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Test Report by Kurt Papke

Oboz Hardscrabble Trail-Running Shoes

Test Series by Kurt Papke

Long Term Report September 30, 2010

Tester Information

Name:	Kurt Papke
Age:	56
Gender:	Male
Height:	6' 4" (193 cm)
Weight:	225 lbs (102 kg)
Email address:	kwpapke at gmail dot com
City, State, Country:	Tucson, Arizona USA

My backpacking background has primarily been in the Minnesota area where I have lived most of my adult life. I recently moved to Tucson to take a new job, and am excitedly exploring the surrounding mountain ranges. I prefer to hike in trail-running shoes for their light weight and comfort, though I still use boots when the terrain or weather calls for it.

Initial Report

Product Facts

Product Information
Manufacturer	Oboz Footwear LLC
Manufacturer website	http://www.obozfootwear.com
Year manufactured	2010
Model	Men's Hardscrabble
Color tested	Olive (only color currently available)
Size tested	US 13 Sizes available: 8-12, 13, 14
MSRP	$110 US
Weight (specs)	14.6 oz (414 g)
Weight (measured)	35.3 oz (1000 g) The more than 2x discrepancy between the manufacturer's weight and my measurement is most likely due to the manufacturer listing only the weight of one shoe (the site was not specific about this), plus the large size I am testing

The Oboz Hardscrabble shoes are designed for challenging outdoor use. Features from the manufacturer's website include:

Synthetic Leather and Fabric Upper (as can be seen the photo above, this is a mesh fabric)
3-Dimensionally Molded Asymmetrical Heel Clip
3 Part Midsole
- Dual Density Posted EVA (cushioning)
- Full Forefoot EVA SuperSkin Plate
- Nylon Shank (should provide protection from stones)
High Friction, Non-Marking Outsole
Ignition Outsole
Strobel lasted
Radial Fit System (nylon straps that connect the lace points to the sole)
BFit Deluxe Insole

Initial Inspection

I removed one tag that was attached with a plastic cord and the cardboard shoe trees that kept them from collapsing during shipment, and the shoes were ready to use.

It was the aggressive lugging on the bottom outsoles that initially attracted me to the Hardscrabbles:

Bottom view of the outsoles

Many of the trails I hike on here in the Sonoran desert are strewn with loose gravel and small rocks which make traction difficult on descents. I am hoping the Hardscrabbles will help me with my footing as I "rock surf" on canyon descents.

On close inspection I could find no evidence of manufacturing defects: no glue drips, frayed threads or molding problems with the outsoles. This is the product of a high-quality manufacturing process.

I found the color attractive and pleasing. It matches my hiking pants quite well, even with the orange accents. I find the front toe of the shoes have a "stubby" appearance to them. I will be testing shoes that are just slightly larger than my foot size to allow for my feet to spread during long hikes, and I'm hoping those stubby-looking toes will prevent a frequent problem I have with blisters on the top and outside of my two smallest toes.

Initial Experiences

I put on my midweight hiking socks and then the Hardscrabble shoes. The very large heel loop visible in the first photo above made it easy to pull the shoes on my feet. The supplied laces are nice and sturdy, and give the appearance of holding a knot well. The laces tightened easily and uniformly through the lace loops without a lot of messing around. The tongue is well-padded and prevented me from feeling the laces even with a lot of tightening.

Once I stood up my first impression is that I was not going to have enough arch support for my Plantar Fasciitis, despite the fact that the stock insoles are much more substantial than I typically see in a trail running shoe. I removed the supplied insoles and replaced them with the OrthoSole inserts I am also testing. That felt much better, though it must be said that with my fallen arches my experience my not be typical. I walked around the house on our concrete floors to get a first impression of the shoes: comfy, roomy, yet with nice airy feel from what seemed to be pretty good ventilation. These should work well in the hot Arizona climate.

I didn't get a lot of cushion feel from the Hardscrabbles. They don't feel hard by any means, but neither are they squishy or bouncy.

When I feel the toe of the shoes with my thumb they seem extremely rigid. They should provide excellent protection against toe stubs on roots, rocks and stumps on the trail.

First Impressions

I have a good feeling about these shoes. I am really looking forward to experimenting with them on my hikes. My initial thoughts include the following.

Kudos:

Good toe comfort with the stubby design, I hope it prevents the blisters I often get
Excellent apparent ventilation

Concerns:

Not enough arch support for me with the stock insoles, though they are more substantial than I often see in a trail runner shoe

Field Report

Field Use

Date	Saturday May 1, 2010	Saturday May 8, 2010 to Saturday May 15, 2010	Sunday May 30, 2010	Monday May 31, 2010	Saturday June 12, 2010	Tuesday June 22, 2010	Saturday July 10 through Sunday July 11
Location	Catalina State Park and Coronado National Forest just North of Tucson, Arizona	Streets and paths of various cities in Switzerland: Lucerne, Zug, Lugano & Bern	Globe, Arizona	Catalina Mountains near Tucson, Arizona	Tortolita Mountains near Tucson, Arizona	Picacho Peak State Park northwest of Tucson, Arizona	Aravaipa Canyon wilderness north of Tucson Arizona
Trail	Sutherland: exceptionally rocky, as some segments are horse and/or ATV use	City streets and paths	Round Mountain Trail, just north of the city	Linda Vista	Wild Burro	Around south side of Picacho Peak	This was a canyoneering hike with a mostly unmarked trail
Distance	8.2 miles (13.2 km)	~15 miles (24 km) total for the week	3.3 miles (5.3 km)	3 miles (4.8 km)	5.5 miles (8.9 km)	4.3 miles (6.9 km)	10.6 miles (17.1 km) over 2 days
Terrain	High desert	Cobblestone streets and paths, some flat (around lakes), some more steep (Lugano)	High desert mountain	Mountain foothills	Desert wash, very sandy	Mountain foothills	Canyon bottom with ankle to knee-height water, gravel, sand and rocks
Weather	70F (21 C) mostly sunny and breezy	50-60 F (10-16C) mostly cloudy & rain with a few patches of sun	70F (21 C), sunny	80 F (27 C), sunny	85 F (29 C), sunny	95 F (35 C) sunny	85-100 F (29-38 C) with high humidity and a few raindrops
Altitude range	2700 ft to 4100 ft (820 m to 1250 m)	900-1400 ft (275-425 m)	3600-4200 ft (1100-1280 m)	2500-3150 ft (760-960 m)	2700-3300 ft (823-1006 m)	1850-2325 ft (564-709 m)	2600-3000 ft (792-914 m)

