Reviews > Footwear > Boots > Dunham Waffle Stomper Terrastryder-Mid > Thomas Vickers > Field Report

Men's Waffle Stomper Terrastryder-Mid Fast Packing Trail Boot- Field Test Report

May 4, 2005

Thomas Vickers
37 years old
Male
5 ft 11 in tall (1.8 m)
175 lb  (79 kg)
redroach@pobox.com
Southeast Texas, Houston Area

Tester Background:
I grew up in the piney woods of southeast Texas. Camping was a quick trip into the mosquito-infested woods behind the house. My style has evolved and over the last 4 or 5 years, I have begun to take a lighter weight approach to hiking gear (I still use sleeping bags and tents, just lighter versions). While I have flirted with lightweight hiking, I feel that I am more of a mid-weight hiker now. My philosophy is one of comfort, while carrying the lightest load possible

Manufacturer Information:
Manufacturer: Dunham Bootmakers
Website: http://www.dunhambootmakers.com/
Weight:  NA
Sizes available: Men's 8-15
Widths available: B-4E
MSRP: NA
Other product attributes:

Information from Tester:
Left shoe weight: 20.50 oz (581 g)
Right shoe weight: 19.90 oz (564 g)
Total weight: 2 lb 8.40 oz (1.15 kg)
Size: Men's 11.5
Width: D (medium)
Normal shoe size of tester: 10.5

Testing Location:
·         Southeast Texas

Testing Activities:
·        Training Hikes
·        Day Hiking
·        Weekend Hiking/Camping Trips
·        Work

Testing Conditions:
So far these boots have seen everything from standing water and muddy to dry and dusty.
All the usage has been at sea level and between  40 - 80 F (4 – 27 C).

Stomping the Waffles:
So far I have worn the Terrastryder-Mids every single day of the testing period.   This has been to work, to hike, to practice hike, to geocache, and to do yard work.   There has not been a single day that these boots have not touched my feet.    I had not intended wear them this much, but once I got past the first four days there was almost no way to get me to stop wearing them.  I guess that starting at the beginning would be the best.

The first thing I did after the Terrastryder-Mids came out of their box was to pull out the insoles that came with them.  My feet require much more support than standard insoles provide so I had to find out if either one of personal sets of insoles would work.   It was my lucky day when I found out that both types of insoles that I use fit in these boots.  Step two was to see if my feet and the insoles both fit at the same time. This was also a successful test.  Now that I knew that I could put my big feet and insoles in the boots, I had to test them with my standard hiking sock setup.   This includes a heavy hiking stock and a heavy liner sock.  This setup is the reason that I buy hiking boots that are one full shoe size larger than my normal shoe size.  I requested the Terrastryder-Mids in 11.5 (normal shoe size of 10.5) for just such an option.  Lucky for me I managed to fit insoles, feet, socks, and liner socks into these boots.  There was no jamming or squishing, but the fit was a bit tighter than I am used to.  The best way for me to describe it is to say that the Terrastryder-Mids fit more like shoes than boots.  This is not a bad thing, just different from what I had expected.  There is less room in the toe area than I find comfortable, but the fit was not wrong.  The boots are definitely snug, but not too small. 

The first four days were spent wearing the boots to work with my full hiking sock setup in place.  The snug fit was disturbing, but after awhile I realized that I didn't really notice it anymore. In fact, I did notice that I felt and acted more secure in these boots as I ran up and down stairs because they lack the "blocky" feel that all of my hiking boots have had in the past. Once past the initial four days I allocated for breaking these boots in, I went to wearing them to work in normal cotton socks.  My first fear was that I would have problems since the boots had been ordered in a larger than normal size to accommodate my hiking socks.  Good news came quickly when I realized that all I had to do in order to keep the Terrastryder-Mids comfortable was to tighten the laces at the top of the boots.  There was no slippage or unsteadiness with a less bulky sock.  In fact, I think that the boots fit rather well with normal socks and tight laces even though they are one size larger than my normal shoes.

