Reviews > Footwear > Trail Shoes > Five Ten Insight > Andrew Mytys > Field Report

Tester's Biographical Information:

Reviewer: Andrew Mytys Email: amytys@gmail.com Homepage: Andy's Lightweight Backpacking Site Location: Michigan Age: 33 Height: 6'1" (183 cm) Weight: 185 lbs (84 kg) Waist: 34" (86 cm)

     Backpacking Background:

I live in Michigan and have been hiking seriously for 15 years, although I've camped since I was 6 years old. I consider myself a lightweight hiker. I carry the lightest gear I can get my hands on which will provide a comfortable wilderness experience and adequately support the goals of my trip. Unless my goals are time/distance oriented, my pace is always slow. I rarely exceed 1.5 miles (2.4 km)/hour. I rest frequently, hike long days, and enjoy whatever nature throws my way.

Product Information:

Manufacturer: Five Ten (http://www.fiveten.com) Item: Men's Insight shoes Year of manufacture: 2005 MSRP: $95.00 Size: Mens 10 (US); 9 (UK); 43 (EU); 28 (CM) Available Sizes: 7 - 13 Listed Weight: 32 oz (907 g) - (size unknown) Weight as delivered (footbeds included): 30.8 oz (873 g) Weight of footbeds: 0.5 oz (14 g) each Color: Gray/Yellow Manufactured In: China

The information in this Field Report of the Five Ten Insight Shoes is to be taken in addition to my Initial Report.

Product Description:

Part of Five Ten's (5.10) I.Q. Series of multi-sport footwear, the Insight shoes are designed as approach/light hiking shoes that are lightweight and versatile enough for every-day wear. The Insight incorporates a number of Five Ten rock shoe features for higher performance, including Stealth S1/C4 co-molded soles, slingshot rands, and lace-to-toe styling. Full-grain Nubuck leather uppers with protective full-length toe rands provide for abrasion resistance.

Field Conditions:

The 5.10 Insights have been worn for both dayhiking and backpacking in Michigan. Hiking trails have ranged in condition from developed singletrack, to un-maintained hunter trails, to barely perceptible animal tracks, to bushwhacks. The ground I have walked over during the field testing period can be described as "rolling," meaning that trails were generally flat to slightly sloped with frequent instances of elevation changes anywhere from 20 to 100 feet (6 to 30 meters). The Insights have crossed through grassy fields, compressed soil, sand, rock covered trail, mud and snow.

Michigan trails are rather sandy and the ground tends to soak up water quickly. Because of this, I have had no exposure to conditions that would completely immerse the shoe in water. However, I have had plenty of experience with wet grass, dew, and snowmelt.

Temperatures in the field while using the Insights have ranged from 18 to 60 F (-8 to 16 C).

The mileage on dayhikes has ranged from 5 to 32 miles (8 to 50 km), while overnight trips have had mileage ranging from 10 to 20 miles (16 to 32 km) per day. While multi-day trips have had me practicing ultralight backpacking methods, I have packed luxuries on dayhikes - as a result, my pack always tended to weigh between 10 and 15 pounds (4.5 to 6.8 kg).

On a daily basis, I have worn the Insights while walking my dog along city sidewalks.

To date, I have walked about 200 miles (325 km) in the 5.10 Insights.

Sacrificing "Fun" in the Name of Safety:

The first thing I noticed about the 5.10 Insights was the amount of "grip" the sole delivered. When walking on soft, manmade surfaces such floors made of wood or linoleum, it felt as if the soles had a grid of suction cups across their bottoms. I could feel a "stickiness" as I walked, not unlike the feeling I get when walking across a movie theater's floor that's developed a good coating of spilled soda. I fully expected this characteristic of the soles to disappear once the shoes had some miles on them, but have found instead that the shoes continue to "stick" to such surfaces even though they have been exposed to 200 miles (325 km) of use.

I have also experienced increased traction while out on the trail. When gathering water, for example, I tend to take my camp bucket to the water's edge and draw water from at least ten feet (3 meters) out from shore so that I can avoid getting sediment in my bucket. Typically, such rocks are either wet or covered in algae, and one must be careful not to slip. While standing on such slippery rocks with the Insights, I felt more surefooted than I have in other shoes, even when standing on angled rock faces. I also found myself gaining more traction when standing on top of wet wood, specifically when crossing wet wooden bridges or walking over downed trees in the middle of the trail.

The best example of the added traction the Insights have given me occurred while walking over snowy country roads. These roads can be very slippery, as they are not plowed or salted. Cars compress snow and, as temperatures rise and fall again, the snow melts and freezes in the tread patterns left by passing cars. My hiking partners had difficulty walking such roads and lost their balance a few times while I, walking alongside in my Insights, couldn't fall if I tried.