Usage Notes

Sutherland Trail: this was a fairly gradual but steady climb of 1400 ft (425 m) on an exceptionally rocky trail as can be seen in the photo at right. There were lots of opportunities to turn my ankle, which I did mildly a few times without injury. I was very pleased at how the Hardscrabbles maintained traction and footing on the descent. The lugs on the bottom of the soles are very effective.

The shoes felt like they had a lot of cushion on this hike, contrary to what I stated in the Initial Report. I am not sure why my perception has changed, perhaps it is simply more noticeable out on a trail.

Sentiero di Gandria

Switzerland: this was very different hiking than Tucson. It was cold, rainy, and most of my walking was on cobblestone streets and paths. I did about a 1-hour walk every morning before heading into work, so the Hardscrabbles got some hard use on wet city streets. They did surprisingly well in this environment, the traction was better than I thought it would be with the big lugs on the soles.

The picture at left shows us on one of our day hikes on the Sentiero di Gandria, the path from Lugano to the little smuggler's village of Gandria. These cobblestones were not as rough and hard to hike on as some of the others I encountered on this trip.

Linda Vista Trail: this is a nice little walk up into Pusch Ridge in the Santa Catalina mountains just a few minutes from my home. As can be seen in the photo at right, this is another typical Arizona high desert foothills trail: rocky, sandy, and a constant incline. Once again the Hardscrabbles had great traction on both ascents and descents. Foot protection and cushion was excellent.

Wild Burro Trail: another trail quite close to my house, this one in the Tortolita Mountains, though the mountains are not visible in the picture as the photo was taken looking down the canyon. Most of the hike I took this day was in the dry wash in the canyon, and as can be seen in the photo this is a real test of the Hardscrabbles performance in sand. The sand in Arizona washes (dry creek beds) is not like what I have encountered on beaches; it is combination of fine sand and small gravel. It is quite loose in most spots, and can be quite taxing to walk in.

Once again, the shoes performed extremely well in these conditions. I was able to make great time in the flat wash area, with the lugs digging in nicely to the sand.

A side note: one of the things I like about this trail is I always see wildlife there. This time the Ironwood trees lining the wash were in bloom, and they were alive with thousands of killer bees. As I walked by, I could hear the buzzing of the bees before I could see them. These bees are actually less threatening than the media makes them out to be -- I don't bother them and they don't bother me. That said, I did not shove my nose into the flowers to see what they smelled like...

Gila Monster encounter on the Wild Burro Trail

Another example of the wildlife encountered on this hike is the Gila Monster above. These lizards are highly poisonous. I don't know if they could bite through the Hardscrabble shoes, but my guess is they could and I was wary of getting too close. This situation, as well as the rattlesnakes I often encounter, are examples of hiking situations where I wish I had a little more foot protection than what the Hardscrabbles provide.

Aravaipa Canyon: this is a hike that has been on my to-do list for many months, and I finally got a weekend to get away and do some backpacking. This was a canyoneering trip, though an easy one as there are no steep ascents or descents, just a lot of walking in the water and gravel. Many people wear hiking sandals for these conditions, but my attitude is "wear what I test" so off I went with the Hardscrabbles.

The picture at right of my two hiking companions is fairly typical of the conditions the shoes were subjected to: constant in and out of the water, hiking in sand, gravel, and rocks. The shoes got wet within 10 minutes of starting the hike and stayed that way for the entire two days I wore them. They dried out overnight, but were wet again within minutes of starting out on day two.

This was not a particularly long hike, but it was quite slow going. The weather was very hot and humid for southern Arizona, both due to the approaching monsoon rains and the humidity rising up from the water and wet ground. It was exceptionally slow on day one as we were gaining altitude and going against the considerable current during the hottest time of the day. Coming back on day two in the cooler morning hours was much faster and easier.

Oboz under water

Overall, the Hardscrabbles did a fabulous job, and I had far fewer footwear problems than my companions who were wearing sandals or water shoes. They drained exceptionally well, to the extent one of my companions commented on how the water flowed out of them each time I emerged from the stream. Traction was excellent in all conditions -- I never lost my footing once the entire trip.

The photo at left shows typical use of the Hardscrabbles during this trip. Despite having wet feet for two solid days I developed no blisters of any kind.

The one issue I did have is lots of sand and gravel in the shoes. I had to empty them several times per day. Next time I will try wearing gaiters in the water and see if that keeps out the debris.

I also noted around this time that I am starting to get some fraying at the end of the laces. The laces are quite long, and even when I double-knot them, the ends will still drag on the ground. I have found that the laces hold quite well; I rarely have to retie them

Comfort: during this period I had no foot blisters, an unusual situation for me as I typically blister on to tops and outside of my smaller toes. I did notice some fatigue in my feet after the hikes on the rockier trails from the stress of walking on small boulders.

Summary

I really like these trail running shoes. They performed well for me in a wide variety of conditions. In addition to the conclusions from my Initial Report: