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Reviews > Footwear > Trail Shoes > Five Ten Runamuck Shoe > Test Report by Derek HansenFive Ten - Runamuck ShoeTest Series by Derek Hansen
TESTER INFORMATION
BACKPACKING BACKGROUNDI am a lightweight backpacker with a typical overnight pack weight of 15 lb (7 kg) and a multi-day weight of 20 lb (9 kg). Because I pack less than 20 lb (9 kg), I prefer lightweight trail-running shoes. I prefer backpacking with a hammock as part of my sleep system. PRODUCT INFORMATION
INITIAL REPORT11 Nov 2009 PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
The Five Ten Runamuck shoe, hereafter just “shoe” or “Runamuck,” is described as a “shoe [that] does it all.” The lightweight shoe is built with thin sidewalls with a lot of mesh openings for “ultimate breathability.” The manufacturer recommends these shoes for hiking “through rain, sleet, dust, and mud.” The Runamuck also features high-friction Stealth® rubber soles, which purport “excellent durability and friction.” 
The makers of the Stealth rubber soles “set out to develop a rubber that would actually improve climbing by increasing the amount of body weight rubber could bear before its bond broke away from steep rock faces.” 
The Runamuck uses grosgrain webbing to hold the laces to the shoe, except for the final hole, which is a metal eyelet. There is also a webbing loop in the tongue where the laces can thread through to keep the padded tongue in place. The laces are white and have a slight stretch. 
The thick sole is molded with apparently three different sources. The black Stealth rubber sole portion extends up over the tip of the shoe. In addition to a small section of Stealth rubber, the tip of the shoe (toe guard) is protected by a large piece of synthetic black suede fabric. There is a grosgrain ribbon attached to the heel of the shoe (heel loop) to aid in fitting. WEBSITEThe Five Ten website was easy to navigate. The Runamuck is listed under their “Water” category, where the manufacturer lists a few other details about the shoe. INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
The shoe is very light, due in part to the thin sidewall, minimal padding, and heavy use of mesh. When I received the shoes, I put them on using my typical sock combination (lightweight synthetic liner and a mid-weight wool outer). The fit was perfect. Depending on the manufacturer, I can wear between a men’s 9.5 US (43.5 EU) and 10 US (44 EU), because my feet are somewhat wide. The mesh feels supportive and yet flexible enough for movement. Although categorized as a water shoe on the Five Ten website, they are described as a hybrid shoe for wet, dry, and muddy conditions. The mesh sidewalls should provide ample drainage for wet conditions, and the traction seems very aggressive for all sorts of trail conditions. 
The insoles are removable and have 12 small holes punched into the ball area. I will begin testing these shoes through the winter season, which should provide a lot of mucky conditions, but also very cold temperatures. I am eager to find out how well the Stealth traction works on frozen snow and slick trails and wet rocks, all of which should be plentiful in the coming months. This completes my initial report. Please check back in a few months for my field report. FIELD REPORT19 Jan 2010 FIELD LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONSNovember 10–11 ~ Walnut Creek, Coconino National Forest. Went on a rare mid-week backpacking trip with my daughter, taking advantage of Veterans Day. We hiked a total of 2 miles (3.2 km) with 300 ft (91 m) of elevation change hiking in and out of Sandy's Canyon and the Le Petit Verdon, a popular rock climbing area. The low temperature was 28 F (-2 C) and the high was 65 F (18 C). We camped at an elevation of 6800 ft (2072 m). November 14 ~ Mount Elden Lookout Trail, Coconino National Forest. The first snow of the season sprinkled a nice white powder on the mountains, and provided me with an irresistible temptation. My route took me a little over 4 miles (6.4 km) with 4000 ft (1220 m) of elevation change hiking and running up and down Mount Elden—a silicic lava dome mountain rising 2395 ft (730 m) to an elevation of 9297 ft (2834 m) above sea level. The mean temperature was around 42 F (6 C). This is one of the rockiest, steepest trails near my home; a real ankle crusher. November 21 ~ Walnut Canyon Trail, Coconino National Forest. Took the Boy Scouts on a 5-mile (8 km) day hike to do some animal identification down in the canyon. The temperature was in the lower 40s F (5 C) at an elevation of 6600 ft (2012 m) and 300 ft (91 m) of elevation change. November 26–28 ~ Red Mountain, Snow Canyon, Southern Utah. For the Thanksgiving holiday, I did some car camping with the family. We took several of the cousins geocaching and hiked (bushwhacked) more than 5 mi (8 km) hunting for caches. Overnight low temperature was 30 F (-1 C) and rose to 63 F (17 C) during the day. We experienced light sprinkles of rain. I slept in a hammock. Elevation was 4700 ft (1433 m) with an elevation change of 400 ft (122 m). December 23 ~ Campbell Mesa, Coconino National Forest. I borrowed some snow shoes and went out for a few hours on the mesa and hiked a few miles/km in the snow. I wore low-top hiking socks and the Runamuck shoes in the snowshoes. Temperature was around 30 F (-1 C). January 9 ~ Campbell Mesa, Coconino National Forest. My older sons and I took off in the morning to explore the mesa and enjoyed lunch on the trail. We hiked a little over a mile (2 km). Elevation was 6800 ft (2072 m) and the outside temperature was 40 F (4 C). January 15–16, 2010 ~ Fossil Creek Wilderness, Arizona. Went on an 8-mile (13 km) backpacking trip with my two oldest kids and followed the Fossil Springs Trail down to a beautiful riparian area. We all slept in hammocks. Overnight low was 30 F (-1 C). The trail begins at an elevation of 5680 ft (1731 m) and descends to 4280 ft (1305 m), an elevation change of 1400 ft (427 m) in 4 miles (6.4 km). In addition to these trips, I've also used the Runamuck shoes trail running for about 8 miles (13 km), post-holing in deep snow, running errands around town, and working in the house. PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELDThese shoes definitely have marking soles. I’ve had to clean our kitchen floor more than once after making black streaks on the surface. My wife has all but outlawed these shoes on the floor. Of course, I don’t think these shoes were designed for kitchen duty, and the marking soles may be an attribute of the gripping rubber. I’ve never noticed any marking on the trail that would pose a problem. During my first two outings in November, I noticed the heel of the shoe digging into my skin near my achilles tendon. I was wearing medium weight wool socks, which probably helped during this “break-in” period. During my longer hikes since then, I haven’t noticed the heel posing any problems, and I’ve switched to low-cut ankle socks. 
During my overnight trip on November 11, my feet were cold when I put the shoes on in the morning and it took about 30 minutes of hiking before my circulation warmed up my toes. The breathable mesh doesn’t afford a lot of insulation; however, during my recreational snowshoeing, I was happily tromping in below-freezing temperatures without a problem. The snowshoes helped keep the snow off my feet, and I was certainly working up a temperature, which helped a lot. During some of my trail runs, I encountered snow and my feet and ankles would occasionally get cold as the snow would fall in and get me wet. During rigorous exercising, the shoes have helped enough to keep my feet insulated. 
On November 14, I did a rigorous run/hike up Mount Elden with the Runamuck shoes. The terrain was steep and extremely rocky, muddy, and snowy. The shoes gripped the wet rocks very well and I felt confident as I ran up and down the mountain. Running down the steep grade—4 miles (6.4 km) with 4000 ft (1220 m) of elevation change—I could feel my feet sliding somewhat to the front of the shoe, as expected. It wasn’t much of a slide, but what was really noticeable was that my toes didn’t slam into the end of the shoe! I had ample space for my feet and even though the trail was rough, my feet were fine. It was wonderful! 
While hiking the Red Mountain in Utah, we hiked on a variety of terrain, including rock hopping around cryptobiotic soil and slogging through deep sand. I could feel the sand pouring in and out of the shoes. I would occasionally shake my feet to get some of the sand out, and the shoes seemed to oblige pretty well. Normally, I would have to remove my shoes to dump out the excess sand. For this trip, I took the sand in stride. 
I took the shoes with me on my backpacking trip in the Fossil Creek Wilderness in Arizona. The first half of the trail was snow- and ice-covered, making hiking somewhat difficult. The shoes have very little effect on ice and I slipped once or twice. This trail was also full of long, muddy stretches where I collected a lot of muddy red rock around the base of the shoes. Thankfully, I was able to scrape a lot of the muck off in the snowy patches. The shoes did seem to grip well on the wet rocks I hiked on, especially down near the creek. I purchased some gaiters for this trip, which helped keep a lot of the dust out of my socks and shoes and kept my feet a little warmer too. Upon getting home, I took the Runamucks into the shower with me to rinse off. The shoes do a great job of holding their shape when wet (not a lot of stretch). I pulled out the insoles and let the shoes dry in the winter sun. FIELD USE SUMMARYI am really enjoying these shoes. They fit me great, have wonderful room in the toe box, have great traction, and seem to work well under wet conditions. The shoes did have a break-in period where the heel area needed to “soften,” but otherwise the only “negative” thing I can think of is that the laces are a bit “spongey.” On a few occasions the laces have come out of my knot, or have loosened. It hasn’t been a real “show stopper,” however, but I have had to re-tie the shoes a few times on the trial. LONG TERM REPORT16 Mar 2010 FIELD LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS
Flagstaff has experienced record snowfall this winter, more than 11 feet (3.3 m), more than most cities in the United States—with more on the way. Getting out to test gear has been challenging, but I was able to go on one more snow-plodding hike for approximately two miles (3 km) in addition to the following outings. February 26–27, 2010 ~ Wet Beaver Creek Wilderness. I went out with my Boy Scout patrol on an overnight camping trip and enjoyed warmer weather and no snow! We went on a two-mile hike to explore a mesa that was covered with ancient ruins. March 6, 2010 ~ Campbell Mesa, Coconino National Forest. My three oldest kids and I went geocaching out on the mesa, approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) of hiking in snow, mud, and muck. Temperature was around 40 F (4 C) PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELDThe Runamuck shoes have worked great during my hikes, outings, and around-town usage. Rock hopping and hiking around the wet stones of Wet Beaver Creek was fun, and I felt secure in the shoes. I continue to enjoy the room in the shoes and the comfort inside. 
While I have taken the shoes snowshoeing, the last two times I’ve gone out in the snow, I left the snowshoes behind because the snow in some areas around my home has been revealing bare ground and I thought I could easily navigate around the cold, wet snow with just the Runamucks. I was wrong. On both outings, I had to pull on my gaiters to help keep the snow out of the shoes. I also only wore light ankle socks, so I wasn’t doing myself any favors. Even with wet socks, I never felt like the shoes were bogged down with water, as I’ve felt in other shoes. The fabric didn’t stretch or loosen. After a particularly muddy hike with my kids in March, my wife volunteered to wash all our shoes in the washing machine. We air-dried the shoes and I was pleased to see not only how quickly they dried, but how good they looked — out-of-the-box clean! When I next laced up the shoes and walked around the floor, the shoes gripped the floor as if the ground were coated in tacky glue. As I picked up my feet, the shoes made a sticky sound like when I’m walking in the aisle of a movie theatre. The super grip didn’t last forever, and I stopped noticing after about 30 minutes walking around. FINAL SUMMARYI've almost forgotten I have other hiking shoes in my closet now that I've been using the Runamucks. PRO— The shoes are light, roomy, "grippy", and are comfortable for long miles on the trail. CON— It took a little while to wear-in the heel support. I would like to thank Five Ten and BackpackGearTest.org for providing me with the opportunity to test this product. Read more reviews of Five Ten gear Read more gear reviews by Derek Hansen Reviews > Footwear > Trail Shoes > Five Ten Runamuck Shoe > Test Report by Derek Hansen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||