Reviews > Footwear > Trail Shoes > Kamik Chase > Jodi Cornelius > Long Term Report

KAMIK CHASE TRAIL SHOES
TEST SERIES BY JODI CORNELIUS 
LONG TERM REPORT
December 4, 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.

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 final 2 months of testing to work and as my everyday shoe.  They have seen a total of 25 days hiking including the 10 from my Field Report .


TESTING CONCLUSIONS

I have worn these shoes almost daily, both at work and at home.
I have worn these shoes almost constantly and have had no problem with hot spots once I got the right shoe relaced. 

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 they do not stink. 

These shoes were used in different types of terrain. Mostly the terrain was rocky and brushy. There was also mud and creek crossings.
As stated in previous reports, I have worn these shoes on muddy, wet trails.  The trails were also rocky in spots, and snow covered.

I wore these shoes while hunting last week (November 27 through December 2) and there was snow on the ground during part of the hunt.  I found that my footing was more sure than in my normal hunting boot.  I am not sure if that's due to my becoming more graceful (HA!!) or if the tread on these shoes are actually doing what they are supposed to (which is where I'm leaning).  The temperatures during this hunt ranged from a low of 20 F (-7 C) to a remarkable high of 65 F (18 C), a temperature usually unheard of in the month of November.  These shoes saw 6 days out during that hunting time.

I also hiked the Morrison trail 4 weekends out of the last 2 months of testing and another one day hike around the University of Pittsburgh, Bradford campus.  The Morrison trail is a 10.8 mile (17 kilometer) loop trail normally takes between 2 and 3 days to hike.  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).  The temperatures during these hikes ranged in the low 30s F (-1 C) to the mid 60s F (15.5 C).

The uppers are made of 1.6 mm suede with nylon. These are also water/sweat 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.  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.

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?
After 4 months I decided to clean the foot bed even though it wasn't necessary and they cleaned up really well.  Any odor that was there (minimal) disappeared with the cleaning.

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 continued to hold up really well.  I am not seeing a lot of wearing down of the tread either.  I am very pleased with the results of using these shoes.

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.  The shoes are now my most comfortable trail shoe.  They support my feet well and my feet don't get as tired as quickly as they do in other shoes.  My feet also do not get sweaty while wearing these shoes so I have not had any problems with my feet sliding around inside the shoe.

SUMMARY 
The shoes worked out as well as I hoped/expected them to.  I am very pleased with the outcome of this test.  I was a little concerned at the beginning because of there not being any ankle support but even with my noted "lack of grace" I didn't have any ankle turning problems.  Totally great shoe.

I'd like to thank Kamik and BackpackGearTest for the opportunity to test these trail shoes.

Reviews > Footwear > Trail Shoes > Kamik Chase > Jodi Cornelius > Long Term Report