Field Report - Five.Ten Insight
December 8, 2005
Name: David Sowards-Emmerd
Age: 28
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 8'' (1.73 m)
Weight: 155 lb (70 kg)
Shoe size: 9-10 US
Email Address: drunken_marmotATyahooDOTcom
Los Altos, California, USA
Backpacking Background:
I began backpacking semi-frequently about six years ago, soon
after moving to California. I generally take weekend (1 night)
trips, and occasionally take 3-4 day trips. Most of my
backpacking experience is at moderate altitude, 6,000'-12,000'
(1,800-3,650 m), in conditions ranging from dry desert to hail/heavy
snow in the mountains. In winter and spring I split time between
Southern California (SoCal) deserts and snowshoeing/skiing/snowcamping in
the Sierra/Cascades. Summer and fall I tend to stick to the high country.
I have reduced my packweight, including food and water down to less than
50 lb (23 kg) for snow camping and mountaineering and under 30 lb (14 kg)
for 3-season camping with temperatures down to freezing. I'm trying to
include more mountaineering, climbing and bouldering in my trips.
The product was received on September 23, 2005.
Product Description:
Manufacturer's Website: www.fiveten.com
MSRP: $95
Manufacturer's Description:
US Men's 7-13
Nubuck leather upper
Co-molded Stealth C4 and Stealth S1 Sole
Color: Charcoal/Yellow
Weight: 32 oz (910 g) (size not specified)
Specifications (as measured by tester):
Size: 9 US Men's
Weight (pair): 29.7 oz (841 g)
Product Description:
The Insights are a lightweight cross-trainer with a sticky-rubber sole. For a detailed description of the shoes, see my Initial Report
Field Use:
I've worn the Insights at least every other day since the start of testing. In addition to backpacking and dayhiking, I've worn these shoes around town, up and down the hills of San Francisco, and for my bike-train-walk commute to work. The day after receiving the Insights, I wore them on my local 11 mi (18 km)/ 2,500' (760 m) gain training hike at a nearby peak. Most of my field use was on maintained but rocky trails, with a bit of 3rd class thrown in, and occasional short 5th class climbing. I wore the Insights with a variety of wool socks, and occasionally have worn synthetics. For one trip where a bit of snow was expected, I wore Seirus Stormsocks in case water soaked through the shoes. Details of backpacking and dayhiking use follows:
Rock Creek Lake, Inyo National Forest, CA
Elevation: 9,000-11,200' (2,700-3,400 m)
Conditions: Cool and windy
This was a group car camping trip to the Eastern Sierra, so much of the 3.5-day weekend was spend drinking beer in camp. In addition to wearing the shoes in this mode around camp during the day (I changed to down booties around dark), several of us squeezed in a dayhike, heading towards Bear Creek Spire. On the hike, we chose a cross-country route towards Treasure Lakes (our destination was further, but the weather started looking questionable). This was my first chance to try out the Insights for talus hopping, and they worked great - other than waiting in the cold wind for the rest of the group to catch up after I took off like a mountain goat (TV to Furniture-sized talus is my favorite terrain). The shoes performed great, although a stiffer sole wouldn't hurt for this terrain. I went out of my way to pick steeper-angled rocks to see how well the soles gripped, and didn't slip at all. Also, on the first day of this trip, I spent the morning climbing at 'The Dreamers', a nearby bouldering area, and tried climbing a bit in the Insights at the end of the session. The honeycomb structure of the pocketed rock was just not suited for these soles though, and the toes were not small enough to fit in the largest pockets (more would fit 2-3 fingers).
Berry Creek Falls, Big Basin State Park, CA
Elevation: 400-1,300' (120-400 m)
Conditions: cool and humid
This was a half-day hike chosen for it's proximity to a certain brewpub in the Santa Cruz mountains. Terrain was mainly packed dirt and duff with occasional roots with a bit of blasted sandstone and safety cables near the falls.
Various Locations, Death Valley National Park, CA
Elevation: 1,000-11,049' (300-3,370 m)
Conditions: ~20 F (-7 C) and strong winds (Telescope Peak) to ~55 F (13 C) and calm (Red Wall Canyon)
I spent my Thanksgiving 4-day weekend exploring some new areas in Death Valley. I didn't bother wearing the Insights for hiking the Eureka Dunes since it was warm enough for going barefoot. However, I wore them for two peakbagging dayhikes: Telescope Peak and Thimble Peak. Telescope Peak was a very cool windy morning hike from the trailhead at Mahogany Flat, and was all maintained trail. Thimble Peak on the other hand was mostly cross-country with some scrambling near the summit - I explored 2 routes to advise the others I was hiking with which way was easiest. I was too lazy to dig out my gaiters at the trailhead, which was a mistake since the foxtails were out in force, and I had to stop and clean out my socks several times during the hike.
