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Gear Reviews
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| Tester Information |
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Name: Rebecca
Sowards-Emmerd
Location: Los
Altos, CA
Age/Sex:
27/Female
Height: 5'5"
(1.65 m)
Weight: 125
lb (57 kg)
Email:
rebecca@backpackgeartest.org
Website:
http://www.calipidder.com |
I began
backpacking in the summer of 2000 after moving to California. Although I
started off carrying everything but the kitchen sink, my style has shifted
to lightweight gear and techniques, though I am known to carry a few
luxury items (mmm...pillow). First in my heart is summer backpacking, but
I also enjoy snowshoeing, skiing, and snowcamping, as well as long
dayhikes and peak climbing. I spend time outside during weekends
year-round in the deserts and mountains of California. My weekend hikes
are often 'spur-of-the-moment', and usually occur in and around Yosemite
National Park, Desolation Wilderness (near Lake Tahoe), and Sonora Pass in
the Sierra Nevada mountains, as well as Lassen National Park and Mt.
Shasta area in the Southern Cascades.
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Product Information |
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Name:
Alcatraz
Manufacturer:
Dunham
Manufacturer website: www.dunhambootmakers.com
Year of Manufacture:
2005
Listed Weight: None
Listed
Measured weight:
23 oz. (652 g) for the pair
Size: Women's
9.5B
MSRP: None
listed |
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| Initial
Report |
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The Dunham Alcatraz is
a lightweight low-topped shoe that is a part of
the Dunham Waffle Stomper Water Escape Collection. This
collection, which currently isn't so much a collection as a single
shoe (the Alcatraz), is designed for outdoor use in wet
conditions.
 As a
lightweight backpacker who also enjoys long, fast
moving, strenuous dayhikes, big robust hiking boots are not a
necessity. The weight on my feet slows me down, so I
prefer lightweight trailrunner-style shoes. I am also
known to wear sandals frequently on the trail. My current trail
footwear collection consists of the following:
- New Balance 475, an All-Terrain trailrunner
- Dunham Waffle Stomper Nimbles, a mid-duty shoe, more robust than a
trailrunner but lighter than a typical low-topped hiking boot.
- Chaco Z2 Terreno sandals
- Keen Newport H2 sandals
The first two shoes, the New Balance trailrunners and the Waffle
Stomper Nimbles, are both built on the New Balance SL-1 Sport last.
The trailrunners are a womens size 9.5B (standard width) and the Waffle
Stompers are size 9.5 2A (narrow width). Both shoes fit quite
well, although the regular width shoe is a bit wide in the mid-foot and
the narrow width is a bit narrow in the top of my foot. My feet
are flat and narrow from the arch to the heel, but the ball of my
foot and toes splay out when I'm hiking and running. This means
narrow cut shoes fit 2/3 of my foot well, but usually pinch a bit in
the top when I'm moving, and regular width shoes don't pinch but
leave too much room around the arch and heel.
For the Dunham Alcatraz, which is also built on the New Balance
SL-1 Sport last, I selected size 9.5B, the regular width
shoe. From my experience with shoes built on the same last, I
expected them to be a bit too wide around the middle
but have a comfortable amount of space for the wider ball
of my foot. When they arrived, I tried them on they fit nearly
the same as expected. In fact, they felt quite a bit like my 475s,
which are the same size.
 One issue that the Alcatraz shoes have is
that they have a lot of extra space. When I cinch the shoe down to
fit my foot comfortably, there is quite a bit of room left above my
foot. At the top of the laces the extra material is pinched together
and I have a lot of space to lift my foot up, since the laces to not
extend very high up the foot. The photo to the left shows the shoe
laces cinched to the point where they fit my foot. Notice the
'bunching' of the material above the top of the laces - all of this
is extra volume that my foot doesn't use. The wrinkled up
material doesn't seem to bother me, but this is something I will be
watching closely on my first few hikes with these shoes.
The other thing that surprised me about the fit of the Alcatraz shoes
is the top area, which I expected to be wide enough that the sides of my
foot didn't pinch (by picking the 9.5B over the 9.5 2A).
Surprisingly, the sides of my foot actually pinch against the sides of the
shoe. I don't remember my 475s, also the same size built on the same
last, doing this when they were new. I'm hoping that with time the
shoe will stretch a bit and my foot won't be pinched. Although there
is the extra material around the middle of the shoe, I'm glad I went with
the regular width.
Overall, these are nitpicks - the shoe fits quite nicely for the first
try on, and the length and heel fit is perfect. I will truly be able
to evaluate the comfort of these shoes when I get them out running and
hiking.
Now, on to the features!
So, what makes these shoes different than any other standard
trailrunner style shoe? The first thing I noticed when I tried them
on was how light they were. These are lighter than any trail runner
I've worn, and they feel nice and airy. As a frequent sandal-wearing
hiker, I love this feeling. A definite plus! I can't
wait to get them out on a long hike and see how well they ventilate my
normally sweaty feet.
The next feature to draw my attention was the water evacuation
channels. The Alcatraz shoes are designed for people who may
encounter wet conditions while outdoors - hiking in the rain, paddling,
stream crossings, etc. These evacuation 'channels' are four mesh
covered slits on each shoe. They are on either side of the heel and
either side of the ball of the foot, right where the material meets the
footbed. If I hold one of the shoes up to my eye and look through
the mesh on one side, I can see right through the shoe. They seem
like a quick and efficient way to drain water after a dunk in a lake or
stream crossing - I can't wait to test this out in the field.
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To enhance the water-drainage capabilities of the Alcatraz shoes, the
provided insoles have several holes and no unnecessary
material. Unfortunately, due to my very flat feet I will
likely be using my own insoles in these shoes, and I'm afraid that they
may cover up the evacuation channels. This is something I will
address in my Field Report.
Finally, the materials are non-wicking. This means the shoe
materials should resist absorbing water, keeping the weight low and the
dry time quick.
Although these shoes are nice and lightweight, they seem
to be ready for the trail. The Waffle Stomper pattern on the sole
isn't as deep or agressive as the Nimbles that I also have, but the rubber
is sticky and the tread is much more aggressive than the average trail
runner. I think they will be great on high Sierra glacier polished
granite, especially when the granite is wet.
Test Plan
My test plan for the next several months is to wear the
Alcatraz shoes both running on a regular basis, as well as dayhiking and
backpacking. My running takes place three times a week on normal
neighborhood sidewalks and roads, and the hiking takes place everywhere
else! I am especially looking forward to wearing these on
backpacking trips in the Sierra, where late season snowmelt
has turned normally easy stream crossings into complicated
events. Hiking in the Sierra also involves strolling down sandy and
dusty trails and following cairns through endless fields of
granite. While wearing the Alcatraz shoes I'll be evaluating the fit
and comfort of them, as well as how well they perform in their special
function of water use. I intend to put a lot of miles on them, so
durability will possibly become a factor toward the end of the test period
as well.
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Read more reviews of Dunham gear
Read more gear reviews by Rebecca Sowards-Emmerd
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