Are the Montrail At Plus's any good?
Are the Montrail At Plus's any good?
I bought a pair at The Mountain Goat in Manchester Center, VT and they had to send me another pair of shoes to Gorham, NH to replace them. I replaced them with a Merrells shoe - don't remember which model. IMO they'd be good for dayhikes and the occasional backpacking trip but for 20+ mile days, day after day the pair I had just fell apart.
Last edited by 10-K; 12-28-2010 at 23:56.
I'm on my third pair of the AT Plus and they work extremely well for my narrow low-volume feet. I usually carry 25-30 pounds. They seem to be made on the same last as the old Montrail Tamaracks and the Montrail HardRocks. All three actually grip my narrow heels even when unlaced. I use a custom SuperFeet insole (heat and vacuum molded to my feet) and the combination has been great for me. For me, they last about 500 miles and offer excellent traction on wet rock. But your feet are probably different from mine. A good outfitter well-trained in feet is invaluable!
I have been running in Montrails for years, since 2009 they have gone down hill. I just send a pair of the AT Plus back, tried to wear them, but the foot volume is huge. Seem to be a good shoe if it fit.
Within a week, they were falling apart. Not only was the stitching coming out wherever the shoe would bend, but the soles became seperated from the upper shoe almost immediately. I traded them out at an outfitter about 250 miles into my hike. The second pair was just as bad, but I was able to get about 500 miles out of them, but they were falling apart after about 200 miles.
FWIW, I had better luck with Merrill.
I guess I've just been lucky with my Montrails. You guys have persuaded me to visit an outfitter and see if I can find another brand that fits as well.
I got 700 miles on mine. The never separated but I wore a hole near the little toe from brushing against rocks. The were waterproof and maybe a little sturdier. The didn't grip on loose, dry gravel but nothing really does. I like the wide forefoot-no toe bumping.
I wore AT Plus last year and quite liked them. I put about 400 mi on mine, and they're starting to get pretty rough. Could probably squeeze another 100 mi out of them, but I'll probably just buy the AT Plus 11's when they come out. The AT Plus were about the most comfortable trail runner that I've ever worn, and I figure that they were a good upgrade over the 2009 Hardrocks.
BTW, I did an end-to-end on the LT last year which is pretty rough terrain, so it's not like they were really babied either.
The only thing worse than Montrail's is their customer support
I did Springer to Harper's Ferry in a pair of them... really comfy shoe.
AT '11
Springer Mtn. 3/16/11 -------> Katahdin 8/24/11
Stoveless and Slackless
I posted above saying I loved the AT Plus. Let me amend that! I love them in dry weather. The padding that feels so good when everything is dry became a sponge in the rain and the entire shoe seemed to stretch, leading to blisters. Plus I had to glue the sole back together after only 150 miles or so. And the uppers were starting to fray. I'm finished with Montrail!