| |
Gear Reviews
Documents
Tools
|
Long Term Report: Dunham Waffle Stomper
Alcatraz
Date: January 9, 2006
Tester
Information:
Name: Pam Wyant
Age: 47
Gender: Female
Height: 5 ft 5 in
(1.65 m)
Weight: 165 lb (77
kg)
Shoe Size: U.S. Women's 9B
E-mail address: pamwyant(at)yahoo(dot)com
Location: Western
West Virginia, U.S.A.
|
Backpacking Background:
As spring 2006 looms on the horizon, I'm beginning my third year of
backpacking, and I continue to love it! So far, I've progressed
from day-hiking and single overnights to weekend trips, but I'm
planning a longer trip for spring '06. Hopefully it will be a
section hike of the Appalachian Trail! I
hike and backpack
mainly in
the
hills and valleys of West Virginia, and use a hammock sleeping system.
For a
two-day trip my typical pack weighs 22-30 lb (10-14 kg) including
consumables, and I’m
striving to
lighten that a bit. |
 Product
Information
-
Manufacturer: Dunham
Year of manufacture:
2005
Model Number:
WOW513GR
Listed weight: Not available
Delivered weight: 1
lb 5 oz (0.60 kg) for the pair
Size: U.S. Women’s
9B (UK 7, EUR 40.5)
Measurements: 11.5” long x 4” wide (29 cm x
10 cm)
per shoe
Color: Gray/Magnetic Blue
Manufacturer Website: http://www.dunhambootmakers.com/
MSRP: Not listed
Sizing/fit: U.S.
women’s sizes 6-13
and
half sizes through 10.5 are available in 2A, B, & D width according
to the manufacturer's website. The
shoes appear to run true to size, with a 9B fitting me perfectly.
They fit comfortably with or without socks, cradle my foot securely,
and are a comfortable height in the tongue, ankle, and heel areas.
Physical
description: The
Waffle Stomper Alcatraz
has an upper comprised of several types of lightweight blue and gray
fabric, mesh inserts, webbing, and gray leather-like trim. On
each side of the shoe at the bottom of the heel and forefoot areas
are mesh water evacuation
ports. Both the uppers and the removable footbeds have many small
ventilation holes. The
soles have EVA
and ABZORB
cushioning and a Vibram bottom with small
lug shaped treads down the center, a patterned tread along the outside
edge, and a grooved tread at the heel. The front
section flexes easily and the rear section is a bit stiffer and
more supportive. For a more detailed physical description, see my
Initial
Report.
Field
Use -
Conditions:
I've worn the shoes in temperatures that have ranged from around
20 F to over 80 F (-5 C to 30 C), and water
temperatures have been as low as 40 F (5 C). Elevations have
varied from
approximately 550 to 4000 ft (150 to 1200 m), in terrain varying from
nearly level to very steep. They've carried me over root and rock
strewn trails, through red clay
mud, and through sandy, muddy, and rocky creek and river bottoms. Pack
weight during weekend trips has been around 30 lb (14kg).
Carried weight during day hiking has varied from just a bottle of water
to about 10 lb (5 kg). Humidity
levels
have ranged from low to very high.
Use and conclusions:
In addition to wearing the Dunham Waffle Stomper Alcatraz as a water
show and camp shoe, detailed in my Field
Report, I've used it as my only hiking shoe on two weekend
backpacking trips and for lots of day-hiking over the last three
months.. I estimate I've put about 100 trail miles on the shoes,
plus additional use as a water shoe for canoeing and whitewater rafting
and some casual use when out and about.
