Topo Athletic Connect Review: The Bare Necessities

Introduction to the Topo Athletic Connect

BRADY: I’ll start with a confession. At the office, the name Barefoot Brady has been bounced around a few times. Thomas sometimes sees the shoes I wear (typically the Vivobarefoot Primus Lite or Xero Dillon Canvas) and looks at me like I’m an alien. What can I say, I like to let my dogs breathe? After years of lifting and walking around in these “foot-shaped” kicks, my feet just prefer minimalist shoes with a wider forefoot and midfoot.

Oh, right, the confession itself. Well, I don’t actually run in truly “barefoot” shoes very often. The last zero-drop, zero-ish stack shoe I ran in was the Notace Yama T1. I did a few trail runs in it, but I’ve gotten more use out of it as a hiking shoe, taking it with me to Mount Rainier and Olympic State Park.

But with the name “Barefoot Brady” comes great responsibility, so I’m going to do my best to regularly feature minimalist shoes in my running rotation and share what they’re like on the run. If you are reading this, you might be someone who can wear minimalist shoes for road runs every single day, but that’s not me. These shins are feeble.

So, with all of that out of the way, most of the testing for the Topo Athletic Connect was done in the gym and with casual wear, so I have dozens of hours in the shoe, but only one run. If you have a problem with that, you can email Karl. He’ll appreciate it.

What we like about the Topo Athletic Connect

BRADY: Man, Vibram. It’s really nice to have such a grippy outsole on a shoe day-to-day. The Topo Athletic Connect features a Vibram XS Trek Outsole, which claims a total depth of 4 mm. That’s the entire outsole, not just the lugs, if you’re wondering. I received this shoe during a major snow and ice storm in Baltimore, and I was walking on ice and through slush with it without any concerns. The Connect is positioned against other minimal trail running shoes, such as the Merrell Trail Glove and Vivobarefoot Primus Trail, so it needed a solid outsole, and Topo certainly delivered.

The rest of the upper feels like a typical Topo Athletic build. The heel is well built and cushioned, and it gave me no issues. The oh-so-consistent tongue you find on their shoes uses two loops for laces to go through, rather than one, which centers the tongue in the middle of your foot well. The mesh construction is durable, as are the overlays and toe protection. It’s getting to the point where I think we should nickname the brand Toyota because they’re just reliable. Get it? Toyota…Topota? Anyways.

What we don’t like about the Topo Athletic Connect

BRADY: That said, I did have some fit issues with this shoe. I have a wider forefoot than most, but the Connect runs too narrow for me. This caused rubbing at the base of both my big toes, and because my left foot is slightly wider than my right, I even experienced some rubbing at the base of my left pinkie toe.

When I first noticed this, I felt a little crazy. I’ve never had a fit issue with a barefoot brand before, but the issue comes down to the overall volume of the upper. Topo Athletic is known for having a slim midfoot that widens into a wider forefoot. On the Connect, they kept a similar insole and shape to their other models, but they slimmed down the overall volume of the upper, creating a shoe that looks more like a rectangle than a traditional “foot-shaped” foot. This is growing increasingly more difficult to explain with words, so I’ve taken a photo of Topo Connect compared to my Topo Phantom 3, both in my typical US M10.

It almost feels like Topo Athletic anticipated this volume issue, as the Connect features a removable insole that provides a bit more wiggle room (excuse the pun again) for your foot. This is how I wear them 95% of the time, and I assume most people who are into the barefoot experience will do the same. As a gym shoe, this works: removing the insole improves proprioception and ground feel while allowing natural toe splay, so I do think these work well for that purpose.

However, you have to ask yourself whether you’re primarily using these for cross-training or running. Because Topo gives you the option to add or remove the insole, a runner with narrow or lower-volume feet could technically use them for both – the insole has a bit of arch support and provides 5mm of stack height, making it a little bit more forgiving as a running shoe. Let’s be real – that’s not much, but I would prefer having that slight cushion over nothing at all. If you’re reading this and the idea of an additional 5 mm of stack disgusts you, have at it, but that’s not me.

Oh, and I don’t love the black upper with the gum outsole. If Topo were to make or send me an all-white pair with a gum sole, similar to the Ultraventure 4, I think that would knock it out of the park for a gym trainer.

Final thoughts on the Topo Athletic Connect

BRADY: Topo Athletic is near and dear to my heart. I completed my first 50-miler in the Terraventure 4, and my feet felt great the entire time. Because of that, I’m always excited to review a new pair of their shoes. When I reviewed the ST-6, I specifically called out that Topo needed a fully minimal option in their lineup. With the Connect, they delivered what I consider a decent first iteration, though it’s not without its flaws.

At $130, it is competitively priced, but version two needs to address the overall width and volume to compete with other hardcore barefoot shoes. If it weren’t for the removable insole, I’m not sure how much use I’d actually get out of this shoe. Thankfully, because that option exists, I’ll continue reaching for these when I cross-train.

All the ingredients are here for an extremely competitive minimalist running shoe, from the Vibram outsole to the well-constructed upper, but Topo has some room for improvement in the next version. Ultimately, if you have a narrow or low-volume foot, you might love the Connect as both a gym trainer and a shoe for trails or shorter runs. On the flip side, if your feet are a little wider, like mine, I’d be comfortable recommending these as hiking shoes or very grippy gym shoes. Just know there are wider options on the market.

You can pick up the Topo Athletic Connect for $130 from Topo Athletic by using the buttons below.