles across a mountain range. I was hiking anywhere (miles) between mid teens and high twenties each day, only one zero day out of 35. Whilst the shoes did retain some moisture, even overnight, I really didn't notice it a great deal, and never felt uncomfortable. The drop on these is 5mm, which seems to be my sweet spot. I wear 2 pairs of socks when hiking - an Injinji mini crew liner first, then a Darn Tough quarter hiker over the top of that. Hope this helps!

[@iakona23]

How did the midsole cushioning hold up as you went past 600 miles+? Great video. Thank you.

[@PaulandaPack]

Hey, thanks for watching! I started noticing a difference with the midsole around the 500 mile mark, although at that point I was doing more road walking than I had previously on the trail, so that might have played a part. I was still using these shoes for a couple of hundred miles after this trail until the tread was depleted, by which time the midsole had little life left in it also.

[@maurerevans]

i wore Altra for my camino francis the 2nd time. i have not worn topo for a camino. however, i do like how it fits and am willing to try them for a camino.

[@PaulandaPack]

Great, hope they do a good job for you if you decide to try them out!

[@Bestdayever22]

Question… I recently purchased the topo Spector and had to return them because the ankle collar came up way too high for me and literally hit me in the middle of my ankle bone, which I can’t handle:( where does the ankle collar hit on you? I was looking between the Mountain Racer 3 and the MT-5…

[@PaulandaPack]

Hi, sorry to report that I can't help on that - my pair got totally worn out, and so were binned a while ago now. All I can say is that I didn't experience any issues at all with the ankle collar - no rubbing or pain of any kind.

[@wseong2100]

planning to get a shoe for coming ultra with trail crossing over 30 rivers, not sure if this shoe have proper drainage system. Was comparing this to the altra timp5.

[@PaulandaPack]

That sounds like a lot of water! I'm not sure this shoe would handle that very well, the insole that comes with it would basically just act like a sponge. The Topo FKT insoles absorb very little to no water, and might be a good replacement.

[@mikehall6433]

I found it was just the insole in my V2 that was like a sponge, i changed them and they dried loads quicker. Topo do a much better insole, the Topo FKT insoles. I cant find them in the UK.

[@PaulandaPack]

Cheers Mike, somebody else mentioned the better insoles too. I'm hoping Santa might bring me a pair of the new Traverse shoes to try out, (couldn't find them in the UK either), and apparently they have the FKT insoles in already, so if Santa delivers, I'll be very interested to see how they perform!

[@Rance120]

I like Altra because they virtually have no built in arch support. Do these shoes have a pretty high built in arch support. If they do, I’ll have to pass….thanks for your time.

[@PaulandaPack]

Hello mate, I'm out on the Cumbria Way at the moment and just saw your question. Topo shoes do tend to have quite a bit of arch support, the MTN Racer 3 had a good amount, so sounds as though they might not be for you unfortunately.

[@Rance120]

@@PaulandaPack Thanks for the quick reply. Well, I figured the arch support would be too much, so I’ll stick with Altra. Safe hiking!!

[@dersinndeslebens9780]

How can i feel, that the midsole has worn out?

[@PaulandaPack]

Hi, if the midsole feels flat - if it doesn't rebound or provide much cushioning anymore - it's generally a sign that the midsole is worn.

[@kevinstarski1598]

I wonder how Traverse compares to this one?

[@PaulandaPack]

I've actually got a pair of Traverse that I'm trying out at the moment. Hopefully in a few weeks time I'll have some info to share on my experiences with them.

[@kevinstarski1598]

Awesome...looking forward to it...@@PaulandaPack

[@marksgoogle4360]

As you noted lots of concrete trail. Trail shoes should avoid that as it kills their tread

[@PaulandaPack]

Yeah, totally agree on that. In this instance, the only way I could have avoided it was to carry two pairs of shoes, which I wasn't prepared to do.

[@iberiksoderblom]

"How to turn your Trail shoes in to slicks" 😀 Its a sign of quality, that a pair of shoes are worn down that much and still actually works and are not falling appart. I've had a couple of Topo shoes. All of them having the problem for me, that they are much to wide in the rear part of the shoe, from mid-ancle and backwards. People with "fat ancles" seem to not have an issue, but I had to abandon using the Topos all together. BUT I have a wide forefoot (2EE) and that part of the Topo shoes fits me absolutely perfect. Better than Altras, for some reason. And the build quality and the midsole foams are much better than Altra, is my experience. So eventually I dived in again, buying a pair of the MTN Racer 2's, beccause a few of the YT reviews mentioned a slightly better heel fit than on other Topo's. My standard sizing is US 9 (EU 42,5) so I went for the MTN Racers in US 8,5 (EU 42). And they fit my foot all around! It's "borderline" in the heel and I still feel that Topo should narrow the space in the latter 20% of the shoes a bit, but I can now walk/run in the shoe without constantly being reminded that my heel slips up and down in the shoe and feel loose. They need someone on the Topo design team with Athletic feet 😀 Oh, and the tounge is as allways on Topo's a bit short. When I tie the shoes its on the edge of the tounge and very close to sliding behind the tounge... 5mm more lenght would be awesome.

[@PaulandaPack]

Hey, thanks for sharing your experience with Topo shoes - it's always great to hear how other people get on with them. I've actually just managed to pick up a pair of MTN Racer 2's also, and they're definitely a little different to the 3's. The 3's really held my heel in perfectly, with no lift or movement, but the 2's seem to be a little looser. I also agree with you about the laces - they seem to sit right at the edge of the tongue, which I don't remember happening with the 3's. Thanks for taking the time to share, and happy trails mate!