I've discovered I have very mixed feelings about using the Alcatraz as
a hiking shoe. It's great when the trail has numerous creek
crossings, because I can just splash through and not worry about trying
to keep my feet dry. That is, when temperatures are at least 60 F
(15 C). When temperatures drop into the 40 F (5 C) range,
splashing through creeks in them doesn't have much appeal. I
found this out during my weekend trip to the Tea Creek area of the
Monogahalia National Forest during November, when I found myself really
trying to avoid getting my feet wet to keep them from feeling too
chilly. I've found they are great hiking even in temperatures as
cold as 20 F when wearing warm wool socks, as long as I'm on a dry
trail. I was annoyed wearing them in the wet, muddy conditions of
the Cranberry Wilderness even though it was warmer, because the dirty
sediment filled water was often penetrating the water evacuation ports,
making my feet feel unpleasant. On the Cranberry backpacking
trip, I didn't bring an extra pair of camp shoes, and the shoes and my
socks were so yucky at the end of each day that I had to wash them
out. This meant wearing damp shoes and socks in temperatures
around 40 F (5 C) for camp chores each evening, and trying to warm my
toes and dry
out my socks and shoes by the campfire when chatting with fellow
backpackers. Fortunately my feet would finally warm up when I
changed
into dry socks to crawl in my sleeping bag at night, but I wasn't a
happy camper putting semi-wet socks and shoes back on in the mornings
as I prepared for another day of hiking. On the Tea Creek trip,
when
temperatures were forecasted to be much colder, I took along a pair of
moccasins for camp shoes, and having them to change into at the end of
the hiking day made me much more comfortable. I made sure to keep
the Alcatraz shoes very close to our campfire that evening, and found
they dried out fairly well, and since I had brought an extra pair of
dry socks for the second day it wasn't bad putting them back on the
next morning. From these trips, I've concluded that while the
shoes are lightweight to hike in, the need to carry a pair of camp
shoes for comfort when backpacking (at least in the early spring and
late fall) is
a drawback. With my older waterproof shoes, I seldom feel the
need for camp shoes, and can save that weight from my pack.
 Day-hiking
has produced similar mixed results - they're great for dry
trails or water use, but annoying on muddy or perpetually marshy
trails. Several pairs of my hiking socks now sport red-clay mud
stains as vivid reminders. I do love the comfort of these shoes
on dry trails and on concrete floors. I recently wore them to a
lock-in for our area Girl Scouts at a local mall, which involved my
patrolling the hallways throughout the night. I wish I had worn
my
pedometer so I knew just how many miles I walked, but lets just say it
was a considerable amount. When I've done this in past years
wearing other walking shoes, I came home scarcely able to walk, usually
with large blisters on the soles of my feet. I'm happy to say
with the Alcatraz, my feet were tired and my toes were a bit sore, but
the soles of my feet weren't sore or blistered, and I was ready for a
short hike the next day.
My feet have never overheated while wearing the breathable
Alcatraz. I can wear them sockless or with any thickness of sock
in equal comfort. They provide good support to my feet, and have
never caused blisters or hot spots, although my toes did become a bit
sore a few times such as on long down hills with a 30+ lb (14+ kg) pack
and at the end of the mall lock-in. They provide adequate
traction in most conditions, although I have slipped on some wet
algae-covered rock and occasionally in thick, deep red clay mud.
Durability
has been very good. The shoes still clean up well even
after four months of use in mud, river bottoms, and rocky trails.
All the stitching remains intact, and the sole has plenty of tread
left. Even the insoles are still in good shape, despite numerous
dunkings and several trips through the washing machine. (Albeit a
bit stained and with a few clinging dog hairs.) A slight
"earthy" smell can be noticed after a muddy trip, but the odor leaves
after washing.
The shoe laces do sometimes come loose while hiking, so I've taken to
double knotting them, which saves a lot of aggravation from having to
stop and re-tie.
My final conclusion is that I really like these shoes for summer trips
and water activities and will use them for these next summer, but find
them a little too uncomfortable to wear on cooler weather backpacking
trips, so I'm semi-retiring them until then.
Likes:
Comfortable
Supportive
Breathable
Light weight
Good durability
Dislikes:
Occasional sore toes on steep down hills or after prolonged walking
Sand can penetrate evacuation ports and remain in the insole area
Not practical as a sole hiking shoe for cold, wet conditions
Thanks
to Dunham and BackpackGearTest for the
opportunity to
test the Dunham Waffle Stomper Alcatraz.
Read more reviews of Dunham gear
Read more gear reviews by Pamela Wyant
|
