|
|
| Home | Guest - Not logged in | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Reviews > Footwear > Footbeds and Insoles > Stuffit Shoe Savers > Test Report by Michael Mosack
STUFFITTS SHOE SAVERS
INITIAL REPORT - February 07, 2010
TESTER INFORMATION
I've been backpacking for over 30 years, doing solo and group trips, with and without kids. I do day trips, weekenders and week long trips throughout the year. I backpack in all climates and seasons and rely on my backpacking equipment constantly. I prefer to go light, but quality and reliability of items I carry are paramount to me over price and weight. PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
Website, Packaging, Within the packaging I received the Shoe Savers, black in color, size large, connected by a 35.5 inch (90 cm) removable black colored nylon connecting strap, a manufacturer's advertising/instruction card and three manufacturer advertising stickers. The Shoe Savers arrived in good condition and were immediately ready for use; no assembly required. Initial Impressions, I should note here that I originally ordered the Shoe Savers in men's size extra large 13+ (47+ European), but actually received men's size large 10 - 12.5 (43-46 European) instead. Since this really isn't a fit for comfort issue, I chose to keep and test this product and size as received. I do not know if the difference by utilizing the smaller size will have any effect on the test results and will just report what I find. My initial impressions were that this appears to be a well-made product. I was immediately impressed by the pleasantly strong odor of cedar that this product emits. The connecting strap seems unnecessary unless it is intended to hang the Shoe Savers to dry in between uses. I plan to set the Shoe Savers on the floor or ground in between uses to dry. I do not see any weight/volume versus benefit to carry this product on any backpacking or hiking trip, but do see a potential value to utilizing this in between outings, when at home. The Shoe Savers are weighty, malleable and soft, but not compressible. These attributes cause me some concern to their value in a backpack, but I have no such reservations for keeping and using this product at home. This will be a point of my testing and I will report my findings as a result. Materials, I did not locate anywhere on the website or on the included informational card that came with the Shoe Savers where there is a list of materials that the product cover is made of. The insert states that it contains Aromatic Eastern Red Cedar and to replace it every 6 months for maximum effectiveness. The attachment strap is nylon webbing with a snap fastener at each end. The outer cover appears to be a thin and tight weave material possibly of nylon or polyester that stretches and is soft to the touch. There is open cell foam inside the "toe" of the shoe savers. Construction, There is a definite attention to detail in the product's appearance and construction. Seams are well sewn, stitching is trimmed neatly, zippers are easy to operate and the zippered opening for the insert is large enough to easily remove and replace the insert. I can find no defects in the construction and am quite impressed with its quality. I can find no mention as to where this product is actually made, but the company address is in Marietta, Georgia, USA. READING THE INSTRUCTIONS
The manufacturer claims that the Shoe Savers, "Absorbs moisture and eliminates shoe odor". There is also a short video available on the website, showing an independent firm testing the product, which aids in understanding how they are used properly. TRYING IT OUT
My initial experience with this product is that it is easy to use. SUMMARY
Initially, my experiences with this company and their product are positive. I am impressed with the website, product information, available sizes, colors and description. I appreciate the short video of the 3rd party firm that shows an independent test of the product in use and a graph of the ability of the Shoe Savers in how they aid in drying time. I believe that this shows integrity by the manufacturer to include this. There is a plethora of customer's testimonials, but they are all positive, which makes me wonder if this is truly a superior product or if the manufacturer doesn't want to display any negative remarks. The Shoe Savers arrived pretty quickly and appear to be well constructed and everything the company claims. I look forward to putting this product to the test. FIELD LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS
Well my Shoe Savers certainly have a lot of miles on them. They have flown to Afghanistan twice, making two round trips to California. Is there a special prize for that? On a more serious note... During this test phase, I traveled within the Kandahar Province of Afghanistan. This is a desert area with a mostly rocky and relatively level terrain at approximately 3345 ft (1020 m) above sea level. I have about 45 days and nights in the field during this testing phase. This includes roughly 20 day hikes and 35 night hikes and the temperature ranges were from about 35 F (2 C) at night to 95 F (35 C) during the day. Additionally, I traveled to Anza-Borrego Desert in California, USA. I completed two day hikes, composed of mostly flat terrain, with a temperature of approximately 80 F (27 C) each, and an elevation range of approximately 610 to 1375 ft (186 to 420 m). This is another desert area that consists of mostly rocky and sandy terrain. My feet got pretty sweaty though as I tried to keep moving and I covered about 11 miles. I also did another day hike near my home in Lakeside, California, USA of about 5 miles, at a temperature of about 82 F (28 C) and an elevation range of around 435 to 760 ft (133 to 232 m). PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD
I should note that I have ensured that whenever I have taken my shoes off for any period over an hour, that the Shoe Savers was inserted into my right side shoe, while my left side shoe went without. During this phase, I compared the smell of the two shoes regularly. I noted that there is a distinct odor of cedar from the right side shoe that the Shoe Savers had continually been used in, while the left side shoe had no such pleasant odor. I could not detect any stinky foot odor from my right side shoe, while the left side continues to smell the same. SUMMARY
So far, my feeling towards the Shoe Savers has two distinct directions... LONG-TERM TEST LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS During this testing phase, I have used the Stuffitts Shoe Savers in Afghanistan, on over 30 days and nights in the field and continuously in my day to day life throughout the 2 months of this test period. I have experienced different weather conditions to include rain, overcast and sunny / clear skies. The temperatures have ranged from approximately 25 F (-4 C) to over 115 F (46 C) at night. Daytime temperatures have reached 133 F (56 C), in full sun. The terrain has been mostly dry desert conditions consisting of extreme dust, dirt and barren rocky areas with flat to rolling hills and crevasses. PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD During this testing period, I have found that the Shoe Savers have held up to day-to-day use and show no signs of wear. They still retain an odor of cedar, but it is evident that the smell is not as strong in them, as when they were new. I continued in my plan to use one of the shoe savers in my right shoe and leave the left shoe without, so that I had a control for use in comparison of their effectiveness. I continued to insert the Shoe Savers into my right shoe each and every time when I knew I was going to be out of my shoes for a period of an hour or more and this procedure, has become a habit. The Shoe Savers have shown themselves to be well constructed and easy to use. The material is resilient and shows no deterioration or pilling from being inserted into my shoes daily throughout this entire test. SUMMARY
Wanting to test this product as backpacking gear, I took the Shoe Savers with me during all of my trips / hikes into the field. I felt it important to test that aspect of use because this is BackpackGearTest.org and I wanted to stay in line with the intent of the name. CONTINUED USE
I have every intention to continue to use the Stuffitts Shoe Savers. I like the Shoe Savers as an item to use while at home for the odor control of my worse smelling shoes. I am also planning on ordering 4 more pair to give to each of my teen age kids for use in their shoes and it is my hope that they use them daily! Read more reviews of Stuffit Shoe Savers gear Read more gear reviews by Michael Mosack Reviews > Footwear > Footbeds and Insoles > Stuffit Shoe Savers > Test Report by Michael Mosack | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
If you are an avid backpacker, we are always looking for enthusiastic, quality reviewers. Apply here to be a gear tester. |
