Reviewer Information

• Name: Cora Shea
• Age: 24
• Gender: Female
• Height: 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
• Weight: 150 lb (70 kg)
• Email address: cahhmc "at" yahoo "dot" com
• Location: Los Angeles, California, USA
• Date: November 9, 2004

Basic Product Information

• Year of Manufacture: 2004
• URL: http://www.fiveten.com/
• Listed weight: Unknown
• Weight as delivered: 16 oz (455 g) per shoe, 32 oz (910 g) per pair
• Size: 9.5 US Unisex (42.5 EU)
• MSRP: US $96

The Canyoneers are billed as canyoneering-specific shoes. They have a double neoprene ankle guard, a soft EVA midsole with drain holes, yellow drain mesh, buckles, and a famous 5.10 sticky rubber sole (not the climbing shoe rubber but the more durable S1 type rubber).

This report covers long term use, care, and maintenance from July to November 2004. For field testing performed during April to July, 2004, please see my Field Report. For more general product information, more visual details, more reporting on appearance, structure, and items that can be tested and commented on without field testing, please see my Initial Report.

Long Term Testing

That aside, the Canyoneers were solid performers in the canyons where I wore them. The water in the canyons kept my feet from overheating in the Canyoneers, and the foot-bashing nature of the sport made me appreciate the padding around the ankle and underfoot that the Canyoneers have. The only real issue they had was in their durability, and I discuss that below. For now, however, I will set that aside and talk about their performance.

My home Southern California canyons are brushy, wet, sandy, dirty, and mossy. In sharp contrast to the clean(er) granite or sandstone canyons of the Sierra and Zion, Southern California canyons add everything from thick pond scum to poison oak. Additionally, they have many of the demands of other canyons. I've trudged through very cold water for miles, rappelled down many a slippery and forceful waterfall, swum through a more than few pools, and then hopped out each time to bushwhack through sand to the next stretch.

I never seemed to make it out of Southern California (Socal) during the testing period, but in the canyons there the Canyoneers performed quite well. I began using them on longer and longer days and trips as the test progressed (and the drier parts of the summer began in full swing). In wet canyons in the summer, the Canyoneers performed very well. They kept my feet just warm enough in the cold water, and stuck to nearly everything (rotten trees being an exception) as long as their bases were not overly sandy. I've jumped with long (5-6 ft / 1.5-2 m) free-falls onto thin sand and the Canyoneers provided cushioning that I noticed and appreciated. They also stayed on my feet well while swimming, and kept larger grit from coming in through the ankle. I also like the buckles and the fact that they never come untied as my tennis shoe laces have in other canyons.

In short, performance-wise, the Canyoneers are quite impressive. They have certainly improved my confidence over when I was using tennis shoes, and in that way they are probably one of the most useful luxury items I bring in a canyon. In my Field Report, I was rather annoyed by the fact that the friction of the sole became less dependable when I stepped in something sandy and the sticky rubber sole became covered in sand. I have since learned to try to wash the soles off to remove grit before launching up steep and flat rock so I am not as annoyed by that anymore. And, the Canyoneers float!

The Canyoneers are very soft. I have enough support from them to rock-hop comfortably, but not against missing a rock and twisting my ankle every now and then. Also, water flows through the yellow mesh unhindered, so in extended cold water conditions I use neoprene or thick wool socks with great success. Also, overall, they look kind of dorky -- as one of my friends put it, I would not want to go out to an after-canyon dinner while still wearing them if I have any fashion sense (which really, I guess I don't).

One final note is that the buckle straps are excessively long for me, and I have an average-volume foot. This length means that the straps stick out to the sides, and catch on the rope quite often. On many trips, I would be standing in a deep pool and trying to coil the rope while the rope was swirling around my legs, and the rope will inevitably catch around a buckle straps on every other pull or so. Because of this, I will trim the straps down after this test ends for them to more cleanly fit against the shoe.

Long Term Use Comments

Durability

I have limited experience in canyoneering outside of Socal, but the experience that I do have has shown me that Socal canyons are much harder on shoes than other canyons. A friend of mine with much more canyoneering experience wears gaiters through Socal canyons to keep the pointy, rough, nasty, and otherwise aggressive plant and rock conditions out of his shoes.

That aside, the Canyoneers fared less well than I expected, especially in the connection between the outsole and the rest of the shoe, but also in the yellow mesh and neoprene upper. The sole has had two additional problems after the gouging and separating mentioned in my Field Report: now, the stitching on both toes has begun to separate, and two of the sole drain covers have fallen out. Here are two photos illustrating this -- the one on the left shows the toe stitching, and the other shows the missing hole where the drain cover was (the right edge of which is beginning to tear):

Other than those issues, there have been a few small pulls in the yellow mesh. Also, the neoprene fabric outer has begun to separate from the neoprene, namely in the Achilles tendon area and the ankle bone areas. But besides the sole, mesh, and neoprene cover, the Canyoneers have been very durable. The neoprene upper is snag-free, and the rubber bumpers below the yellow mesh are relatively unscuffed. The buckles are as durable and dependable as ever, and the hook-and-loop ankle closure still stays tightly secured.

Care and Maintenance

The Canyoneers have required very little maintenance. They take about a day and a half to dry completely, and do so even if I just throw them in the back of my car and leave them there. I take the insoles out and spread the upper out to dry them more quickly, and then they dry in about a day. Southern California tends to be rather dry, and this may help the drying times be shorter than in more humid climates.

One bit of maintenance I do not like is that the Canyoneers get dirty very easily. The sticky rubber outsole holds on to sand in its grooves even after repeated banging. Also, small sticks and pieces of plant get stuck in the yellow mesh. But, this is mostly a cosmetic (and prevention of getting my other gear dirty) issue, so I don't consider it a big deal.

Summary

Overall, the Canyoneers have been great companions. I think it is unfortunate that their durability has not been better (seven canyons to the beginning of outsole separation is not very long), but they are still performing well and making my canyoneering experiences quite enjoyable with their sticky rubber, their warmth, and their cushioning.

• Upsides for me:
  
  • Great sticky rubber
  • Comfy and well cushioned
  • Drainage is excellent

• Downsides for me:
  
  • A bit too warm for dry summer canyons
  • Durability around outsole and mesh is poor
  • Rope catches on the long buckle straps

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Reviews > Footwear > Boots > Five Ten Canyoneer > Cora Hussey > Long Term Report