TEVA
DALEA MID EVENT HIKING SHOE
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.
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Initial Report - October 7, 2009
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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
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Product
Description:
The
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.
Preliminary
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.
Things 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:
Unfortunately
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
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:
By 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.
Read more reviews of Teva gear
Read more gear reviews by Pamela Wyant
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