One other thing that I faced in the first four days was the tightness of the boot "neck" around my ankles.  My shins were banging against the boot neck and tongue and causing bruises.   After four or five days this went away.  I am not sure if it was due to me tying the laces tighter and eliminating the "bounce" or if I just toughened up.  Either way, my initial fears about the top of the boots being too inflexible soon disappeared.  

As I wore the boots more and during different activities I discovered that I really like them.   When I am wearing hiking socks and liner socks I feel that the snug "shoe-like" fit support my feet. As advertised, they also keep my feet dry.   I have stood, hiked, and ran through water that covered most of the boots and no water has gotten in.  I will even admit that I stood ankle deep (not over the boots) in a muddy puddle for several minutes just to make sure that they wouldn't leak.  The construction of the tongue and the way it is attached to the boot keeps water out very well. This is the point at which most of my other boots leak, but not the Terrastryder-Mids. 

One of my other concerns was whether or not my feet would get overheated and sweaty. This has been an issue in other "breathable" boots that I have owned.  So far I have worn the Terrastryder-Mids comfortably up to approximately 80 F (44 C) without any sweaty feet.  I have to write that off as being more than "breathable" enough for me. Of course as the temperatures continue to rise here in Texas, I am sure that I will put the breathability of these boots to the supreme test.

Phase 2 and let the games begin:
Despite wearing these boots doing everyday things, I did feel that I needed to make sure they were ready for the trail.  So far I have taken several dayhikes of at least 6 miles (10 km) each. On these hikes I usually carried a small pack and about 10 lb (4.5 kg) of gear.   I also started my training hikes twice week. These hikes take place on my neighborhood streets while covering 3 miles (5 km) and carrying 25 lb (11 kg). So far the boots have held up well.  They have supported my ankles very well and the soles seem to be very stiff. This means that the boots don't seem to flex too much and provide good support, especially when carrying a fully loaded pack.  Best of all, my feet didn't hurt after wearing these boots and carrying weight. I can only judge my initial load bearing trips in these boots as successes.  I have mentioned earlier that these boots wear much more like shoes than I am used to, but this not a problem.  The stiffness of the sole combined with the shoe-like fit keep my feet feeling very well supported in these boots.  It is almost like having a second foot on, rather than a boot.

There was one thing that I have noticed that I am not that happy with though.  The oval laces that I was so excited about in my initial report have not turned out to be so wonderful.  Initially they were great at going into the speed lace hooks and staying tied, but as I wore the boots more and more, the oval shape flattened out and was hard to get into the speed lace hooks.  This was a minor problem, but when I crawled out of my hammock and wanted my boots laced up quickly, it turned into an annoying problem  and it took far too long to get the laces in place for my tastes.  The good news is that I plan to try other laces with the boots before I am done with this test.  So despite finding a small flaw, it has nothing to do with the construction of the boot or their long-term performance. Instead it is a small item that I can fine tune and correct by finding laces that I do like to go with the Terrastryder-Mids.  

What is to come?
My summer hiking season is about to kick into full gear.  Despite having my trip to Arkansas canceled at the last moment I am still looking forward to an extended trip to northern California.  This will put these boots through their paces for a week of hiking and scrambling.    It is during this time that I really want to see how well the soles hold up to hard surfaces.  I have tried them on grass, dirt, mud, and clay so far and I feel that they did a good job of keeping me stable.  The route that is planned for my California trip is one that I have done before and I had to retire a pair of boots after the trip was over.  The boulders and rocks tore the soles up and I am really looking forward to seeing how well the Terrastryder-Mids hold up in the durability department.  To make a long story short, I have just broken these boots in and I am about to push them even further.  I see rocks, snow, and all sorts of hardships ahead for these boots.  

So far, I have been impressed.  I feel that the fit is far different from what I am used to, but it is not uncomfortable.  I also think that they are comfortable and well built from the uses that I have put them to so far.  The Terrastryder-Mids have held up to their performance claims at this point without any real problems.  I will continue to see if there are laces that I like better on these boots, but the boots themselves are doing a great job and are handling every challenge I have thrown at them. Now lets see if I can turn up the heat on this pair of boots!

Reviews > Footwear > Boots > Dunham Waffle Stomper Terrastryder-Mid > Thomas Vickers > Field Report