It's always been fun to find long stretches of ice, either on roads or on ponds, and slide across them after getting a running start. Wearing the Insights has put a stop to such fun. In fact, trying to slide across ice while wearing the Insights can be dangerous in itself - the soles quickly find small imperfections in the surface of the ice and grab hold, bringing me to a sudden stop. My days of slipping and sliding seem to have come to an end.

Of course, fresh snowfall can often mask ice that lies beneath it. Once again, I found that I could count on the Insights to provide ample traction while those around me moved with caution, preparing themselves for the inevitable fall.

Another bonus of the soles is their ability to shed snow. While the tips of my trekking poles were covered in balls of hard packed snow and ice, I found that even sticky snow couldn't stay between the tread or over the lugs of the Insights for long. In general, snow had a hard time staying attached to any part of the shoe. The rubber soles, rands, and Nubuck leather uppers did an excellent job of shedding snow, which in turn kept my feet inside rather dry.

Room to Grow:

I find that the Insights fit pretty wide when they need to. When wearing low volume socks, the fit of the shoe is easily secured around the foot. At the same time, for my winter hikes, I've been able to wear multiple layers of thick socks without feeling in the least constricted - I've worn a CoolMax liner sock for a base, a heavy duty SmartWool hiking sock over that, and a SealSkinz waterproof sock (think neoprene) as an added insulator and, surprisingly, the Insights provided for a comfortable fit both in width and in the toe-box.

Comfort:

The Insights have been extremely comfortable so far in terms of their roominess and the tongue's ability to pad the foot from tight lacing. I have not felt any seams pressing up against my foot on the inside of the shoes.

Laces:

The laces are round near the middle, but flatten out towards their edge. I've found that, in snowy conditions, knots tied with the laces tend to loosen over time, even when the knots are doubled. At this time, I'm not sure whether the snow or the cold is the dominant factor in untying my shoes but I can say that on similar trails, in warm, dry conditions, I had no issues with the laces, even when tied with the simplest of knots.

Pronation + 5.10 Insights = Pain:

My feet roll in, or over-pronate (also known as hyper-pronating), when I walk. I also tend to come down HARD, at about a 45° angle, onto my heel as I walk. The result is that a LOT of pressure is placed onto the inside heel-cup of my shoes, causing the outside edge of the shoe to be pressed into contact with my foot just below my anklebone.

The design of the 5.10 Insights incorporates a strip of rubber (slingshot rand) rising diagonally along the outside of the ankle. This section of rubber is about 1 mm thick (about the thickness of a dime) by 25 mm (1 in) wide, and acts as a "wall" in terms of vertical support. On a "normal" shoe, when the outside of the shoe is jammed under my anklebone, the padded fabric easily buckles from the pressure of my foot. In the case of the Insights, the rubber "wall" is strong enough that its my foot that loses the battle, resulting in blisters, loss of skin, and the development of a painful "sensitivity" underneath my anklebone. Hiking on trails that have less than solid surfaces, such as the sandy soil and snow that I've been walking over, compounds both my pronation and the severity of my injuries. The result is that, after a few days of "real" hiking - say distances over 10 miles (16 km) per day - I need to give my feet a two-week rest from any hikes in the Insights that are beyond short walks with my dog. Thankfully, for longer distances I can switch to shoes that have very little vertical support at the rear, such as street running shoes, and walk without any issues while my feet are healing. Wearing orthodics in the Insights does not seem to help the situation, as the soft and uneven tread of the trail results in some degree of pronation, and the rubber sidewall is very unforgiving.

I encourage readers to look into the Field and Long-Term reports written by other reviewers of the 5.10 Insights to see what those without pronation issues have to say about the comfort of the shoes. In terms of there being a design issue with the rear slingshot rand, my comments should be of interest only to those readers who, like myself, have a tendency to over-pronate while they walk.

Durability... So Far:

As stated above, the "grip" realized from the sole seems just as effective after 200 miles (325 km) as it did when the shoes were new. I have not noticed any loose stitching or materials, and the Nubuck leather uppers and sidewalls remain unscathed - I'm pleasantly surprised that there are no deep gouges or scratches on the shoes, given the amount of rocks, roots, and stumps that they've brushed up against. Coarse snow has done a wonderful job of cleaning dirt out of the tightest of corners, and as a result the shoes look almost new. I've also noticed that the leather has developed an even softer touch to it than when the shoes were new.

Future Tests:

As my ankles heal, I will take the Insights out on hikes of various distances and in a range of winter field conditions. I will continue to comment on comfort and durability aspects, as well as any other details of interest. I'm especially eager to see how the "grip" of the shoes holds up over time - its so neat! I also plan on seeing if my pronation changes the shapes of the shoes in any way.

Reviews > Footwear > Trail Shoes > Five Ten Insight > Andrew Mytys > Field Report