Long Term Report Five Ten Insight Multi Sport Shoes

Date:  February 7, 2006

Tester:  Rosaleen Sullivan
Age:  55 years
Gender: Female
Height:  5’ 9’’ (1.75 m)
Weight:  180 lb (82 kg)
E-mail:  rosaleen43 (at) msn (dot) com
Home:  Eastern Massachusetts, USA
Tester Background/Style
I’ve been backpacking off and on for about 20 years.  I’m still in the process of “lightening up.”  Normal gear includes a hammock, down bag and jacket, hiking poles, and an alcohol or fuel tablet stove, retooling gear for each trip. I also make some gear, and often nudge myself out of a design daydream on the trail.  Most trips last 3 days, but I have backpacked 10 days straight.  While most of my journeys are within New England, I’ve hiked the Grand Canyon, the length of the Smoky Mountains, and other trails far from home.

Manufacturer:  Five Ten (or 5.10)
URL:  http://www.fiveten.com/
Shoe size: (Women’s) 11
Color:  Sage Green
Year of Manufacture:  2005
MSRP:  $ 95.00 US
Manufacturer’s specified weight: 1.9 lb (.86 kg)
Tester’s measured weight: 1.85 lb (.84 kg)
Product Specifications:  (from the website)
This shoe is versatile, comfortable, cool looking and built tough to handle dirt, mud, scree, talus, AND steep rock. The Insight incorporates a number of Five Ten rock shoe features for higher performance including Stealth C4/S1 co-molded soles, slingshot rands, and lace-to-toe styling. Full-grain nubuk leather uppers with protective toe rands provide excellent abrasion resistance.

Product Description (Abbreviated from my Initial Report)
I find the 5.10 Insight to be attractive looking sport shoes.  My pair is “sage green.” The sole is made of two separate rubber products. Each has a slightly different texture, and each is intended to grip surfaces differently. Stealth C4, located in the toe area, is supposed to give the “ultimate friction on rock.” Stealth S1, located from the heel to the area of the ball of the foot is claimed to provide the “highest shock absorption, (and) excellent friction.  The hang tag also states “Stealth is your guarantee of ultimate rubber performance,” and gives this URL:  www.stealthrubber.com.

Field Experiences
I have continued to wear the 5.10 Insight shoes nearly daily through the test period. This includes work, home, and trail.  I continue to be pleased with the protection the stiff soles (compared to soles on running shoes) provide in preventing my feet from bruising on rocky trails.  My feet have been warm enough at a range of temperatures, down into the lower 20’s F (~-5 C), as long as I have kept moving.  The shoes have shrugged off rain, shallow puddles, and light snow.  I discovered during the Field Test phase that the shoes do not grip on very hard, glossy or wet ice.  I continue to feel that while the Insights do better than my typical running shoes on ice, I need to find some ice grippers if I anticipate a lot of ice walking. 

Things Looked for or Tested
       Fit (During use, did problems emerge?)
       Answer: No.
       Comfort/support (Over a range of temperatures and trail conditions?) 
       Answer:  I was happy with the fit, support, and protection provided by these shoes.
       Wear to soles, uppers, lining
       Answer:  I see little appreciable wear in spite of 4 months of nearly continuous use.
       Any peeling or parts coming loose or off of the shoes
       Answer: None.
       Sole grip on various surfaces, wet or dry
       Answer: Wet rocks, grass and other surfaces are easily negotiated in these shoes.  Traction on ice is better
       than given by my running shoes, but caution and another traction device may be needed.
       Shoe liner wicking, keeping feet feeling dry
       Answer: My feet usually feel damp, but not soggy in these shoes.   The shoe liner feels slightly damp at the end of the day
       (dry outdoor conditions).
       Drying time of shoes after exposure to rain, puddles, etc. 
       Answer: Personal health issues prevented me from testing the shoes in prolonged rainy conditions.
       Any foot/knee problems (I have chronic problems with plantar fasciitis, and knee arthritis/tendonitis.)
       Answer: No flare ups.  Yea!

Conclusions
The Five Ten Insight Shoes provided good foot support, protection, and traction during this test.  I will definitely rethink my footwear choices as I plan future backpacking trips.  On trails I know to be primarily soft duff, I will stick to running shoes to save the weight difference. However, for rocky or scree covered trails, or trails with some non-technical climbs, I will look for shoes such as the Insights for support, grip, and protection.

I appreciate the opportunity to test this product. 

Rosaleen Sullivan