Reviews > Footwear > Trail Shoes > Nike ACG Yahats XCR Trail Shoes > Owner Review by Rick Allnutt

Nike ACG Yahats XCR Trail Shoes
Owner Review by Rick Allnutt

After a 185-mile Appalachian Trail Section Hike

PERSONAL BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Rick Allnutt
51 Year old male
6' 0'' (183 cm) in height
190 lbs (86 kg) in weight
US shoe size: 11 1/2
Email address: ra1 (at) imrisk (dot) com
I live in Dayton, Ohio

BACKPACKING BACKGROUND
Over the last several years, I have become an ultralight camper with a three-season base pack weight of about 11 lb (5 kg) and skin out weight of 20 lb (9 kg). I have completed many section hikes on the Appalachian Trail (AT) in all four seasons, with a total mileage of nearly 450 miles (725 km). I am a gearhead, a hammock camper, and make much of my own equipment.

PRODUCT INFORMATION
Manufacturer: Nike
Year Manufactured: January 2003
Manufacturer's Link: http://www.nike.com/
Size: US11 1/2
Listed Weight: n/a
Measured Weight (pair): 32.7 oz (927 g)
Review Date: 14 June 2004

TEST CONDITIONS
I have used these Nike trail shoes on several section hikes on the AT, for a total of about two full weeks of hikes; in rain, sun, heat, and cold. Actual backpacking trail mileage exceeds 250 mi (400 km). They continue to look great and work very well. Temperatures have ranged from below freezing to about 90 F (32 C). I have worn it them in snow, sun, in thunderstorms and in all day rain. I have used them to slog for hours through wet knee high grass. They have been used with and without gaiters.

REVIEW
Looking for a light waterproof shoe, practical for hiking I ran into this shoe at the local outfitter. These shoes appeared to be light, have good traction, and be reasonably waterproof/breathable with a GORE-TEX XCR membrane layer.

The main reason I chose these shoes from the wall of lightweight hiking shoes was simple comfort. After trying on about 8 different shoe styles, these Nike shoes were far and away the most comfortable on my feet.

The uppers of these shoes are mainly a medium gray color which stays scuff free and good looking. Some portions of the upper made of cloth, are black in color. Unlike many pairs of white running shoes the uppers do not show dirt.

The sole has an aggressive pattern of medium soft lugs and a deep groove between the heel and forefoot. I have had no problem with slipping in these shoes. They seem to do well on wet stream rocks, green rock gardens on AT hillsides, and on root infested paths. The traction is very good on steep uphills, steep downhills, and on the side-ways slanted pathways found on hillside traverses.

The support of the shoe allows me to walk up 45 degree slopes without rotating my toes out to a "pigeon-toed" position. The Achilles tendon cut-out allows me to keep my toes pointing downhill on very steep descents.

The ankle is not well supported by the low-cut design, but this does allow my ankle to comfortably rotate so my foot can stay in contact with paths with slope from one side to the other. In a similar way, I can place each foot on the surface of individual rocks in the jumble of trail rock gardens.

The interior of the shoe is lined with foam and cloth. This has lasted well during 6 months of hiking use. There is a removable/washable foam insert.

I have used the shoes with and without gaiters. Without gaiters, the shoes are comfortable for street or camp use. However, on the trail I find the use of gaiters essential to keep sand, dirt, leaves, and sticks out of these low shoes. Also, the gaiters keep most rain and water out of the shoes. The shoes are very "gaiter friendly" with the deep groove between the heel and forefoot on the sole. This groove protects the string used to hold the two sides of a gaiter down. I have not needed to replace the gaiter lace under either shoe.

The shoes do an excellent job of keeping shallow water from wetting the inside of the shoe when crossing small streams or getting water from springs.

The GORE-TEX does a fantastic job of letting sweat evaporate and keeping moisture from building up. This is especially true when a portion of the front of the gaiter can be kept open to promote air movement in and out of the shoe.

With the low sides of the shoes, I have found it important to not go splashing through deep puddles, even with the gaiters on. Stepping into deep puddles eventually leads to a shoe full of water as the water cascades over the top of the side of the shoe. For this reason, I have adopted a strategy of stopping for a few minutes during the heaviest portion of a thunderstorm cell passage. Generally, a stop of 5 or 10 minutes allows the worst of a storm to pass over, leaving the path with fewer deep puddles, and with my feet considerably drier than on instances when I walked through the maelstrom.

Unfortunately, the shoes have failed to keep my feet dry in two circumstances. The first is during a moderate rain that lasts for more than an hour. When rain lasts this long the stitching where the tongue is joined to the body of the shoe eventually leaks. The same spot leaks when slogging through wet grass which overhangs the trail. This leak first feels like a slight wetness on the top of my foot, near my toes, but goes on to the uncomfortable feeling of sloshing inside the shoe before long.

When the shoes do get wet, they dry in a couple hours of dry hiking, or sitting out in warm summer sun. They dry much faster when two pairs of socks can be alternated, one drying on the outside of the pack, while the other is worn inside the shoes. 

What I really like:
-Lightweight
-Very "water resistant"
-Great traction

What could be improved:
-Fix the leaks at the tongue stitching

Reviews > Footwear > Trail Shoes > Nike ACG Yahats XCR Trail Shoes > Owner Review by Rick Allnutt