Hi everyone. I'm Chris from the SouthEast (currently outside Atlanta but relocating to Asheville). I have been in to minimalist footwear for a few years now and wear it almost exclusively. I'm a hiker, backpacker, and runner amongst other things, and know Damien through Backpacking Light. My current favorite minimalist shoes are a pair of Soft Star Roos with the T-Rex sole. I'm currently running in the Inov-8 F-Lite 240 and plan to use those for hiking/backpacking as well, but I'm really looking forward to trying out the Altra line.
-chris
Welcome Chris, thanks for stopping by. The Altra's are nice so far, and have that nice wide toebox you are looking for. I just heard that they are now taking pre-orders on their website for all models.
If you get a chance, I would love to see your review of the Roos. I haven't tried any of the Soft Star models yet.