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Reviews > Footwear > Trail Shoes > Teva Riva eVent Hiking Shoes > Test Report by Brian Hartman

TEVA RIVA HIKING SHOES
TEST SERIES BY BRIAN HARTMAN
LONG-TERM REPORT

INITIAL REPORT - October 07, 2009
FIELD REPORT - January 19, 2010
LONG TERM REPORT - March 17, 2010

TESTER INFORMATION

NAME: Brian Hartman
EMAIL: bhart1426ATyahooDOT com
AGE: 42
LOCATION: Noblesville, Indiana
GENDER: M
HEIGHT: 5' 9" (1.75 m)
WEIGHT: 145 lb (65.80 kg)

I have been hiking and camping for over 20 years and enjoy backpacking solo and with my kids in Scouting. I especially enjoy fall and winter backpacking and camping. My backpack and gear are older and weigh 40+ lbs (18 kg). This has limited the distances I have been able to cover while hiking. My goal over the next several years is to replace my existing clothing and gear with more suitable and lighter weight alternatives.


INITIAL REPORT

PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS

IMAGE 1


Manufacturer: Teva
Year of Manufacture: 2009
Manufacturer's Website: http://www.teva.com
MSRP: US $130
Listed Weight: N/A
Measured Weight: 2 lbs 3 oz (982 g)
Shoe Size: 10 USA (9 UK, 43 EU)

Other details:
Nubuck leather upper
eVent waterproof breathable lining
Dual-density EVA midsole
Nylon shank
Rubber outsole
Color: Charred

Teva describes the Riva eVent as "a durable and supportive hiking shoe that can handle any task. The Vibram outsole ensures that you’ll always have traction, while the eVent waterproof membrane keeps your feet dry and comfortable."
IMAGE 2
Rubber toe and heel kicks

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

The Teva Rivas arrived in a typical shoe box, wrapped in paper. Carboard forms were stuffed inside the shoes to hold their shape. Although I knew what the shoes would look like from having viewed them earlier on Teva's website, I was immediately impressed upon opening the box. These are very good looking shoes! They are attractive and fashionably styled with tan leather uppers and dark brown suede on the tongue, heel and sides.

The construction of the Riva shoes is quite solid both inside and out. There is stiff rubber protection around the toe box to protect it from nicks and scratches due to rocks, tree roots etc. All the stitches seem solid and accurate, and the laces appear to be well-captured in thick loops of leather that would have to tear through completely in order for the laces to break free. The rubber outsoles are made by Vibram and feature an aggressive tread pattern that appears durable and sticky. When looking at the heel of the shoe just above the outsole, a polyurethane shock pad is visible. Upon testing I will report how well this pad performs and whether it does its job of cushioning my steps and absorbing large impacts. Another great feature of this shoe, and all trail worthy hiking shoes for that matter, is the nylon shank which provides torsional stability and increased stiffness for much better comfort than a tennis shoe on rugged terrain.

Moving to the inside of the shoe, the tongue and collars are lined with smooth leather which feels quite comfortable. The tongue is gusseted to keep water and debris from getting inside the shoe. The eVent waterproof liner is visible on the sides and bottom of the shoe, after removing the insole. According to the eVent, their membrane is exceptionally breathable and yet waterproof so it should keep my feet both comfortable and dry. Finally, thick, washable foam insoles are included with each shoe.



READING THE INSTRUCTIONS

The Teva Riva shoes arrived with no hang tags or instructions. However, there were several stickers on the inside lid of the shoe box. Of note, one of the stickers indicated that these shoes were coated with Scotchgard protection. I was pleasantly surprised to learn this as I've often wondered why hiking shoes aren't treated for stain resistance. A second sticker briefly described the eVent fabric that allows these shoes to be waterproof, yet breathable. The sticker also provided a link to Event's website which was very informative and interesting to me as there are a number of waterproof / breathable fabrics and coatings on the market today.

