Name: Bob Sanders
Age: 49
Gender: Male
Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight: 190 lb (81.6 kg)
Email: sherpabob(at)mac(dot)com
City: Boulder, Colorado USA

Backpacking Background: I went on my first backpacking trip as a Boy Scout at the age of 16. Over the years I have hiked the Wonderland Trail in Washington and section hiked parts of the Florida Trail and the Appalachian Trail. In 2003 during a seven week period I hiked 740 mi (1191 km) of the Pacific Crest Trail through Southern California. Best vacation I ever took. I continue to backpack and hike year round in the Colorado mountains. I have evolved from a heavyweight backpacker to a lightweight backpacker. My three day summer solo adventures (using a hammock) have me hovering around a 12 lb (6.8 kg) base weight.

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Manufacturer: Archmolds, LLC
Year of Manufacture: 2006
Manufacturer Website: www.archmolds.com
Size: Men's 11-11.5 US
Listed Weight: N/A
Measured Weight: 5 oz. per pair (141 g)
Color: Blue
MSRP: US $37.95

From the Archmolds website:
Designed for footwear with removable insoles. Archmolds Maximum comes with 3mm of Polyurethane cushioning for maximum shock absorption.
• Elimination of foot, leg, hip and back pain through proper body alignment
• Prevent injuries as people age, become more active, or change their lifestyle.
• Experience comfort while standing, walking, or running.
• Personalization, yet still offering support in the lateral, medial, and heel arch areas.
• Improve balance by evenly distributing weight.
• Deep supportive heal cup
• Anatomically correct arch
• Heat moldable sub layer
• 120 day warranty
• Antibacterial Nano Silver in top layer kills bacteria that causes odor

For a complete description of my first impressions and the heat molding process please read my Initial Report.

For a more complete description of my first 2 months of usage check out my Field Report.

LONG TERM REPORT

Test Locations:

Over the past 2 months I have continued to use the Archmold Maximum Insoles in a wide variety of locations throughout the Colorado Front Range and central Rocky Mountains. During the 2 months of testing the temperature has ranged from 65° F (18° C) to 35° F (2° C) during the day and from 45° F (7° C) to 20° F (-6° C) at night.

I have continued to use them inside a pair of New Balance 1022 running shoes. I have used these shoes, with the insoles, almost everyday if even for only a couple of hours. I have walked on asphalt, groomed trails and rocky trails above treeline.

I have completed 5 additional weekend hikes and two backpacking trips in the Rocky Mountain National Park, and the Indian Peaks Wilderness areas. Elevations have been between 6000 - 9000 ft (1829 - 2743 m). So over the past 4 months the insoles have been used on 11 weekend hikes and four overnight backpacking trips. I estimate I have close to 200 miles on these insoles.

Test Criteria:

1. Comfort/Support - After all the miles I still believe the insoles are preforming as they should. They still offer good support and plenty of cushion. My feet and my knees are happier when I use them. I am not sure how many more miles they have left on them.

2. Durability - The insoles are begining to show some wear. The edges of the fabric tops are fraying a bit and the white logo printed on top is almost gone. None of this seems to affect their performance.

3. Smell Factor - After four months of use my shoes and insoles were just begining to have a slight odor. So I washed them. I took the insoles out of the shoes and washed them both in a front loader in warm water and a mild detergent. I took them out and air dried them. The odor is gone and the insoles are no worse for the wear.

Overall I am very pleased with the Archmold Insoles. The bottom line for me is when this pair of insoles gives up the ship, I will replace them with a new pair of Archmolds.

I would like to thank both BackpackerGearTest and Archmolds for the opportunity to test these insoles.

Read more reviews of Archmolds gear
Read more gear reviews by Bob Sanders

Long Term Report

All material on this site is the exclusive property of BackpackGearTest.org.
BackpackGearTest software copyright David Anderson