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Reviews > Footwear > Sandals > Hi-Tec Rapid Sandals > Owner Review by Dwight ShackelfordHi-Tec Rapid SandalOwner Review
I just recently did a 3-day 20 miler (33 k) in Yosemite with a Sierra Club group. Before that, it had been 20 years since I'd done some backpacking. I'm continuing to do 5-10 mile (8-16 k) day hikes between backpack trips. I'm now in the process of putting together a backpacking system with an eye towards "light" if not ultralight. Product information Manufacturer: Hi-Tec Year purchased: 2006 (possibly discontinued) Manufacturer URL: www.hi-tec.com Listed Weight: N/A Measured Weight: 21 oz (596 gr) Product Description: The uppers are a black wetsuit-like material, with a hook-and-loop strap right behind the toe area, and another hook-and-loop strap where the top of the foot meets the ankle. Another fixed strap goes behind the ankle. The insole is a somewhat soft grey neoprene, and the outsole is lugged black carbon rubber. Field conditions: Yosemite Park - atmospheric temperatures 50-70 F (10-21 C), water temperature about 40 F (4 C), altitude 8100 ft to 9850 ft (2473-3008 m), trail conditions were packed dirt and a stream bed of fist to head-sized rounded rocks, along with downed trees and limbs, and scattered organic debris. Day hikes - atmospheric temperatures 60-65 F (42-47 C), altitude 200-700 ft (61-213 m), trail conditions packed dirt, mud and asphalt. MY EXPERIENCE: I bought these at Big 5 Sporting Goods. I'm glad I got them, but I don't think they are the ultimate answer yet. I assume they are a discontinued line as they aren't on the Hi-Tec website. I purchased these at the last minute, just before my Yosemite trip to use for river crossings, and perhaps camp shoes. I got them because they were the cheapest I could find in the little amount of time I had to shop. Though not the perfect solution, these shoes saved my feet on the hike out of Yosemite. I was wearing some somewhat heavy leather hiking boots for most of the journey. They served me fine for most of the way as we were hiking over snow maybe one fourth of the time, and going uphill mostly. We finally did have to ford one stream and I put them into action. I did not leave them on to continue hiking because the trail was still such that I wanted some protection for my toes. The hike out was all downhill though. This is where my boots started making me miserable. They had only stock insoles, and were hard to lace up tight. My feet kept sliding forward with each downhill step, and I started getting not just hot spots, but hot feet. I was having a hard time keeping up with the pack. Finally at one stream crossing I just said I had to do major damage control on my tootsies. I pulled the boots off, taped up what problem areas I could find, started to put the boots back on, then remembered I had the sandals, and put them on instead. The trail was looking like a freeway at that point. The affect was immediate. It was like heaven. The cushion in these sandals was just what my tired, sore heels needed. They conformed to the bottom of my foot well, met the shock of each step with a gentle and deep depress and then rebound, and I literally took off down the trail. No more lingering behind the pack. I was right up with them and enjoying it all, despite blisters and hot feet. We started navigating parts of the trail that were rock strewn, dry stream beds, where there was nothing to walk on but rounded rocks, and the shoes never faltered regarding traction, due to the lugged sole. I just kept trucking at a pretty good clip. So, for that trip, they were a god send. I did another 4 mile (6.5 k) hike recently, with "fresh" feet, and began noticing some other issues with the sandals. I have supination problems with my feet, and there did not seem to be much supination support in the shoes. I was very aware of the outside edge of my heels being first to dig into the cushioned heel. It was not painful, but just made my supination problem evident to me. The other issue I noticed is due to the amount of give in the cushion in the heel. When the foot goes down into the heel, possibly as much as 1/4" (6 mm), there is an associated amount of stretch that happens to the material. As the material lengthens at the back of the heel, it pulls across the sock or skin, leading to a small amount of friction. Again, it was not painful, but noticeable. Its possible it could be painful after many miles. SUMMARY: Because of the cushioning in these shoes, and the associated digging in of the foot into the insole, it seems very hard for the foot to slide forward when traveling downhill. That, and the use of the hook-and-loop straps that allowed me to cinch in, seem to limit the foot sliding across the insole, thus helping eliminate hot spots. Also, with no toe, there is no problem of the toes hitting the front of the shoe when sliding forward. The downside to the cushioning is that it does not offer much corrective support for foot alignment problems the wearer might have if they have narrow feet. Things I like: + The cushion in the heel. + The ease of cinching them to my foot, despite being too large (I wear a size 10, but they only had an 11). + The ease of putting them on due to the hook-and-loop straps and not buckles or laces. Things I did not like: - Wouldn't mind a version of these that would protect the toes, but then, it would not be sandals. - Lack of supination support for narrower feet. - Friction due to the stretching of the insole material at the back of the heel. - Uppers do not dry readily. Read more reviews of Hi-Tec gear Read more gear reviews by Dwight Shackelford Reviews > Footwear > Sandals > Hi-Tec Rapid Sandals > Owner Review by Dwight Shackelford | ||||||||||||
