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Reviews > Footwear > Trail Shoes > Teva Dalea eVent Shoes > Test Report by Pamela Wyant

TEVA DALEA MID EVENT HIKING SHOE

Initial Report - October 7, 2009
Field Report - January 5, 2010
Long Term Report - March 2, 2010


Tester Information:

Name:  Pam Wyant
Age:  52
Gender:  Female
Height:  5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Weight:  170 lb (77 kg)

E-mail address:  pamwyant(at)yahoo(dot)com
Location:  Western West Virginia, U.S.A.

Backpacking Background:


I enjoy a variety of outdoor activities, including backpacking,
day-hiking, car camping, and canoeing.  Most of my excursions
are confined to weekends, although I try to fit in at least one
longer backpacking trip each year, and have started section
hiking the Appalachian Trail (AT), accruing a little over 300 mi
(483 km) so far.  My style varies with the activity, but since
becoming a lightweight backpacker, I've noticed I tend to pack
somewhat minimally even on trips where I have more space.
Still, I don't like to sacrifice warmth, comfort, or safety.

Teva Dalea Mid eVent front view

Initial Report - October 7, 2009


 Teva Dalea Mid eVent back view

Product Information:

Manufacturer:  Teva
Year of manufacture:  2009
Model:  Dalea Mid eVent

Uppers:  Nubuck and suede leather
Color:  Major Brown
Size:  US Women's 9

Advertised Weight: none indicated
Measured Weight:  904 g (1 lb 15.9 oz) per pair

MSRP:  $140 US

Website:  www.teva.com

Product Description:

Top and side viewThe Dalea Mid eVent is a light weight mid-height hiking shoe constructed with suede uppers, which are reinforced with nubuck leather for stabilization in key areas such as the ankle, heel, arch area, lower sides, and the top of the tongue.  The shoes have a Scotchguard treatment on the exterior and an eVent lining to provide waterproofing.  The Major Brown color I received is a pleasant, medium brown with light green accents on the laces, heel tug strap, heel support area, and inside of the sole.  The shoes have a uniquely patterned Vibram sole with somewhat shallow lugs. 

The shoes have a rubbery rand in the toe area.  An extension of the Vibram material that runs from the arch upward toward the heel area.  A brown patterned insert is set into the extension, providing a fashionable look.  The lugged Vibram sole also extends partway up the heel in the back.  They have a generously sized suede tongue that extends slightly above the top of the shoe in the front, and which is gored with a stretchy fabric at the sides to help keep it in place.  The shoe dips lower in the rear, especially in the Achilles tendon area, which should serve to prevent rubbing in that area.

The rounded laces are brown with small green specks.  The laces are held by a webbing loop at the bottom of the tongue, and pass through two sets of metal lace keepers before passing through another pair of webbing loops at the center section of the tongue.  They then pass through three more sets of metal lace keepers.  The lace keepers are similar to metal hooks in other shoes I have worn, except they form an entire circle that the lace passes through, instead of having an open hook.  This should serve to help keep the laces from slipping off when passing through brushy areas, which is a problem I have had with hook style lace systems in the past.

The shoes are lined in the collar area and upper tongue with a soft brown fabric with a waffle weave.  The lower portion of the shoe is lined with a cream colored silky fabric with the eVent name and logo, as well as the slogan 'let the sweat out'.  The brown colored insoles are removable, and have a foam bottom and fabric top, with the Teva name and logo.  A sizing label printed onto the tongue of each shoe gives USA, UK, EU, and Japan sizing, and indicates the shoes are made in China.

Sole patternPreliminary Impressions:

I typically wear low hiking shoes, but with the wet and slushy fall and winter season approaching, the Teva Dalea Mid eVent shoes seem like they may offer a little more protection for adverse weather conditions, and I am looking forward to trying them out.  The preliminary fit out of the box seems pretty good.  The Achilles tendon dip makes it easy to flex my foot back and forth without rubbing uncomfortably in the rear, and the collar is well padded and hits just above my ankle bones, so even when I flex my foot sideways, no hard edges cut into my ankles or legs.  The sizing seems pretty true in length.  The heel cup fits comfortably and does not seem to slip.  The forefoot (in the area corresponding to the ball of my foot) is a little tighter than many of my other hiking shoes, but not uncomfortably so.  The toe box also seems slightly smaller than some of my other shoes, but again, not uncomfortably so during preliminary use around the house.

The tongue is soft and feels comfortable.  The laces are just long enough to tie, without excessive length that can drag on the ground or get caught in sticks or brambles along the trail.  The sole is relatively stiff, and provides a lot of support, but flexes well enough in the forefoot for agility.  Materials and workmanship all appear to be of good quality.

The only concern I have at this point is that lugs appear a little shallow, so I wonder how good traction will be on sloppy trails or slick rock.

