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Reviews > Footwear > Boots > Chaco Tedinho Waterproof boots > Test Report by Lori Pontious

Chaco Tedinho Waterproof Boots
Test Series by Lori Pontious

INITIAL REPORT - November 7, 2012
FIELD REPORT - January 22, 2013

Tester Information

NAME: Lori Pontious
EMAIL: lori.pontious (at) gmail.com
AGE: 45
LOCATION: Fresno County, California, USA
GENDER: F
HEIGHT: 5'7" (1.7 m)
WEIGHT: 165 lb (75 kg)

I've backpacked, camped and fished all over the lower 48 states with my family as a kid, and then life happened. I've restarted these activities about six years ago - I dayhike or backpack 2-6 times a month. I am between light and ultralight. I have a hammock system and own a Tarptent. My base weight depends upon season and where I go.


Product Information


Manufacturer:Wolverine World Wide, Inc.

Manufacturer URL: www.chacos.com
Sizes Available, Men's: 7 - 15
Colors Available, Men's: Tarvia, Black
Sizes Available, Women's: 5 - 12
Colors Available, Women's: Tarvia, Bungee, Black
Color Tested: Tarvia
Size Tested: 10.5 Men's
Listed Weight: none listed
Measured Weight: 1.29 lb (.59 kg) left boot, 1.3 lb (.59 kg) right boot, 2.6 lbs (1.18 kg) per pair
MSRP: US$150

Initial Report

Product Description

The Chaco Tedinho waterproof boots (hereafter "the boots") are made of full grain waterproof leather, polyester and suede, with a rubber sole. The product video on the website indicates that the boot is built on a supportive LUVSEAT platform for "all day comfort." The soles are advertised as EcoTread - they're made of 25% recycled rubber. The video also informs me that 'Tedinho' is pronounced differently than I expected (tid-een-yo? t'dinyo?) and that the lugs are "super grippy." More objectively, the lugs are listed as having a 3.5 mm depth. That appears to be correct. It's a tiny measurement to verify, but I tried.

IMAGE 1 IMAGE 2

The boots arrived in a box that gave me care instructions for sandals. Looking up information on caring for Chaco products on the website, I found better instructions for leather products: hand wash with a damp cloth and gently blot the area that needs cleaning. Air dry. Use a leather conditioner to help preserve the leather.

I put on the boots and could tell right away that the sizing is accurate. Yes, the above is correct - I do wear a men's size, and the calluses I have on the outer edges of my feet tell the tale. The toe boxes of the boots are just the right fit, with enough space to accommodate my wide forefoot. The heel area is a bit wider than it should be for my feet; sometimes this happens with men's sizes. However, the thicker merino socks I will be wearing in fall and winter will help make up for this, and heel liners can fill in the space if socks don't adequately do the job.

The insole is an interesting design, with a raised lug pattern providing arch support. It will be interesting to see how well the Chaco insoles wear as I start hiking with the boots. Walking around the house, they seem comfortable, though they provide less arch support than I am accustomed to having.

The boots have a suede upper and tongue. Pull up loops on the heel and tongue provide good grip to get the boot on. The boots arrived pre-laced and can be tightened snugly. The square military-style laces seem to be as secure as advertised. The interior of the boot feels soft, almost like felt.

The boots feel lighter on my feet than I expected, for a leather boot. I also did not expect them to be as supple. So far the only thing that tells me I have boots on my feet instead of shoes is the high ankle.

From my initial examination of the boots, I anticipate that I will find them to be comfortable on the trail. I may replace the insoles as I prefer a little more arch support than the Chaco insoles provide. I will very likely treat the leather before heading out into wet conditions. So far I can find nothing to dislike about them.


Field Report

Field Conditions

I wore the boots on a rainy day search for airplane parts with the Fresno County Search and Rescue Team. It was about 45 F (7 C) and cloudy with occasional showers as I walked, stomped, fought and tripped through manzanita and white thorn bushes. I also wore mountaineering gaiters and rain pants.

I wore the Tedinhos on an overnight trip to Pat Springs in Los Padres National Forest, hiking into the Ventana Wilderness. The day temperatures ranged from 35 to 55 F (2 to 13 C) and at night it dropped as low as 23 F (-5 C). The trails were muddy and slippery in places. There was no rain or snow while we were out there for three days enjoying sunsets from the ridge top. We hiked 16 miles (26 kilometers) total.

I wore the boots on a two day/one night visit to Case Mountain, near Three Rivers, California, in Sequoia National Forest. This was a strenuous 20 miles (32 kilometers) with 5,000 feet (1,524 meters) of elevation gain. Night time low temperature was around 35 F (2 C) and day temperatures ranged from 55 to 60 F (13 to 15 C). We camped on top of the mountain under clear skies with a great view of the central valley of California.

I rang in the New Year with friends on a four day backpacking trip in Point Reyes National Seashore, along the Pacific Coast in California. We started out under cloud cover and ended with clear skies. Night temperatures dropped as low as 22 F (-6 C) and during the day we enjoyed hiking in 60 to 65 F (15 to 18 C) temperatures. Trails tended to be very wet and muddy except where the drainage was good. Sometimes the trail was the drainage! Apparently the area received 9 inches (23 centimeters) of rain earlier that week. We hiked from Palomarin trailhead to Bear Valley for a total distance of 22 miles (35 kilometers).

I also wore the boots on a muddy day hike on a friend's cattle ranch to Mt Owens in Prather, California. We were cross country for most of the hike up hills and down gullies through wet grass, rocky terrain, and bogs where cattle had been lounging. We hiked 11 miles (18 kilometers) on a clear, cool day.

Field Report

I experimented with the insoles by using the ones that came with the boots, then used blue Superfeet, then put the stock insoles back in and the blue Superfeet on top of them. There's a lot of space in the boot and my flat feet weren't filling it. After my first hike with the boots, I developed a huge blister on one heel. My feet were experiencing too much up-and-down motion, and some scar tissue on that heel rubbed itself right off! After adding a second insole, I kept hiking with the boots, and have had no more problems.

I've put a lot of mud and wear on the Tedinhos. Wading through white thorn and other low brush in the process of grid searching wasn't easy, and my socks wet out even with rain pants over gaiters - I initially thought it was rain soaking through the tongue of the boot, perhaps around the stitching. But I have since walked through 4 inches (10 centimeters) of cold water while hiking in Point Reyes on trails that were still under runoff from heavy rain, and no water got into the boots. Sustained contact with water-soaked brambles and brush pushing up the cuffs of my rain pants must have soaked my hiking pants, which then wicked water down into my socks and boots - I've had this happen with gaiters before.

I've been in a few slippery spots that I lost traction on - one of them on grass, in a steep downhill part of the trail trying to get to a beach in Point Reyes. I sat down rather hard and sprained my dignity. On gravel or dirt, I have had no issues with traction. On smooth, rounded, wet rock I slid a few times.

The laces have continued to remain tied as I've wanted them through the miles, and I appreciate that. The soles still look like new, other than being dirty. The leather is starting to look scuffed. I have been washing the boots and letting them dry, and using leather conditioner to keep them from drying out and cracking. Since I've been using them in a lot of water and mud, I've tried to do this every couple of weeks.

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I like the durability of the boot. I still am not a huge fan of boots, and prefer trail runners, but the Tedinhos have been comfortable and kept my feet dry in some really wet conditions. They're lighter than I anticipated. Overall, my experience with these boots has been positive and I can find nothing to dislike about them.


Thanks to Wolverine World Wide, Inc. and BackpackGearTest.org for the opportunity to test the Chaco Tedinho Waterproof Boots. Please come back in two months when I post my Long Term Report.



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