Astral -put nature first-

Astraldesigns:

Rather unknown among hikers, a big name in the kayak world. Since 2002, Astral has been developing life vests and shoes for whitewater and touring paddlers. Before that, owner Phillip Curry had founded Lotus Designs, which was acquired by Patagonia in 1999. After a period as a biodynamic farmer, Phillip founded Astral with the goal of developing perfect products with the smallest possible ecological footprint.

A lot has happened since then, and for some time now, in addition to the paddling range, they also offer some pretty cool hiking shoes.

 

Astral TR 1 Junction:

After having taken many different brands and models on various trips (Brooks, Altra, La Sportiva...), we opted for the Astral TR1 in 2019. Jennifer Pharr-Davis, a rather popular Triple Crowner in the USA, was among those involved in the development of the TR1....

 

Here are the most important facts:

• 1mm drop (20mm front, 21mm heel)
• super grippy "sticky G" sole
• rather narrow at the heel to the midfoot, wide in the forefoot
• reinforcements at the front and heel
• fast water drainage through drain holes
• the sides are made of water-repellent canvas, the front of airy mesh.
• No toxic adhesives are used
• Top quality craftsmanship
  

Area of Use:

Astral markets the shoe as an all-rounder, for hiking, cycling and paddling, or even just as a casual shoe. The TR1 cuts a fine figure everywhere!

 

Our Review:

We took these shoes with us for 550 miles in 2019 and are still quite impressed. For classic long-distance hikes, the shoes are super suitable, very airy, quick drying, plenty of room in the forefoot, no blisters and fully water-friendly.

Of course, the shoes showed signs of wear after 550 miles, but they could have gone further ;-)

The shoes are designed as lightweight hiking shoes; they are not suitable for high-alpine use. But for pretty much everything else, they are. The shoes are so comfortable that we almost exclusively wear Astral in our free time too.


 

 

What size do I need?