Field Conditions:
July 21-28, 2015: Emigrant Wilderness, CA (California, USA) 7,000 - 8,000 ft. (2,100 - 2,400 m) 60's F (15 C) day time; high-40's F (8 C) night time, campfire.
September 18-25, 2015: Kaiser Wilderness, CA 8,000 - 9,500 ft. (2,400 - 2,900 m) 60's F (15 C) day time; mid-to-low 40's F (5 C) night time, campfire.
October 5-8, 2015: Emigrant Wilderness, CA 7,600 - 8,700 ft ( m) 60's F (15 C) day time; mid-30's F (3 C) night time, campfire.

IMPRESSIONS:
     Though I often don't hike for more than several hours and am thoroughly thrilled with my walking footwear, I still revel in the joy of changing into comfortable campwear. Keeping feet happy is almost as important as keeping a camping partner so. Thus, when I flop into my chair for the transition, I like airy footwear easy to slip on and off that won't aggravate any hot spots on the rare occasion I might have one. I couldn't rate these shoes at the top of my list for those considerations.

    Of course these shoes are intended for much cooler temperatures than I experienced in the test so far. If it was freezing, I'd have a different impression. Pakems breathe well but can get too warm for continuous wearing in warm temperatures, and even lounging at campfire. I also fuss that a cinder will pop into the gap at the top of the shoe and wreak a bit of havoc before cooling off. I haven't yet divined a strategy for hot ember extraction.

    I find that on cold ground like mud or granite the soles feel rather quickly cold without a cushy sock. This causes me to wonder how warm they might feel on snow. I spent hours wearing the shoes in camp and I'm aggrieved to report they don't feel that comfy to walk around in--the soles are too hard and tired feet find no solace. I had a couple of occasions to have my feet in these shoes in mid-30's F (3 C) and not around fire, and they felt rather good then.

    The hard soles do let me putter about through the detritus of pine cones and granite shards without any concerns at all for punctures. I like having no worries about stubbing toes, especially when getting up in the middle of night for an unlit nature stroll. My feet also feel safe throughout the violence of breaking up firewood if I forget to do that while still in boots. The sole provides adequate traction without tearing up the ground around the campsite.

    I'm rather fussy about keeping my feet clean, and the Pakems get high marks in that regard. I don't have to scrub to put on my sleeping socks; a quick damp-wipe gets piggies tidy for the night.

    I made a nasty comment about the product's fashion statement that could easily be considered unkind. I am finding that apart from the tender skin on the feet, a bit of thick skin is required in the presence of persons assigning themselves as fashion police. It isn't just me, then, and it happens I may not be the least tactful of persons obliging themselves to fashion comment.

    I find the pull loop on the back of the shoe does not help as much to get the shoe on as pulling on each side. I would thus do away with that loop. The lacing seems out of sync with the construction. Either do away with the lacing, which hasn't the strength to compress the vertical part of the shoe; or split that part so it will compress and perhaps also open up more to be a little easier to slip on and off. I would much prefer being able to draw the top of the shoe closed, affording less of a target for cinders and certainly less opportunity for pine needles, pebbles, (snow?), etc., to find it's way into the shoe. I would feel a happy tradeoff of heavier shoe if the sole contained a bit of cushioning and/or arch support. I wonder if functionality would be compromised at all by decreasing the thickness of the sole by half, and then adding a comfort layer.

    On warm days, I'm not finding Pakems a top fit for camp shoes. On cold nights the metrics of space-weight-comfort seem to come closer to alignment.



Field Conditions:
Oct 20-27: Dinkey Lakes Wilderness, CA. Seven nights at 8,200 - 9,680 ft (2,500 - 2,950 m); evening temps just below freezing.
Oct 30: Castle Rock State Park, CA. One night at 2,600 ft (800 m); evening temps around 60 F (16 C).
Nov 26: Castle Rock State Park, CA. One night at 2,600 ft (800 m); evening temps around 40 F (4 C).
Dec 30-Jan 1: Gooseberry Creek, Stanislaus National Forest, CA. Two nights at 7,000 ft (2,130 m); temps in teens F (-10 C) around campfire on snow.

Total test evenings wearing the Pakems: 25

Impressions:
    Cold evenings confirm earlier impressions. When ears begin to sting a little, Pakems find their strength. They were quite satisfactory sitting around a campfire in the snow, though I did rest them on wood when not cavorting about. They don't have much snow traction. I did a bit of puttering in the powder and was pleased the Pakems stayed dry and my feet did not get cold. The wide open collar does permit snow to get in, requiring immediate action on those steps that sink deeper than the collar. Of course there were occasions I held the shoes too close to the fire for too long, and though they got hot enough I could smell them, they suffered the insult without apparent damage.

    Thus, my test conclusion is the footwear matches the model name--in the cold the Extremes are quite fitting as camp wear.