In addition to peakbagging, I also explored some old mine sites and canyons. Red Wall Canyon, approached by a long slog along a wash to get to canyon mouth, provided another chance for some technical climbing in the form of an 'impassable' dry fall (~5.6 according to the hiking guidebook) a short distance up the canyon. This was an 18' (5.5 m) slab of dusty, polished rock that provided another good traction test for the soles. The shoes provided adequate friction for both the way up and back down, although the rubber/shoe wasn't stiff enough to grab a small edge that would have made the downclimb less tedious.
Tiltill Valley, Yosemite National Park, CA
Elevation: 3,800-5,600' (1,160-1,700 m)
Conditions: Rain stopped when we hit the trail and started when we got to camp, sunny the second day, temperatures near freezing (predicted snow level around 6,000' (1,800 m))
This was a solid 10 mi (16 km) hike in to camp with a bit over 3,000' (900 m) elevation gain (more than expected) carrying a 40-45 lb (18-20 kg) pack. The trail varied from dust and small rocks (gravel to fist-sized) to dusty granite slabs. Camp was near a stream that we crossed more times than I care to count, which was a little tedious with the slick, wet rock (crossing didn't involve stepping in the water, unless I slipped), but the shoes maintained traction as long as I didn't shift weight quickly. My feet were sore after the first night of hiking, due to the pack weight combined with my tendency to step on sharp edges of rocks instead of avoiding them. The soreness increased the second day, and I decided I would probably not wear these shoes for packweights above 40 lb (18 kg) or so.
Penner Lake, Tahoe National Forest, CA
Elevation: 6,700-6,900' (2,000-2,100 m)
Conditions: Sunny and warm
This was a short 3 mi (5 km) hike in to a popular lake. Since the hike was short, it left plenty of time for scrambling around the nearby local peaks/hills.
Round Top Lake, Eldorado National Forest, CA
Elevation: 8,200-9,400' (2,500-2,900 m)
Conditions: Sunny and around freezing
This was a cool weather overnighter where I had anticipated going in a bit further, but most or our group (including myself) didn't bring snowshoes. So when the trail was covered in snow within minutes of the trailhead (post-holing to my knees occasionally), we decided we'd just hike in to the first lake. Expecting at least a little snow, I wore Stormsocks to keep my feet somewhat dry (only wet from sweat as opposed to snowmelt) along with short gaiters. The rubber on the uppers seemed to make a big difference in keeping the shoes dry - they were only wet in a few places when I got to camp. I changed into down booties soon after arriving in camp, since my feet began to cool off once I stopped moving (and took off my pack). Since I had sandals in the car, I opted for thick wool socks for the hike out the next day (my other socks were still wet). The Insights seemed fine to me for active use around freezing and I will try them out later this winter with snowshoes and/or crampons if conditions permit.
Observations So Far
Traction:
The traction of the Stealth soles has been excellent. I've worn the Insights on a variety of rock types and only slipped a few times on wet, slick rocks. I also found the soles to be adequate for climbing easy slabs (dry falls) in Death Valley NP.
Stability and Stiffness:
The Insights definitely flex more that I'd like, and they're much closer to a running shoe than a true scrambler in this respect. However, this does allow me to jog a lot more comfortably on downhill sections of trail.
Wear and Tear:
These have held up better than I expected. The main noticeable wear is the trim near the ankle (see Photo). Otherwise, the uppers haven't delaminated one bit even though I've put them through the works (occasional wedging my foot sideways between rocks and in cracks). None of the stitching has come loose either.
Ventilation/Breatheability:
These shoes get a decent draft though the yellow, mesh slits on the sides of the shoes when there's a good breeze. This is especially true when biking. I still manage to sweat them up in any case.
Comfort:
These are a very comfortable pair of shoes. I've only had a few minor blisters so far during the testing period. However, the padding isn't really sufficient for carrying a heavy pack on rocky terrain, and my feet were a bit sore after the Yosemite trip, but these shoes aren't intended for moderate-heavy loads.
Shrinkage/Stretching:
I haven't consciously detected any stretching or shrinkage of the shoes. I have had them thoroughly soaked a few times, and have worn them in this condition a bit.
Rocks in the Shoes:
I haven't had much of a problem with rocks entering the shoes. The partial gusseting does a good job of keeping them from entering in the forefoot, but some still enter by the ankle. The sticky soles combined with the tread pattern seem to pick up plenty of rocks to launch towards my forward foot.
Insoles:
I replaced these after the first week or so of use with SuperFeet (green variety) and have not gone back to the original liners since. The originals simply didn't provide enough arch support for my feet.
Continued Test Plan and Testing Locations:
During the winter, I will continue to wear the Insights on the majority of my local warm weather hikes and backpacking trips, as well wearing them around town. I also hope to try them for a few snowshoe day trips in the Sierra. I will drag them up to Castle Rock State Park on a couple non-rainy weekends and try them out on the rocks a bit more. Otherwise, use will probably slow down a bit for backpacking.
Read more reviews of Five Ten gear
Read more gear reviews by David Sowards-Emmerd
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