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Owner Review
The Earth Spirit Casa Women’s Boots
October 23, 2005
Name: Jennifer “Kasdira” Hay
Age: 29 years old
Gender: Female
Height: 5’ 4” (1.62 m)
Weight: 198 lbs (90 kg)
Shoe Size: 7 ½W US (6 UK)
Email Address: kasdira@yahoo.com
City, State, Country: Pensacola, Florida USA
Backpacking Background:
My backpacking background is very limited to the last couple of years and to the Northwest Florida area.
While I started with the typical comforts of “car camping”, I have since found a love for Ultralight Backpacking.
I like the idea of getting away – AS far away as my feet can take me. Right now my current gear consists mainly of
“Walmart specials”, a few lucky finds from the Florida Trail Association’s state conference auctions, and a birthday
shopping spree at REI's online store.
About my feet:
I am a difficult person to get into shoes. I typically wear a 7-1/2W US (6 UK) size shoe – but because
wide shoes can be difficult to find, I find myself in 8 and 8-1/2 (6 ½ - 7 UK) size shoes.
Product Information -
The Earth Spirit Casa Women’s Boots
a. Manufacturer – Earth Spirit
b. Year of Purchase – 2004
c. Manufacturer website – www.earthshoe.com
d. Listed weight – No Longer Available
e. Weight as delivered – 2 lb 11 oz (1.23 kg) for the pair
f. MSRP – No Longer Available
g. Color - Tan
Product Description
I bought these boots in hopes of making my feet less tired when hiking. Prior to this purchase all I had hiked in was a pair of sneakers.
I decided on trying the Earth Spirit Casa Women’s Boots because I had previously owned a couple pairs of their dress shoes for work.
I found those dress shoes to be comfortable and not as tiring on my feet since my job required me to be standing for 8+ hours every day.
My history with the manufacturer pushed me more to consider these boots.
The Earth Spirit Casa Women’s Boots are predominately made of waterproof treated brown brushed leather, which appears to be glued
to a black rubber sole that is 1 in (2.54 cm) thick at the toe and gradually increases to 2 in (5.08 cm). The boots also have an EVA
(Ethylene Vinyl Acetate) midsole, which is used to give greater comfort. The lug pattern on the outsole is approximately .25 in (.64 cm) deep.
The rolled cuff on the outside of the back ankle area has a small amount of an unknown synthetic black and brown basket-weave type material.
The tongue is gusseted to the upper and covered with the same material as the rolled cuff and then topped with 2 small leather pieces. The
liner is made of a synthetic black material designed to be moisture absorbing. The boots are laced through 10 D-rings across the top of the
foot and secured at the ankle using four lace-hooks.
Using the shoes straight out of the box, I did find some discomfort. This discomfort was not in the typical places, such as the toes or the heels.
Instead when I first bought them, the top of the boots bit into the back of my Achilles tendons and left bruises on the back of my ankles.
The only way I could wear the boots initially was to only lace them across the top of the foot, and not utilize the hooks across the ankles.
After about a month or so, with some standing and squashing of the ankle area to make them less rigid, I was able to lace them completely up.
Aside from my ankle issues, the rest of the boot is relatively comfortable. There is plenty of room for my toes and there is a sufficient amount
of arch support; so I have never needed to use any aftermarket insoles. The padding in the wall of the boots appears to be adequate for the
temperatures I typically hike. In the hotter months my feet do not get too hot because of the boots' breathing capabilities. In the colder months
I find them to be warm enough for my liking. The laces that came with the shoes are 64 in (163 cm) long and made of the same black and
brown material found on the boots. I have only used a traditional criss-cross lacing, because it provides adjustable comfort in the boots, and
have not experimented with any other lacing method. The waterproof attributes have been tested in heavy downpours and wading through
large puddles on the trail. The gusseting on the tongue has helped considerably to keep out pine needles, sand and other small annoyances.
I have owned these boots for about a year and a half; while my hikes have been short distances, I have hiked a little over a hundred miles
(161 km) in them. Throughout this usage I have not had any issues with blisters or other foot maladies.
Specific Field Information
Most of my hiking has taken place in the Northwest Florida area, which averages less than 50 ft (12.7 m) above sea level. My hikes
have been on a variety of terrains to include: paved foot-trails and roadways, marshlands, dry and wet clay, heavy foliage, thick wiregrass,
sandy trails and the occasional wooden walkways. I have worn them in a varying range of temperatures from 30 degrees F (-1 C) to
96 degrees F (36 C) (not including any heat index changes due to humidity).
October of 2004, I had the perfect opportunity to test the soundness of the waterproof attributes. During a camping trip in the
Northwest Florida area at Karick Lake – part of the Jackson Red Ground Trail - my companions and I were caught in a full-on
torrential rain. The hour-long downpour left us standing in nearly 8 in (20.32 cm) of red clay-streaked murky water. My feet
stayed dry for most of that time, until the water rose higher than the tops of my boots. With the water inside the boots, they
quickly were beyond their saturation limit and I was shoeless for the remaining 36 hours of the campout. Because of the
wonderful waterproof feature, the boots took a very long time to completely dry. Even with the boots tipped over on the openings,
they took two weeks to fully dry out.
In May of 2005, I had the opportunity to wear the boots in the Little Florida Mountains, in the southern part of New Mexico.
The Rockhound State Park Trail was the highest I had ever hiked - averaging around 4500 ft (1350 m) above sea level.
This area was predominately steep rocky surfaces with areas of caliche clay. I was there during a pleasant time of the year
for the southwestern United States, so the temperature was about 90 degrees F (32 C) for most of my trip. Again the gusseted
tongue proved to be useful in keeping out Goatheads (Tribulus terrestris), cactus needles, and small rocks. Climbing the rocky
areas off the path was not too bad considering the small lugs on the sole of the boot. I did not find that this small lug size impeded
my ability to get to higher places that were not as easily accessible as the rest of the footpath. I also found that my feet stayed
considerably cool even while in this arid hotter climate.
I utilized an overnight hike to the Blackwater River in October of 2005 as another attempt of testing the soundness of the waterproof
capabilities. I tried to walk in as many stagnant puddles as possible to allow the water to rise around the top of the foot and even
along the tongue area. I also wore these into the river when refilling my Nalgene bottle, so there was at least 3 in (7.62 cm) moving
water over the top area of the foot as well. I was pleased to see that these shoes definitely held up with their waterproof characteristics
in stationary as well as moving waters.
Conclusion
Overall, I am pleased with the Earth Spirit Casa Women’s Boot. While I originally did not care for the stiffness in the rolled cuff on
the ankles, I managed to overcome this little issue with time. I enjoy the comfort of the inner sole of the boots and their general
weatherproof qualities. In the time that I have owned the boots, they show minimal wear. The outsole has worn evenly on the
tread, and the glue has stayed intact with the upper even with all the water exposure. The only noticeable signs of aging are inside
the shoe where the eyelets used to secure the lace hooks have a small amount of rust; this is quite possibly from the time the boots
were completely waterlogged. The inner liner is completely intact and shows no signs of thinning.
Pros/Cons Summary:
Pro 1 – Comfortable inner sole and arches
Pro 2 – Very much waterproof
Pro 3 – Very durable
Con 1 – Stiff ankle areas
Con 2 – Takes a long time to dry out
Read more reviews of Earth Spirit gear
Read more gear reviews by Jennifer Hay
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