La Sportiva Jackal

Okay, get ready. 140 140. Yes, this is definitely on the pricey side for a shoe

Lower stack and firmer shoes are obviously better for scrambling or fast stuff, but with a "do it all" shoe you are generally going to make some tradeoffs. I don't trust the Altra Lone Peak 5 on anything beyond maintained trails; they are too flexible and don't have enough traction for me. I've had good results with the La Sportiva Jackal, however after 50 miles of hard packed trails and rocks the outsoles have shown a good amount of wear making me suspect that they'll only be good for 150-200 miles on the hard stuff before retiring them to easy-moderate trails.

They (1) fit my feet well, (2) have good security so my feet are not shifting on top of the soles regardless of how I'm moving, (3) have great traction across various surfaces from softer dirt, smooth hard rock, wet, etc., (4) have great cushioning for all-day wear on sharp surfaces, and (5) are not so heavy that I feel like I'm fighting the shoe when picking up the pace. I've run in Altra Timps and Lone Peaks, Brooks Caldera 4, La Sportiva Jackal, Salomon Sense Ride 3, and Topo MTN Racer 1s and none of these had all-day underfoot cushioning and protection against sharps like the Speedgoats.

Better than low-medium stack shoes without a plate though. I run in Hoka Speedgoats, which lean in the same direction as far as shoe width and weight go, but are otherwise quite different. I don't have any issues doing technical running, but I accept that I might be a tiny bit slower on very difficult sections. I've also had good experiences with the La Sportiva Jackal, though the outsole has worn out far faster than I anticipated.

On this note, I have recently been running and hiking in the La Sportiva Jackal with great results. It isn't a wide shoe like Topo or Altra, but I'd describe it as meaningfully wider than the Hoka Speedgoat/Evo and Salomon Sense Ride 2 and 4 Pro, with a very good heel hold ableit heavy for a shoe in its category.

The terrain: from gravel, to rocky, to mud in the winter and some asphalt in between. My main issue with finding comfy shoes is that my forefoot (where my toes are attached to the rest of my foot, that part) starts to hurt when the landing is too hard. I tried a million shoes already, or at least so it feels: Salomon predict hike mid (comfortable but a bit bulky), Hoka Speedgoat (feels like I'm gonna fall flat on my face), La Sportiva Jackal (kind of fine, but feels a bit unstable), Saucony Peregrine 11 (also fine, but could use a bit more cushion mid foot), Salomon speedcross (too stiff), Salomon crosshike (also too stiff), Brooks Cascadia (these felt pretty good but very much dislike the colorways for women, unfortunately), New Balance Foam Hierro (weird roll off as well, same as the Speedgoat for me), TNF Vectiv (not sure what model, also the roll off here that bothered me most), ON Running Cloudventure (too hard, too stiff).

If you go with Altra or a low heel to toe drop shoe, I strongly recommend you get used to them before you do any hiking in them. I had ~70 or so miles in my La Sportiva Jackal before I retired and donated them. The fabric around the ankles was too stiff/hard and gave me a lot of heel and side ankle chafing, and the outsole wore down very fast and started peeling. Might have just been a lemon; I think the Karacal is a better choice if you like the Jackals.