Summary:

The Teva Dalea Mid eVent shoes appear to be well made and well designed shoes that also happen to be comfortable.  I also consider them fashionable, and love the mostly neutral color.  The small splashes of brighter color serve as a cheerful accent without being too gaudy, at least in my opinion.  So far, this seems to be a winning combination, and I look forward to seeing if performance lives up to promise.


Alternating side viewsThings I like:

Soft and comfortable, yet supportive
eVent liner should make the shoes breathable while providing waterproofing
Nice neutral colors with fashionable, not gaudy, accents

Things of concern:

Forefoot and toe box seem slightly tighter than I am used to
Lugs appear a little shallow














Field Report - January 5, 2010

Field Locations and Conditions:

Wearing the Daleas in light snowUnfortunately a couple of bouts of extended illness prevented me from wearing the Teva Dalea shoes for backpacking, but I have worn them on a number of day hikes, on a weekend camp at our local Girl Scout camp, and on a getaway trip to the mountains of West Virginia.

For the weekend trip, temperatures were in the 40-50 F (5-10 C) range during the day, and perhaps a bit lower overnight.   I wore them for general activities such as crafts and for a short hike (less than 1 mile/1.6 km).

Day hikes include an October hike of approximately 4 miles (6.5 km) in the Charles Fork Lake area in central West Virginia, with temperatures running around 70 F (21 C).  The trail is well groomed, mainly single track, with a few hills and a muddy spot or two thrown in for good measure, but not strenuous.

I have also worn them on three hikes on a nature trail near one of our local schools, hiking about 3 miles (5 km) each time.  Temperatures ranged from around 50-70 F (10-21 C).  The trail has a small climb near the beginning, and then is fairly moderate.  Two of the hikes were on dry clear days and one hike was on a day with light rain and muddy trail conditions.

I wore them on a day hike in the Kanawha State Forest of around 4 miles (6.5 km).  Temperatures were in the 40 F (5 C) range.  The trail followed a creek bed for a while and then followed a gas line road along a ridge top before dropping down a hillside single track path.  The trail was mostly clear but there were light patches of snow here and there.

My most recent significant wear was during a 5-day trip to the mountains of eastern West Virginia, near the Monongahela National Forest.  I stayed in a friend's cabin, and besides general wear around the cabin I wore them on two snowy day hikes.  The first was around 4 miles (6.5 km) and the second around 3 miles (5 km).  Snow was around 4-12 in (10-30 cm) deep, and a friend and I took turns postholing a path up a forest service road through the deeper snow.  I wore them with gaiters one day, and without gaiters (on the same postholed path) the second day.  Temperatures were chilly, in the 20 F (-7 C) range.

I have also worn the shoes numerous times for general purposes such as running errands, short walks with the dogs, and clearing snow from the driveway.

Use and conclusions:

The snow got deeper as we wentThe Dalea shoes have been performing well.  They have always felt comfortable when I've worn them, and I have not experienced any foot problems on or after any of my hikes.  I have been pleased that the mid-height Daleas are flexible enough that they don't rub or hurt in the ankle, heel, or tongue areas, yet feel a little more supportive in the ankle area than my typical low trail shoes.

I've worn the Dalea shoes in the rain several times while running errands, and on one of the day hikes.  I wore them in a few inches of snow several times, as well as the deeper snow on my most recent trip, where I wore them with gaiters one day.  The shoes were very compatible with my gaiters, with the lace hook of the gaiter fitting the Dalea shoe lace securely and the bottom strap of the gaiter nestling snugly against the sole with no noticeable slipping.  While the shoes can't be seen in the photo to the right, they were keeping my feet nice and dry. 

In fact, the shoes have always kept my feet dry, even when walking through a shallow creek bed, or spending 3 hours out hiking in the snow.  I found the latter most impressive, as I've had other waterproof shoes fail during prolonged snow contact.

I've taken to double tying the rounded laces, as I've had them work loose several times on the trail when single tied.   On a positive note, the sleek laces have made it easy to loosen or tighten the fit as needed while hiking or while putting the shoes on or taking them off, as they slide easily through the lace keepers. 

While the tread on the sole of the shoe looks rather shallow, it has gripped well even on creek bed rock and snowy hillsides.  The shallower tread leaves a lighter depression than more heavily lugged shoes that I've owned, leaving somewhat less impact on the earth from my hiking.

While conditions have mostly been cooler when I've worn these shoes, they seem to be quite breathable, as I haven't noticed any dampness from sweat on my socks when I've worn them.

Summary:

The Teva Daleas have been a good hiking shoe for me so far - waterproof even in snow, comfortable, with a grippy sole and a relatively light impact on the trail.  Although they are a departure for me from my normal low hiking shoes, so far I am impressed.

Likes:

Waterproof
Breathable
Comfortable

Dislikes:

Laces may work loose unless double tied.

