Reviewer's Information

Product Information Back to contents

Product Description Back to contents

The Mishmi Takin Jampui Mid is a lightweight hiking shoe designed for serious trail conditions and extreme wet weather. It offers a number of high tech features intended to keep the wearer "cool and dry, be it (in) Phoenix or Seattle". Its decently aggressive lugs are made of Megagrip rubber by Vibram designed to offer "unparalleled grip on wet or dry surfaces". The outsoles, made of Vibram Tubava, provides "rugged longevity" with "self-cleaning lugs for maximal stability and traction". Midsoles are EVA foam. Uppers are a combination of water resistant suede (all the grey bits) and Cordura (most of the black bits). The toe caps or rands are also black but they are made of rubber, not Cordura. The lacing system employs a combination of eyelets with one lacing hook at the top on each side. There is a nice sized heel loop at the back of both shoes. The inner lining is made with a 100% waterproof eVent technology called Direct Venting (TM). The eVent tag claims this fabric is fully breathable and will keep you "dry and comfortable in a wide range of temperatures and conditions". The picture at the right shows all the little venting holes in the upper interior of the shoe. The removable insoles are 1/8 of an inch (3.2 mm) thick and sport a curious grid pattern of holes.

Arrival Condition and Informational Material Back to contents

The Jampui's arrived complete and in perfect condition. I haven't found any cosmetic or structural defects. They were even already laced, which was a nice touch. Thank you!

Accompanying informational material was minimal, just the hangtags one would expect on footwear off the shelf. One detailing the eVent fabric, a second for the Vibram materials and the third was the manufacturer's tag. The first two were quite detailed and offered good info about the technology that's gone into making the shoes. The manufacturer's tag provided the company's mailing address, website, succinctly stated purpose of the shoes, "Fast & Light eVent Waterproof Hiker" and the country of origin. I highly applaud that last part. So many companies seem to go out of their way to conceal where the product was made. I don't buy products from certain countries so I like knowing right up front where things are from. Beyond that, I found the Mishmi Takin hang tag a bit wanting. Important info like care and cleaning instructions, the weight of the shoes, and any offer of a warranty were missing. Their weight is listed on the website but I haven't found details on the other two things. Although comfort and a proper fit are the most important elements I look for in outdoor footwear, I do find it helpful to know the previously mentioned information at the time of purchase as well.

Expectations and First Impressions Back to contents

To my delight, I'm pretty sure they fit. I almost always have difficulty finding properly fitting shoes because rarely do women's sizes extend above 10 or 11 (41 or 42.5 EU). To accommodate my long, narrow foot I'm forced to buy men's, which frequently end up being too wide. In this case, Mishmi Takin offers what is essentially a unisex shoe up to women's 10.5 (EU 42), after that they are all men's sizes. I don't know, however, if the width will change as the size goes up into the men's only category. The Jampui's are a little sloppy for me but I was able to work around that by wearing a thicker sock and using some creative lacing. After-market insoles have helped me in the past and I may find I need to use those if the shoes don't feel quite right once I get out on the trails with them.

Having worn them around the house for several hours already I feel like the break-in period is going to be relatively short. The main areas where the shoe needs to flex are suede so they have some decent give. I did develop a small hot-spots on both feet at the top of my arch. This area of the shoe is covered with Cordura and clearly doesn't give as much as the suede. I also had them laced down tightly at that location so I'll change my lacing going forward to see if that helps.

Other than fit, I don't have any pressing concerns about these shoes right now. Although I'm feeling positive they will work out fine after break-in, I'm a little apprehensive about putting in those first few miles.

If they work and I can test them, I expect to give them a good go. The shoes are designed to handle very wet conditions, which is not something we have abundantly here in Phoenix. Having said that, sweaty conditions are very plentiful here as are creeks, lakes and rivers. All of which I spend a good deal of time in or around during our hot season (May to Oct.). I am very confident I will have a chance to test the Jampui's ability to deal with moisture from the inside as well as from the outside. They will also be put up against all the prickly, pointy, and sharp things that stand guard over the trails around here.

