Reviewer Information

Name: Becki Stacy
Age: 32
Gender: Female
Height: 5' 3" (1.6 m)
Weight: 150 lb (70 kg)
Boot Size: US Women's 8D (Dunham/New Balance) (8 wide in US standard)
Shoe Size: US Women's 7.5B (Dunham/New Balance) (Though I take a 7.5 wide in US standard for dress shoes)
Email address: beckistacy at comcast dot net
Location: Royal Oak, Michigan, USA

Background:
I got bitten by the backpacking bug in 1994 when I was a volunteer at the Grand Canyon. My first backpacking trip was the same week I arrived, with gear borrowed from trail crew supplies. My husband and I enjoy car camping and backpacking (we use a double-wall tent), mostly in Michigan. We've pared down our pack weight a little (a necessity for a recent 12-night trip with no resupply), and we are continually re-working our gear list to cut weight without giving up the luxury items we enjoy (such as food that involves more than boiling water).

Basic Product Information

Manufacturer: Spenco
Website:http://www.spenco.com/
Product: Backpacker Footbeds (Outdoor Adventure Series)
Year of Manufacture: 2005
MSRP: $30
Listed weight: n/a
Weight as delivered: 3.9 oz/111 g (pair)
Size: #2 (US Womens 7/8, US Mens 6/7, UK 5/6, EUR 38/40 )

A Note On My Feet:

Other than being a bit on the wide side I think my feet are fairly normal, if there is such a thing in relation to feet. I've never had any serious problems with my feet. I've worn and worn out countless pairs of New Balance (and other) shoes without needing any special insoles. Hiking boots, however, are another ballgame all together. An overnighter earlier in the season taught me that I definitely need something with a bit more support than the insoles my boots came with.

Field Conditions

I have used these footbeds in my New Balance trail shoes for dayhikes and general daily use, and in my Dunham Wafflestomper Paramounts for backpacking trips. I've worn the footbeds nearly every day for four months.

Since my Field Report, the footbeds haven't seen any true backpacking mileage (in the sense that I'm hiking out somewhere, pitching my tent, and staying there overnight), though twice I have hiked about 7 miles (11 km) with about 40 pounds (18 kg) of packweight to simulate trail use. I've continued wearing them on dayhikes and in my everyday shoes, as described in my Field Report.

Fit, Wear and Tear

Please see the "Trying Them on for Size" section in my Initial Report for more details on how the footbeds fit into my current footwear. I have not encountered any problems with lack of space in my dayhiking shoes (as long as I use my everyday 'gym' socks) or with my sock-and-liner configuration in my hiking boots (the boots are a US half size larger, and are wider than my shoes).

By now, the footbeds HAVE developed a permanent foot 'funk'. They are still less comfortable than my gel insoles for serious hiking, though for everyday use my feet are fairly comfy.

At some point in time since the Field Report, I've managed to crack the OAS stabilizer of the right footbed. There are three small cracks (total) that I can see on the left footbed, where the stabilizer thins out near the top of the arch. The picture below shows the damage to the right footbed. All of the 'bars' of the stabilizer (where it creates gaps in the arch area where the foam shows through) are cracked on both 'ends'. A crack also extends from three locations along the black heel pad. The black heel pad on the right footbed is the one that I noted in my Initial Report as appearing to be too 'tall', compared to the left heel pad. I don't know if this had some impact in the failure of the stabilizer or not. I have only moved them between boots and shoes four times in the last two months, and I'm usually careful not to just stuff them in. I think I would have noticed it if I had cracked the stabilizer when placing it inside a shoe or boot. Also, I doubt the damage would have been this severe. I definitely would have noticed it if the footbeds were not sitting properly in my footwear, so I think I can safely rule out that issue as well. Looking at the right footbed, the most plausible causes I can think of are:

1. That I somehow abuse my right foot more than my left.
2. The 'too tall' black heel pad somehow caused undue stress on the nearby stabilizer, and generally weakened the entire structure.
3. The batch of plastic used for the right insole was different, and inferior, to the batch used for the left insole.

broken plastic (50K)

Other than the stabilizer of the right footbed, the Spenco Backpacker Footbeds have held up fairly well. The fabric by the heel area has continued to wear, though it's still in decent condition. All the pads have remained glued to the footbed, and I have noticed only a little more compression in the toe area than at the time of my Field Report.

Summary

What I Like:
1. Given the complexity of construction, the footbeds have stayed together well. I don't know if the problem with the right footbed was due to my abuse, or a bad batch of plastic.
2. Overall, they are a bit better for my feet than manufacturer's insoles.

What I Don't Like:
1. "Firm" footbeds, such as these, are apparently not the ideal for my feet. On the long haul, gel-types seem to work better for me.

I would like to thank Spenco and BackpackGearTest.org for the chance to try out these intriguing new insoles.

Read more reviews of Spenco gear
Read more gear reviews by Rebecca Stacy

Long Term Report

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