Review by Brian Coffee from Trailpeak.com
Montrail AT Plus, a long distance hiking shoe.
I generally prefer hiking in boots instead of shoes. I know a lot of hikers who wear shoes for every type of trails, even scrambling in the Rockies. In fact, I’ve even seen scramblers in sandals. Don’t know how they do it, but it’s not for me.
But some days when you know the trail and you know it’s pretty smooth sailing all the way to your destination, shoes just might do the trick. I’ve tried other light hikers in the past and have been disappointed (no names), so I was a little apprehensive when we were offered Montrail’s new AT Plus hikers to evaluate.
The name Montrail, for the last decade, has become synonymous with cutting-edge outdoor footwear. In 29 countries, Montrail shoes are worn by people who feel their feet deserve nothing less than the most technologically advanced products. For rock climbing, Montrail learned how to integrate thermo-moldable foam into the pressure zones for a custom fit in a traditionally uncomfortable shoe genre. For hiking and ultrarunning, where users spend non-stop days on their feet, Montrail created the Integrafit last based on digital scans of thousands of different feet. For everyday comfort, Montrail created a uniquely contoured, thermo-moldable sandal. These innovations and a dedication to bringing the best performance to extreme and casual users alike have created a reputation for the best fitting, high-performance footwear on the planet.
With this reputation in mind, I ran the AT Plus hikers through their paces. The first thing I noticed was the outsoles, which seemed much more rigid than the other light hikers, more like a hiking boot. They also have a ‘rockered’ heel allows you to land on a flatter surface than just on the back edge of the heel. I’m sure that, scientifically, this also gives you somewhat of an assist on the takeoff phase of the step, although I didn’t notice it. Another aspect of the sole construction that I appreciated is the GrytoniteTM compound that contributes to sure-footedness in all conditions. They have a nice low cut around the ankles (important to me) and are very lightweight.
The AT Plus is a very comfortable hiking shoe. A lot of hiking shoe reviewers say…
that you should generally consider throwing away the factory insoles and get some good ones. Not the case here. These insoles are good right out of the box. They also seem to have a wider toe box that most of their rivals, although only one width, no choice. The wider toe box should reduce ‘black toes’ to a large degree. It does, however, give the shoe a more rounded look at the toe, which might be a bit less aesthetically pleasing to some buyers. But good looks don’t always mean good shoes, do they?
Even though I haven’t yet had a chance to try these shoes in the mountains (2 blizzards in April), these hikers have performed very well everywhere I’ve taken them. Lightweight and low-cut, the AT Plus is built for fast packers and those who demand a high performance, long distance hiking shoe.
Manufacturer’s Description:
- Nylon mesh upper with thermoplastic weld support bands create seamless support and lockdown over the foot.
- Synthetic leather rand coupled with high abrasion printed material for support and protection.
- Dual density compression molded EVA midsole, with heel and forefoot internal pods for cushioning.
- A firmer 360 degree perimeter density surrounds a softer center for support, protection and stability on the trail.
- Full length Gryptonite™ outsole with multipurpose lug pattern constructed of a (top secret) sticky rubber compound engineered for optimal performance with a combination of traction and durability on both wet and dry surfaces.
- Gore-Tex waterproofing
- Trail Shield – A lightweight/flexible protection material that is co-molded between the outsole and mid-sole for underfoot protection from rocks and trail debris.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
To be generous I will start with the pros.
They fit almost great and seemed to have very good support.
cons. very hazerdous, more slippery than my best dress shoes. My trial run was miserable. It had rained for 30 seconds to a minute before I went out the door and then it got scary. I walked up the trail I hit hundreds of miles on every year and I was slipping on every hard surface I had set my feet on. I was miserable thinking about the money I spent for these shoes that I have been shopping around for and finally picked these. I stepped on a flat boulder (that had maybe a ten degree tilt to it) that I stood on many times before in many types of foot wear and just started to slide down it and could not stop without putting a hand down.
I am in east tennessee and it is a mild trail with rocks roots and packed dirt.
They compared nothing to the montrails I had before with the contragrip. Possibly the hard rock shoe….
When I went into the store my main request was a shoe with excellent grip, and I was hoping they still made the montrail I had before but it turns out that as I was told that columbia or somebody bought out montrail and the hard rock may have went down hill over the past years any how. Bummer however true that may be.
Well here is another 2 pros.
I had to go around a tree that had fell across my path by going 2 feet up the embankment in some packed mud and they seemed to have gripped most excellent and when I had gotten down to the creek and was walking on the dry river stones they seemed to grip quit well except for 2 or so stones that seem to want to throw my feet out like a skateboard.
Maybe they are like motorcycle tires and you have to break them in for 100 miles and scuff them up until the manufacturing oil wears out. Or maybe its like the highway and you shouldn’t ride your bike for the first ten minute of rain until the oil deposits are washed away and the micro lichen on the rocks and root have some sort of micro oil balls conspired to throw you and break your elbow.
Sorry to hear about your slippage. We haven’t heard much of this and confidently think it’s not a widespread issue. Perhaps the outsole on your shoe was made with a less than perfect batch of Gryptonite material. We apologize for that inconvenience. In the future if a shoe doesn’t perform the way you’d like, take it back to the retailer for a refund, as most good footwear dealers these days (and most Montrail dealers) guarantee the shoes they sell. We hope you continue to choose Montrail for your trail running and hiking needs.
I have NO idea WHY they changed the Hardrock… it was a very VERY dumb thing to do. I used thm on thru hikes of the AT,CT, Wt and others. I wanted to use them on the AZT last yr but after I heard the horror stories from long distance hiking buddies of mine I refrained. I tried the Mnt masochist which were OK but not stellar. They only lasted about 400 miles. I am at a loss about trying another company but it sounds like I may have to.