Reviews > Footwear > Trail Shoes > Kamik Chase > Jodi Cornelius > Field Report

KAMIK CHASE TRAIL SHOES
TEST SERIES BY JODI CORNELIUS 
FIELD REPORT
OCTOBER 7, 2006

TESTER INFORMATION

I have been backpacking for 3 years now and before that I car camped quite a bit. I consider myself somewhat new to backpacking and was on my way towards becoming a lightweight packer. However, I find that I prefer my little extras and so am trying to move towards being a "midweight" packer. I tend to use a Hennessey Hammock since my only tent is a bivy tent. I prefer the hammock to a tent as the hammock leaves me swinging gently in the breeze with no hard spot from rocks on the ground. Nor do I need to dig troughs for my hips and shoulders (side sleeper) so I can practice LNT (Leave No Trace) much better.

FIELD REPORT

PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer: Kamik
Year of Manufacture: 2006
Manufacturer's Website: Kamik
Listed Weight: N/A
Measured Weight: 11.76 ounces (333 grams)
Other details: Women's size US 7.5

The shoes are made with 1.6mm Suede Leather Upper if you get the Burgandy (which I received), Orange, Green, or Blue colors, and Suede & Nylon Leather Upper if you get the Natural or the Moss colors.

The features per their website:

* 1.6mm Suede Leather Upper (BURGANDY, ORANGE, GREEN, BLUE)
* Suede & Nylon Leather Upper (NATURAL, MOSS)
* Moisture Wicking Lining
* Elastic Gore Tongue
* Thermoplastic Heel Counter & Toe Box
* Integrated Stability Shank
* Antibacterial Footbed
* Strobel Lasted Construction
* Compression Molded EVA Midsole
* "HORIZON" Non-Marking Rubber Outsole

I am looking forward to putting their Antibacterial Footbed to the test. Especially since my feet tend to sweat when hiking. They also get hot while I'm at work standing on concrete floors.

FIELD LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS 

These shoes have been worn most of the last 2 months to work and as my everyday shoe.  They have seen a total of 10 days hiking.

My first hiking trip with these shoes was a day hike.  I took a leisurely stroll around the University of Pittsburgh, Bradford Campus hiking trail that runs around the 315 acre facility.  I wanted to make sure that I wouldn't run into any problems on my first "real" hiking trip.  They worked nicely!  The trail was well maintained although there were a few water puddles I had to walk through.

My second hike was a 2 day, 1 night hike on the Tracy Ridge/Johnnycake Trail. This is a 33.69 mile (54.52 kilometer) trail system of interconnecting loops. This trail begins on the flat ridgetop at the 2245 feet (3614 kilometer) elevation and drops to 1328 feet (405 meters) elevation, which is the normal summer pool of the Allegheny Reservoir. This trail is located within the Allegheny National Recreation Area (NRA), which is one of the few roadless areas of the Forest. Slopes along the reservoir and along the small streams which drain the area are steep. Rock ledges and large boulders can be found on the steeper hillsides. Most of the area is heavily forested.  The temperatures ranged from 83 F (28.3 C) down to 59 F (15 C).  There had been quite a bit of rain before I got out and the trails were slippery.  I made much use of my trail name "Skids" as I made my way on the trail.  The tread and type of material the shoes are composed of helped tremendously!  Although I did do my share of slipping and sliding along the trail, it was much less than I normally would have found myself doing. 

Another hike was on the Morrison Trail.  This 10.8 mile (17 kilometer) loop trail normally takes between 2 and 3 days to hike.  It took me just over 3 days due to the extreme wetness of the trail.  It is very steep in some locations.  The trail head is at the 2055 feet (3309 kilometer) elevation and drops to a 1328 feet (2138 kilometer) elevation within 6 miles (9.6 kilometers).  On this trail I had PLENTY of practice with my skidding.  Again, we have had a wet summer and I spent most of the time trying to stay on my feet.  And, once again, the shoes did the work they were supposed to.  They helped a lot when climbing over wet rocks, gripping better than my old hikers did.  Of course, some of the spots it wouldn't have mattered if I had Gorilla Snot on my shoes. :-)

The last trip was on the hill behind my house - spent 2 weekenders up there, once in the rain and once when it was cold.  Both times the shoes worked as stated above.

TESTING STRATEGY

I will be wearing these shoes almost daily, both at work and at home.
I have worn these shoes almost constantly and have had little problem with hot spots.  I did find a hot spot at the beginning while at work but that was taken care of by re-lacing my shoes a little looser on the right foot.  The shoes, surprisingly, show little wear! 


One thing I liked when looking at this shoe on their website is the anti-bacterial foot bed. My feet sweat terribly when I hike and having that type of foot bed may help keep the stench down.
This has been proven to work in my shoes.  I have worn these shoes enough times that the shoes should have started smelling, but so far, they do not stink.  I would have no problem if I left these shoes in a hot car with the windows rolled up. (That's saying a lot for MY shoes!)


These shoes will be used in different types of terrain. Mostly the terrain will be rocky and brushy. There will also be mud and creek crossings.
As stated, I have worn these shoes on muddy, wet trails.

The uppers are made of 1.6 mm suede with nylon. These are also wicking - that will be interesting to see how well the wicking works with suede. I am also curious as to cleaning these shoes. Does the mud and dirt just brush off? Also, do I need to treat the shoes with a suede protection spray?
The wicking appears to work well.  My feet are not wet with sweat when I take them off.  And as you can see from the photos above, they brush off really well and do not look worse for wear after having hiked through the woods with them.  I did not use a suede protection spray, nor do I, at this time, have any intention of using a spray.

I have found that the foot bed is removable - is it cleanable and if so, does it need any special treatment when cleaning? How well does the anti-bacterial foot bed hold down the smell of MY sweaty feet?
It is cleanable but has not needed cleaning yet.  And as stated, the smell factor is very low.

The treads on these shoes looks really good for hiking where I like to hike. There is a reason why my trail name is Skids - no matter what the terrain is, if there is even a tiny twig on the trail, I'll slip or trip on it. So having good tread on the bottom of my hiking shoes is important. How well does the tread grip the ground/rocks/fallen trees that I have to climb over? How well does the tread last? Do rocks and sharp twigs/sticks cut the soles?
The tread has held up really well.  Also there has been no problems with the tread not gripping well other than the normal "slippage" you get no matter how well a shoe grips.

How comfortable are they? Is there any anti-shock built into the shoe? Any arch support? Do my feet slide around when my feet get sweaty? I will be wearing the shoes with socks at all times.
I have found the shoes to be very comfortable.  There is some anti-shock built into the shoe.  Kamik informed me that the midsole is speckled because it is a different density EVA, it is positioned at the arch of the foot so that when I walk/hike my foot pronates (to turn the sole of the foot outward so that the inner edge of the foot bears the weight when standing) properly.

Testing conditions

I will be testing this product in the mountains of NW Pennsylvania where the terrain will range from flat and smooth going to inclines with brushy trails, to rocky trails, water crossings, and some maintained trails. These trails include, but are not limited to, Johnnycake, Tracy Ridge, Morrison/Rimrock, and parts of the North Country Trail.

The temperatures will range from current temperatures at 65 F (18 C) to lows of 20 F (-7 C), depending on our fall. The weather will range from beautiful sunny days (I hope) to rain/storms and some snow as we've already had some fall!

SUMMARY 
The shoes are working out as well as I hoped/expected them to.  I will continue to check how they function with a couple more hikes and see if they show any more wear than they do now.  I will also be checking the stink factor as I continue wearing the shoes.

Reviews > test > TESTS > FR Kamik Shoes - Jodi