Responsive, resilient and flexible, the Oterro from Topo Athletic is built to work with your natural form while keeping you light and nimble on the trail.
On Performance and Design…
Every brand has a motto, every product a story. But we’re going to be honest and admit that the crew at Topo Athletic might have what has become our favorite ‘brand mission’:
The Oterro (available for men and women) is a light, rugged, and versatile shoe designed built for rugged terrain and outdoor adventures. From our perspective, the Oterro fits in line with the new generation of footwear seeking to fill the void that exists somewhere between hiking boot and trail runner. The result is an all-around outdoor shoe that delivers a little bit of everything, and then melts away under your foot so you can concentrate on the challenge at hand.
In a segment of the market that’s beginning to swell, Oterro relies upon the little design details to make a big difference and set itself apart from the crowd. As with every shoe in the Topo Athletic line-up, the Oterro features an anatomic shape for natural foot positioning. This is part and parcel to their belief in crafting footwear that amplifies your body’s natural abilities – making shoes that work with you, not for you.
While not as wide as the offerings from Altra, the beauty of the Oterro is that it still offers a slightly wider toe-box without an aesthetic that’s remeniscent of webbed feet. Zero-drop geometry encourages an anatomically oriented gait so you can frolic over the hills and through the woods without worry. Despite absolutely no difference in height between your heel and your toes, the Oterro sets your foot a solid 17mm apart from the ground. We refer to this as the “Goldilocks Stack”… not too high, not too low… just right.
The truly unique design feature however is the flexible printed upper of the shoe. This construction method preserves the structural integrity of the shoe without the use of textile layering. This thread-free/seam-free approach is also the reason why the Oterro offers a superior level of flexibility and a feathery weight that let’s you keep pushing ahead on the trail.
Oterro’s aggresive multi-directional lugs are deep enough to get a good grab on any type of terrain yet remain small enough so as not to interfere with proprioception. The rounded heel counter and gentle upturn at the nose of the shoe not only de-emphasize the heel strike, but aide a more natural motion while offering greater traction across a wider variety of surfaces and terrains. In simple terms, the Oterro offers a platform that’s equally at home on the trail, at the gym or on the pedals of your mountain bike.
Notes from the trail…
Between trouncing through the Arizona desert and hiking to, through and above the Sierra Nevada treeline, we’ve put hundreds of miles on these shoes. Through it all, there were only two significant critiques which arose.
As always, you need to pick the footwear that meets the needs and demands of your particular adventures. The Oterro lacks a rock plate which means it also lacks the torsional stability of similar shoes. So while their weight and flexibility make them an incredibly versatile option for an array of outdoor adventure, on days when the pack gets heavy and the trail technical, you’ll need footwear a little more suited for that endeavor. Additionally, the last on the Oterro runs small which may result in the need for some people to move up a half size depending upon fit.
Bottom Line…
Dedicated to a life in the outdoors. Light as a feather. Shaped for action and adventure.
*Gumption Gear Review received a product sample of the item featured in this review from Topo Athletic at no cost, and receives no monetary compensation for this or any related review. The item featured was provided solely in return for our honest views and opinions.