Long Term Report - March 2, 2010

Field Locations and Conditions:

I wore the Teva Daleas on two hikes on a nature trail near one of our local schools, hiking about 3 miles (5 km) each time.  Temperatures ranged from 25 to 35 F (-4 to 2 C).  The trail is fairly moderate, but does have a couple of relatively steep sections.  Each of these hikes were on ground covered in light, powdery snow a couple of inches deep.

I have worn the shoes about 10 days for work.  This involved driving to a site (or sites), then measuring and photographing homes.  In each instance there was snow on the ground.  (Actually, I can't recall a day in the last two months when there wasn't snow on the ground, although the grass did peak through a bit at least twice.)  In most cases the snow was dry and powdery, but a few times it was wet and slushy, and intermingled with mud.

I have worn the shoes umpteen times for shoveling snow or chipping ice from my driveway.  Okay, it was probably only about a dozen times - it only seemed like umpteen.

I have worn the shoes at least 10 times sled riding or snow fort building with my grandsons (some of these were the same days spent shoveling snow, some were different).

I have worn the shoes about 8 times hiking the short trail (about 0.5 m/0.8 km) up the hill behind my house.  There was, you guessed it, snow on the ground.  Some of these days were the same as sled riding days, some were different.  They were not the same days as the tiresome snow shoveling/ice chipping days.  Most of the days were sub-freezing, down as low as 20 F (-7 C).  A few were above freezing, as high as 40 F (4 C).

Use and conclusions:

Still in good shapeBy now, it should be clear that I am sick of snow.  But I really like these shoes.  For the most part they have performed excellently.  In the past, I noticed that shoes that were waterproof on wet trails or even in standing water would leak when exposed to snow for very long.  But I have never noticed the Teva Daleas leaking, even during prolonged sledding sessions, or during my 3 mile hikes.  They remained completely dry even during days alternating between tramping around houses in the snow and getting back in my car with the snow on my boots melting as I drove to the next house or back home.  There would often be a puddle in my floor mats, but my feet always stayed dry.  In fact, they performed better than my normal snow boots in this aspect.

A few times I wore them with gaiters in deeper snow, or when I expected I might get a lot of snow in them when sledding.  Most of the time though I wore them without gaiters.  I found they fit well enough around the ankle that getting snow in them was not a problem unless the snow was well over the tops of the boots for most of the hike or situations like sledding where I might force snow down into the boot.  I could even sled in them without snow coming in the tops if there wasn't more than a couple of inches (5 cm or so) on the ground.

When the ground was frozen, I found they were quite grippy, and I seldom had trouble with my feet sliding.  However, after a short thaw nearly cleared the ground before the next 4-6" (10-15 cm) snow set in, they had a tendency to slide in the steeper areas where the soft wet snow covered oozy red clay mud.  They still did fairly well on the level or in areas that were rockier.

Although I have not been able to put a lot of miles on the shoes (only around 50 hiking miles), I have certainly soaked them many times.  As I would expect with the light use, the soles still look very good and have no noticeable signs of wear.  What really surprises me is that even though the shoes have probably been wet on the outside at least 40 days, the uppers still look really good.  They are showing some light scuffing, particularly in the collar area and upper toe area, but that is about all.  The stitching is still secure, they have not stretched out of shape with the frequent wetting/drying, and I don't notice any obvious fading or darkening, except for a few small dark patches on the upper portion of the tongue that are likely from wearing them with gaiters.  (Although in the photo above a little mud can be noticed clinging to them).

One thing I really appreciated about the Daleas is how breathable they were.  I only noticed a slight sweat dampness on one occasion, during a sledding session down a steep hill that we climbed repeatedly over the course of a couple of hours.  They also worked very well with gaiters.  The round laces fit easily in my Outdoor Research lace hooks, and the slight raised area in front of the shoe heel held the strap securely in place. 

I found I could comfortably wear the Daleas pretty much all day as I went about outdoor and indoor activities.  I never felt any pressure spots or hot spots, and the footbed is comfortable when walking or standing for long periods, even when standing on sloping ground (as in chipping ice for 7 hours a day in my driveway).  Did I mention I was really sick of snow and ice?

Summary:

The Teva Daleas have worked quite well for me this winter.  While I was only able to get in about 50 hiking miles, I probably wore the shoes for at least some portion of the day on 100 separate days as I went about outdoor activities, work, or errand running.

I found them a good height to use in moderate snow levels, utterly waterproof, and very breathable.  The traction is moderate, and they handled wet, yet firm surfaces well.  The tread did not do as well with soft and sticky red clay mud layered under wet snow.

I expect that I will be wearing the Daleas often in the future when I want a shoe that can handle wet conditions that call for a mid-height rather than a low cut hiking shoe.  With reasonable caution in sticky mud, they are a great all around shoe.

Likes:

Waterproof
Breathable
Comfortable

Dislikes:

Laces may work loose unless double tied.

This concludes the test.  
 
Thanks to Teva and BackpackGearTest.org
for the opportunity to test the Dalea Mid eVent hiking shoes.





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