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Field Report October 16th, 2017

Field Tests Back to contents

Since August I have worn the Mishmi Takin Jampui Mids on nine day hikes.

Hike 1. Lake Pleasant Regional Park - Peoria, Arizona. Elevation 1,700 ft (520 m). This was back in August so the temperatures were still quite hot. In the morning while I was there it was already sunny and 95 F (35 C). This was a short, mostly shoreline walk of about an hour just to see if the shoes would work for my feet and to give the waterproof claim a few dunks.

At the beginning of this test series when I started researching the Jampui's, I found the manufacturer's choice of labeling them a "shoe" rather than a boot a little curious. From the pictures they looked just like many other hiking boots on the market. Now, having had a chance to see them first hand, manipulate and wear them, I completely understand the "shoe" over "boot" label. For one, they do not have a shank. Second, they are very lightweight. Despite that, they felt stiff and somewhat unyielding at first, which I guess is to be expected on an inaugural outing. I was still experiencing some pressure on the tops of my arches so I stopped a few times in an effort to fine-tune the lacing. Frustratingly, I did not crack the code to perfect comfort. Either the boots were too tight over my arches or they slipped a bit on my heels. Thankfully, lacing and re-lacing was hassle-free.

Wanting to give the virgin waterproofing a test, I made it a point to walk into the shallow areas as often as the lake presented the opportunity. The water-resistant suede performed beautifully, beading up little drops of lake water all over the shoe. Removal of the shoes revealed very sweaty feet, but given our high temperatures, I was not surprised.

Hikes 2 thru 6 & 9. Having had a few hiccups with the fit on the first outing, I decided to stay on trails I know well until I had it worked out. The local mountain parks I frequent weekly for work hikes were the most logical choice. These desert preserve trails are mostly in Phoenix, but I also use paths in Scottsdale and Cave Creek, AZ. All outings averaged around 3 miles (5 km) at elevations ranging between 1,700 ft & 2,000 ft (520-610 m). Weather conditions were sunny on every occasion with temperatures falling between 78 - 88 F (25 - 31 C).

Unfortunately, only minor progress has been made in the breaking-in department. Admittedly I am confused by this. At this point in the test I assumed I'd have lots more miles on the shoes. All but the last of the above treks resulted in some degree of blistering, primarily on the balls of my feet. In spite of trying various sock configurations, different lacing, after-market insoles, etc to alleviate the problem, initially, I didn't have much luck. Thankfully, they just started feeling better this last week.

Fall or "less summer" as we call it in Phoenix, is usually a very dry season. The Jampui's haven't seen any precipitation but they do have several layers of dirt on them now. So far, they are doing a good job protecting my feet from catci and all the ground litter from the thorny trees we have around here. The lugs aren't collecting rocks and my traction has been good, although that's only been minimally tested to date.

Hikes 7 & 8. These two hikes took place on a weekend trip to the Prescott National Forest in Prescott, AZ. Both trails meandered along streams under a canopy of oaks, pines, and a variety of deciduous trees. Elevations ranged between 5,500 and 6,000 ft (1,680 and 1,830 m). Weather conditions were sunny and windy with temperatures in the upper 60's F (20 C).

On this trip, like my work hikes before, I was still struggling with the blister issues so we didn't hike fast or far. Even though, I was too busy enjoying actual fall weather to pay close attention to our mileage, I do know I wore the shoes for at least 4 hours. With both treks taking place near water, steam crossings were common. I even stood in the creek for several minutes trying to get a good photo of my husband in front of some gloriously yellow and orange trees. Again, the water-resistant suede held tight.

Traction on slippery wet rocks was outstanding. I was not worried at all about losing my footing, other than due to my own klutziness that is!

Pros and Cons Thus Far Back to contents

Pleasing Aspects: