Long Term Report

Long Term Report
Bite Xtension 2 Sandals
October 18, 2005

Manufacturer: Bite
URL: http://www.biteshoes.com
MSRP: $79.99
Year Model: 2005
Listed Weight: n/a
Tested Weight: right 11.8 oz (335 grams), left 11.3 oz (320 grams), Women's size 8
Tester: Colleen Porter
Tester biography can be found at the end of this report.

Product Description: An all-synthetic, open-toed running sandal. There is a small raised wall at the toe-end of the footbed, which I assume is intended to provide some protection for the toes. The webbing straps that run over the top of the feet (closest to the ankle/leg) are adjustable, and open and close with a plastic side-release buckle. The straps around the back of the feet are also adjustable and run through a plastic slider that locks shut and must be opened in order to adjust the strap. The midsections of the feet are held in place with a neoprene-like cuff, over which two webbing straps come up from each side and are sewn around what appears to be a metal ring in the center. One set of these webbing straps feed through what looks like a small metal D-ring submerged in the footbed of the sandal. These straps emerge from the d-ring to become the straps that wrap around the back of the feet.

Field Information: Testing has taken place exclusively in southern California. I have used the Xtension 2's at elevations ranging from sea level to over 8000 feet/2438 meters. Weather has ranged from cloudy and damp to hot and dry. Trails have ranged from smooth & maintained to eroded and rocky, in some cases very steep. I have used them from the California coast, to the desert, and the mountains. In addition to backpacking and hiking, I also run/walk two miles at least three times a week on the creekside trail system that passes by my house. I hop the creek a couple of times on each run, and the trail is quite overgrown with roots and rocks (it suffered a lot of damage from the heavy rains last winter). I have been wearing the Xtension 2's almost exclusively on these walk/runs.

My History With and Use of Sandals: I wear sandals or flip-flops approximately 95% of the time. I almost never wear socks with them, except on cold mornings in camp. I have worn three different kinds of socks with the Xtension 2's - thick wool socks, 200-weight fleece socks, and very thin running socks (nylon or polyester). But the vast majority of my testing time has been spent sockless.

Performance: An additional four months of use has very much confirmed everything that I said in my Field Report. The Xtensions 2's are still every bit as cushy and comfortable as they have ever been. They are a pleasure to run in, and have been completely adequate for all on-trail excursions I have been on in the last six months, both with a full pack and without. The only kind of terrain I didn't enjoy using them on was the sand at Joshua Tree National Park, which is very loose, gravelly granite sand. There, the Xtension 2's became a pair of fantastic sand scoops and I was constantly shaking out bits of gravel. Otherwise, I genuinely enjoy wearing them, wear them almost daily, and in fact have very noticeable tan lines on my feet which correspond exactly to the straps of the Xtension 2's. For me, these are great shoes.

I'm going to go through the different parts and aspects of the Xtension 2's, in order to give a thorough final report on them.

Strap System. This is the only area of the shoe in which I have some suggestions for improvement. The locking slider/buckle that secures the rear strap can be kicked open by the opposite foot, causing the strap to immediately loosen. A solution may be either to reverse the buckle or to relocate it. This strap also loosens gradually with use, whether the buckle has been loosened or not. My other suggestion is to increase the size of the Velcro patch on the top strap. At its current size it is too limiting and requires the top strap to be tighter than I find comfortable sometimes, like when I want to wear thick socks at cold temperatures, or on hot days when my feet expand a bit. The neoprene-like cuff is very comfortable, and although my foot occasionally catches on the seam and rolls it under as I'm putting the sandal on, that's easily fixed.

Footbed. Comfortable, cushy, and just textured enough to keep my feet from slipping around. I haven't used the Xtension 2's in deep mud, but I think that's beyond their scope anyway. The footbeds can really stink if I've worn the shoes all day and sweated a good deal in them.

Outsole. Nicely grippy and eminently flexible. I can't think of any terrain I've encountered where the soles have disappointed me - but again, I have not used them in any kind of slick or muddy conditions. Our soils here tend to be very sandy.

Toeguard. It does a fine job of keeping most small, ground-level bits of debris away from my toes, but it does not protect from everything. On one run, I stubbed my right toe quite painfully on a very small stump that was partially hidden under leaves. The toeguard and sole are flexible enough that they offered little resistance to the stump. Ouch! The other shortcoming of the toeguard is that in loose, sandy soil, it acts as a scoop. With fine-grained sand I didn't care, but in coarser sand it becomes quite aggravating. Once grit or gravel gets underneath the foot, it s very difficult to shake out, as much of the bottom edges of the foot are encased by the strapping system.

Fit. I love, adore, and am thrilled by the fit of the Xtension 2's. Except for those times when the straps work loose, they fit like a dream. I said in my Initial Report that I crave shoes that feel like an extension of my foot, and the Xtension 2's very nearly fit that bill. For comfort and function, these are currently my favorite shoes.

Thanks to BGT and Bite for the chance to try out these really enjoyable shoes. It's been fun.

Tester Name: Colleen Porter
Gender: female
Age: 30
Height: 5'8"/1.73 m
Weight: 140 lb/64 kg
Email address: tarbubble at yahoo dot com
Location: Orange County, CA

Backpacking History: I’ve been backpacking for 10 years, usually with my husband. We used to be heavyweights, but having children forced us to go ultralight, and now on my own my 3-season base weight hovers around 13 lb/6 kg. On family trips the weight usually doubles. I just had my second child in June of this year and he has already been on his first backpacking trip. Our 3-season backpacking haunts are the San Gabriels, The Santa Anas, the Sierra Nevada, and the Grand Canyon, and winters find me in the Mojave and Colorado deserts.

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Reviews > Footwear > Sandals > Bite Xtension 2 > Colleen Porter > Long Term Report

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