Reviews > Footwear > Trail Shoes > Dunham Alcatraz > Russell Curry > Initial Report

INITIAL REVIEW
DUNHAM WAFFLE STOMPER
ALCATRAZ WATER ESCAPE TRAIL SHOE

Tester Biography:

Name:                             Russell Curry
Age:                                58
Height:                           6'0" (1.83 m)
Weight:                          190 lbs (86 kg)
Email:                            mrqcace@yahoo.com
City, State, Country:       Orange, Texas, USA
Date:                              July 26, 2005

Backpacking Background:

My hiking experiences began in the 1960's.  I have hiked extensively in Europe, the Mediterranean, Canada, Alaska, and most Eastern and Western states and in a variety of terrain of all sorts. I  hike in all seasons, in temperatures as low as 5 F (-15 C) to a high of 110 F (43 C), in rain and shine, snow and desert.  I hike frequently, with my pack weights varying from 25 lbs (11 kg) to 10 lbs (5 kg).

Product Identification:

Item:                                  Dunham Waffle Stomper Alcatraz Water Escape Trail Shoe
Manufacturer:                    Dunham
URL:                                  www.dunhamfits.com
Year of Manufacturer:        2005
MSRP:                               $100.95

Product Description:

The Alcatraz shoe is a lightweight, multi-purpose, all season trail running shoe that is designed to be worn as normal trail runners or anywhere watery conditions may be encountered. The manufacturer claims they can be worn from trail puddles to paddling. The design of the shoe allows water to drain quickly from within the shoe, and the non-wicking material used in the uppers prohibits weight gain and allows them to dry quickly, even while they are being worn.  The shoes feature an abrasion resistant toe rand, lateral webbing, bubble lace shoe strings, closed cell foam padding, non-wicking fast drying materials, external heel counter and water evacuation ports on the sides of the shoes, covered with a monofilament mesh. There is a removable compression molded EVA midsole inside the shoe. The outsole is composed of non-skid Vibram® rubber for wet conditions. There is a forefoot protection plate in the outsole as well as a stability web plate located in the midsole.

Product Properties:

Size:                 Men's 12D (Euro 46)
Weight:            1 lb 13 oz as received (822 g) (weights not indicated on the Dunham website)
Color:              Gray, black and blue body with yellow piping, black rubber outsole (no other choice of colors represented on the Dunham website)

Initial Observations:

The shoes came in a typical shoe box, well wrapped in paper packing, with two hang tags. One tag proclaims all of the features of the shoe, and the other is a Vibram® tag espousing the qualities of the Vibram® outsoles. They were what I expected to see for trail runner type shoes.  In the process of applying for these shoes, I visited the Dunham website to see if there were color choices for the shoes.  There were none except for this color combination. While the shoes are attractive with the gray, blue and black with yellow piping, I am not sure this would have been my first color choice.  I can envisage them not looking so attractive after a few days on muddy trails. Of course, the goal of the shoes is to perform in and out of the water, so if they do that well then the appearance is a moot issue.  The shoes are light in weight, comparable to my other trail runner shoes, and feel very comfortable right out of the box.  I hike mostly in nylon dress socks, and the shoes feel comfortable on my feet when wearing these thin socks. I can wear my thicker winter socks with the shoes, with no binding or tightness around my toes, forefoot or heel. The shoes appear well made, the materials appear very durable, the stitching is tight and fast, and I am able to adjust the fit on my feet by the way I tighten the bubble laces.  The "bubble laces" are woven laces that alternate from narrow to large and back again.  Dunham claims the design of the laces resists loosening.  During the short time that I have worn these shoes, the laces have performed as advertised. The shoes fit snug on my feet, but still feel correct for my size of shoe, 12D (46 Eur). 

         
Shoes are an attractive color combination, but I wonder if the light gray color of the leather shouldn't be darker.
A few hikes on muddy trails will bear on this.  The water evacuation ports are visible on the side of the shoe. The bright
yellow piece is the midsole stability plate. 

There is foam padding around the parts of the shoe that contact my upper foot and ankle that contribute to the snug fit. There is a handy little hole sewn into the top of the heel that eases pulling the shoes on, due to the snug fit, and could also be used to hang the shoes to dry. The "Nufoam" tongue is an integral part of the shoe cover and wraps snugly around the top of my ankle, although it is somewhat shorter than what I am used to. There are two water evacuation ports on each side of the shoe, one at the side of the heel and one along the side in the toe area.  These ports are covered with a monofilament mesh.  I have some concerns on how they are going to perform in extremely wet and dirty conditions, and whether the mesh is going to become clogged with mud or other debris from hiking.


Close-up photo of the water evacuation port on the side of the heel.  I plan on testing
how well this allows the water to drain and whether or not it plugs from
mud or debris. The port measures 1.5" wide by 0.25" high (38 x 6 mm)

The "compression molded insole" appears typical for this type of shoe.  It is molded to the shape of a foot, is a rubber type material on one side, and a soft velour type material on the side that is against my feet. It is perforated with holes, and feels comfortable in the shoe.  I can easily remove the insole for cleaning, or if I want to install some other type insole.




Views of the bottom of the insole and side profile.

The Vibram® outsole appears well made, with formed lugs and channels molded into the bottom for grip and non-slip wear. The shoes do not "squeak" when I walk on hard floors. There are several molded slits at the heel of the outsole, and overall, the outsole would appear to provide substantial grip on wet surfaces, or on boulders, rock walls, etc. Further testing on this will be performed to evaluate the outsoles.


Vibram® outsole appears very substantial,
good pattern of lugs and anti-slip features.
Bright yellow piece is the stability web plate.

Test Plan:

My test plan will have me wearing these shoes in several different types of terrain, from dry, rocky desert to muddy East Texas trails, to high mountain treks.  After I submitted my application, two new hikes came up on my calendar, one in the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, and another in the Never Summer area in Colorado. I plan on wearing the shoes for both of these hikes.  I expect to have substantially more time in the shoes than is required by the testing program.  The Yucatan hike alone is 5 days, the 2 desert hikes come to 10 days or so, the Colorado hike is 5 days, and the other hikes vary from one to two days.

Conclusion:

So far I am impressed with the shoes, albeit I have not been able to use them on any extended hikes. They fit my feet well; I can use my thin nylon hiking socks or my thicker, wool, winter hiking socks with no discomfort. I like the way the shoes feel on my feet, they do have an attractive look, and are not clunky looking as some trail runner type shoes are.

Likes:

Lightweight
Stylish good looks
Bubble laces work well, (so far anyway, I will have to verify this after some muddy trail use)
Shoes do not squeak when I walk on hard flooring

Dislikes:

None yet

Thanks to Dunham and BPGT for this award.

Russell Curry

Reviews > Footwear > Trail Shoes > Dunham Alcatraz > Russell Curry > Initial Report