Reviews > Footwear > Trail Shoes > Teva Dalea eVent Shoes > Test Report by Rebecca Sowards-Emmerd

Tester Information

Name: Rebecca Sowards-Emmerd

Age: 31

Gender: Female

Height: 5'5" (1.65 m)

Weight: 135 lb (61 kg)

Email: rebecca@backpackgeartest.org

Location: Sunnyvale, California

Backpacking Background

I spend most weekends, and many full weeks a year, exploring the variety of scenery and terrain that California has to offer. My favorite area is the Sierra Nevada, and I spend several weeks backpacking there each summer. I follow lightweight, but not ultralight, backpacking techniques and am known to carry a few luxury items from time to time. In addition to traditional backpacking I enjoy snowshoeing, skiing, and snowcamping, as well as long day hikes, geocaching, peak bagging, and running. 

Product Information

Manufacturer:  Teva

Item:  Dalea Mid eVent Boots

Size:  9.5 (womens)

Listed weight:  none

Measured weight:  2 lb 0.5 oz (pair)

Year:  2009

MSRP:  $140

Initial Report: October 1, 2009

The Teva Dalea Mid is a waterproof leather mid-height women's boot.  Specifically, it features Scotchguarded suede and nubuck outer, eVent waterproof membrane, and a Vibram sole for traction. The pair I received came in the color 'Chocolate Chip' which is a combination of standard leathery neutral shades of brown.  A close inspection of the shoe reveals clean seams and stitching.

I want to expand on my bio above to include some information about my feet. One of my most troublesome parts, I've spent years trying to dial in the perfect foot solution for the trail. To me, a holistic foot solution is made of up the trio of insoles, shoes, and socks.  

My feet suffer from three problems - overpronation (flat feet), wide ball and narrow heel (duck feet), and toes that tilt funny.  These problems all result in their own issues and I've had to deal with them all. My flat feet cause medial tibial stress ("shin splints") along with foot and hip pain. My wide forefoot and narrow heel cause terrible fit problems (usually resulting in blisters from heel slippage), and I often get blisters between my toes.

I've been able to solve the flat foot issue with several visits to a sports podiatrist and custom orthotics. I've solved the toe blister problem with socks.  And until recently, I had solved the fit problem with a light hiker style shoe that fit my duck feet perfectly. Unfortunately, that shoe has recently been redesigned and no longer fits my foot like a dream, so I have been on the lookout for a hiker that will fit my poor feet. I recently purchased a pair of lightweight Teva hikers that fit quite well, but wanted to try something more robust for the wet winter months.  Enter the Dalea.

With that background, I hope it's understandable that I was quite nervous upon trying these on for the first time, sight unseen.  Miraculously, my feet slid into the Dalea perfectly. I typically wear a size 9.5 womens for athletic footwear (hiking and running), even though my standard measured size is closer to an 8.5-9. I usually stick to a regular width and suffer from some pinching in the ball of my foot (wide shoes tend to cause my heel to slip, resulting in painful blisters).  All of my hiking and running shoes are size 9.5 regular, so that is what I chose when ordering the Dalea. They fit just like I would expect - my foot feels very comfortable in them, but I can feel some extra room. Room that I want so my feet can swell. They feel slightly narrow in the forefoot (like almost every regular width shoe I wear), but nothing too tight or pinchy.

The only thing that was out of sorts with the Daleas were the laces. The  left boot has a lace that is plenty long to tie, but the right boot came with a  shorter lace that is just barely long enough to tie. Odd, but workable.

I don't normally wear a mid height hiker or waterproof boots - I'm more of a lightweight trailrunner style girl. However, I often regret my choice of footwear when hiking in the Bay Area in the winter (due to mud and heavy rain), and I am also unable to use my typical footwear when I head up to the mountains to snowshoe.  I am very excited to try out this well-fitting boot in the conditions where I hope it will excel.

My testing plans include a lot of muddy dayhiking over the next several months. The rainy season will be upon us soon here in Northern California, and the local trails will change from their dusty, gravely terrain to slippery mud bogs. On these hikes, I'll be testing out the Dalea's traction, waterproofness, and ability to keep clean.  

On other weekends we'll be heading up to the mountains to play in the snow. I'll be trying out the Daleas with my Atlas snowshoes, and maybe even strap on some Kahtoola crampons if I have the chance. Lastly, I'll be taking the Daleas down to Death Valley for some cross-country peak bagging, exploration, and canyon hiking. The traction and durability of the Daleas will certainly be tested well under these conditions. 

These boots have already passed an enormous hurdle simply by fitting my picky and hard-to-please feet. I'm really looking forward to getting them out on the trail!

Field Report: Not yet Available

Long Term Report: Not yet Available

Reviews > Footwear > Trail Shoes > Teva Dalea eVent Shoes > Test Report by Rebecca Sowards-Emmerd