TRYING IT OUT

The Teva Rivas came pre-laced, so all I had to do was slip my feet in and tie the laces. Having built these shoes up in my mind, while evaluating their construction during the past several minutes, I must admit I was slightly worried that they may not fit as well as they looked or appeared to be designed. Of course they would be stiff and require a break-in period, as most leather hiking shoes do. I was not worried about that. I was much more concerned about how they felt when I slipped them on. And now for the verdict: although the shoes seem to be long enough so that my toes don't touch the ends, they are very tight in the width. After putting them on, I walked around the house for several minutes hoping to loosen them up. Over the past few days, I have continued to wear them around the house as well as while working out on my stair climber in order to stretch them out, and they have loosened up slightly. Of note, the heel cup does a good job of securing my feet so that they don't slide around and the tongue and lacing capture my foot so that it does not slide forward. I also don't feel any pressure points around my ankle, but the sides of my feet are squeezed just before the toe box and my feet hurt after wearing them for a few hours. Upon further evaluation, there seems to be enough room when I remove the insoles and so there may be a height issue going on as well.

Before ordering these shoes, I checked the sizing chart on Teva's website and measured my foot as instructed. I normally wear a size 10 (US) in most brands and that is the size they recommended based on the length of my foot. As far as I can tell, there seems to be about 0.25 inch (0.64 cm) from the end of my toes to the front of the shoe and I am not sure that moving up a 1/2 size would increase the width at all. I spoke with a representative at Teva and they agreed. Based on that, my plan right now is to hike in these shoes and carry a second pair of shoes in my pack in case these become too uncomfortable to wear.

IMAGE 3
eVent liner and foam insert
IMAGE 4
Vibram outsole


SUMMARY

I really like these shoes. They are well made and appropriately aggressive for trail hiking. My biggest concern is fit. I am looking forward to getting these shoes out on the trail and giving them a thorough workout.

This concludes my Initial Report on the Teva Riva eVent Shoes. Please check back in two months for my field report. Many thanks to Teva and BackpackGearTest.Org for the opportunity to test these shoes.


FIELD REPORT

FIELD LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS


I wore the Teva Riva shoes for a total of 11 days and 39 mi (63 km) during the field testing period. This does not include days I wore the shoes around town.

Hoosier National Forest, Indiana: This was a three day backpacking trip of approximately 12 miles (24 km). The weather was warm and sunny with highs in the upper 60's F (20 C) and lows in the mid 40's F (7 C). The terrain was heavily forested and quite rugged. I spent the majority of this backpacking trip off-trail.

North Chagrin Park, Ohio: While visiting family in Cleveland, Ohio I went on two day hikes. The first was a 3 mi (5 km) hike while the second was a 6 mi (9 km) geocaching adventure. The park elevation is 669 ft (204 m). The temperature both days was in the upper 20's F (-2 C).

St Cloud, Florida: Daytime temperatures during this four day backpacking trip ranged from 60 F (15 C) to 82 F (28 C), with nighttime temperatures around 50 F (10 C). The first day was rainy and windy, but after that weather got better. During the following three days skies were clear and sunny. The trails were well maintained with minimal elevation changes. We hiked 10 mi (16 km) over the course of the trip.

Oldenburg, Indiana: This was a two-day backpacking trip that covered 7.5 mi (12 km). I hiked 4 mi (6.4 km) on the first day and 3.5 mi (5.6 km) on the second day. The weather during this trip was partly sunny with temperatures in the mid 60's (18 C).

PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD

I enjoyed wearing the Teva Riva shoes during the past two months of testing. Although their width remained tight as noted in my initial report, I did not experience any other discomfort. My heels did not slip while walking and the toe box had sufficient space. In addition, the insoles were comfortable while backpacking on hard ground and I received no irritation from the tongue of the shoes. The break-in period for these shoes was fairly short, on the order of a few days. On the down side, I was only able to wear the Teva Rivas with thin socks because of their snug fit. The thin socks limited the comfort range of the shoes in cold weather as noted below. Also my arch support orthotics could not be used in these shoes due to their snug fit. In an attempt to better understand whether these shoes ran small and whether a larger size would help, I searched my local shoe stores for the Teva Rivas but was unable to find them.

IMAGE 1 During my trip to the Hoosier National Forest I carried a pack weighing approximately 18 lb (8 kg). I spent most of this trip scrambling up and down steep terrain, over logs, and thru thick brush. The rubber toe rands did a great job of protecting the front of my shoes while sustaining only minor scratches. The Vibram outsoles provided good traction without collecting too much debris in the treads. Most importantly, the Teva Rivas provided good stability while hiking off-trail due to their leather construction and nylon shank. As an added bonus, these shoes were considerably lighter than my mid hikers.

While day hiking at North Chagrin Park in 28 F (12 C) temperatures, my feet were noticeably cold. I tried speeding up my pace in an effort to warm up but was unsuccessful. My socks were simply too thin and the fact that the shoes were uninsulated and tight on my feet certainly didn't help. My feet were much more comfortable while hiking in Florida in temperatures of 82 F (28 C). The Teva Rivas breathed extremely well and my feet did not perspire despite strenuous backpacking throughout the week. My first day of backpacking in Florida saw wet weather. These shoes were definitely waterproof. I wore them in steady rain and stepped in more than a few puddles and yet water never socked thru the shoes. My feet stayed dry as long as I didn't submerge the shoes. I am very impressed with how well the Event lining performed.

SUMMARY

The Teva Riva shoes are well-designed hiking shoes. They are lightweight, waterproof and they breathe extremely well. The fact that they are tight on my feet is unfortunate as they have so many good features. This concludes my Field Report. Please check back in about two months for my final test results.

Thanks to Teva and BackpackGearTest for allowing me to test the Riva Event hiking shoes.


LONG-TERM REPORT

LONG-TERM TEST LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS

Deep snow and below freezing temperatures over the past two months have limited my testing of the Teva Rivas. During this time I wore the Teva Riva shoes on one backpacking trip and two day hikes for a total of five days. In addition, I wore these shoes around town and while clearing snow off our driveway.

Brown County State Park, IN: Daytime temperatures during this three day backpacking trip ranged from 28 F (-2 C) to 34 F (1 C), with nighttime temperatures around 22 F (-5 C). The weather was cloudy with light winds and intermittent snow. The terrain was hilly and slippery and consequently I only hiked 6 mi (9.6 km) during the course of this trip.

Cool Creek Park, Westfield, IN: During the past two months I have gone on two day hikes in this park averaging 2 mi (3.2 km) on each trip.

PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD

IMAGE 1 During the long term report period Indiana received approximately fourteen inches of snow. Most of this snow remained on the ground until early March due to sub-freezing temperatures. Given these weather conditions, it was very difficult to keep my feet warm and dry while wearing the Teva Rivas. My first trip was to Brown County State Park in Southern Indiana. When I arrived at the park it was snowing steadily. In an effort to get to camp before nightfall, I quickly grabbed my pack and headed out, but forgot to bring my hiking poles. While trudging up and down the steep trails I slipped and fell several times. By the time I arrived at camp, my feet were cold and wet from snow entering thru the tops of the shoes and soaking my socks. I don't believe any wetness worked its way through the shoe lining; the Teva Rivas are waterproof but just not tall enough for hiking in deep snow. As snow continued to fall the following day, I abandoned the Teva Rivas in favor of my winter hiking boots. As trail shoes, the Teva Rivas do not perform as well as my winter boots that grip exceptionally well in deep snow and on ice. The tread design is not very aggressive and the lugs are not deep.

Not much has changed with these shoes in regards to fit. They continue to feel tight and I am only able to comfortably wear them for a few hours. Due to the tight fit, I must wear thin socks which don't provide any insulation. Consequently, when temperatures dropped below freezing, the Teva Riva shoes reached their limit for me.

While hiking at Cool Creek Park, my feet stayed warm for the first few hours but eventually got cold as the snow worked its way thru my socks and got my feet wet.

After four months of using these on and off the trail, I am very pleased with the way the Teva Rivas have held up. The soles have remained in great condition despite being worn on roads, concrete, and other hard surfaces quite often. They shed dirt and debris really nicely and I am happy with the way the soles have performed in this test.

SUMMARY

The Teva Rivas are lightweight, well made and durable hiking shoes. In addition, they are waterproof and have done a fantastic job of keeping my feet dry in rain. However, I have never been able to fully resolve the fit problem I have with the shoes. They are just too narrow for me.

This concludes this test series. Thanks to Teva and BackpackGearTest.org for the opportunity to test these shoes.

This report was created with the BackpackGearTest.org Report Writer Version 1.5 Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.

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