I have been hiking and camping for over 20 years and enjoy backpacking solo and with my kids in Scouting. I especially enjoy fall and winter backpacking and camping. My backpack and gear are older and weigh 40+ lbs (18 kg). This has limited the distances I have been able to cover while hiking. My goal over the next several years is to replace my existing clothing and gear with more suitable and lighter weight alternatives.

INITIAL REPORT

PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer: Teva
Year of Manufacture: 2009
Manufacturer's Website: http://www.teva.com/
MSRP: US $130
Listed Weight: N/A
Measured Weight: 2 lbs 3 oz (982 g)
Shoe Size: 10 USA (9 UK, 43 EU)

Other details:
Nubuck leather upper
eVent waterproof breathable lining
Dual-density EVA midsole
Nylon shank
Rubber outsole
Color: Charred

Teva describes the Riva eVent as "a durable and supportive hiking shoe that can handle any task. The Vibram outsole ensures that you’ll always have traction, while the eVent waterproof membrane keeps your feet dry and comfortable."

Rubber toe and heel kicks

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

The Teva Rivas arrived in a typical shoe box, wrapped in paper. Carboard forms were stuffed inside the shoes to hold their shape. Although I knew what the shoes would look like from having viewed them earlier on Teva's website, I was immediately impressed upon opening the box. These are very good looking shoes! They are attractive and fashionably styled with tan leather uppers and dark brown suede on the tongue, heel and sides.

The construction of the Riva shoes is quite solid both inside and out. There is stiff rubber protection around the toe box to protect it from nicks and scratches due to rocks, tree roots etc. All the stitches seem solid and accurate, and the laces appear to be well-captured in thick loops of leather that would have to tear through completely in order for the laces to break free. The rubber outsoles are made by Vibram and feature an aggressive tread pattern that appears durable and sticky. When looking at the heel of the shoe just above the outsole, a polyurethane shock pad is visible. Upon testing I will report how well this pad performs and whether it does its job of cushioning my steps and absorbing large impacts. Another great feature of this shoe, and all trail worthy hiking shoes for that matter, is the nylon shank which provides torsional stability and increased stiffness for much better comfort than a tennis shoe on rugged terrain.

Moving to the inside of the shoe, the tongue and collars are lined with smooth leather which feels quite comfortable. The tongue is gusseted to keep water and debris from getting inside the shoe. The eVent waterproof liner is visible on the sides and bottom of the shoe, after removing the insole. According to the eVent, their membrane is exceptionally breathable and yet waterproof so it should keep my feet both comfortable and dry. Finally, thick, washable foam insoles are included with each shoe.

READING THE INSTRUCTIONS

The Teva Riva shoes arrived with no hang tags or instructions. However, there were several stickers on the inside lid of the shoe box. Of note, one of the stickers indicated that these shoes were coated with Scotchgard protection. I was pleasantly surprised to learn this as I've often wondered why hiking shoes aren't treated for stain resistance. A second sticker briefly described the eVent fabric that allows these shoes to be waterproof, yet breathable. The sticker also provided a link to Event's website which was very informative and interesting to me as there are a number of waterproof / breathable fabrics and coatings on the market today.

TRYING IT OUT

The Teva Rivas came pre-laced, so all I had to do was slip my feet in and tie the laces. Having built these shoes up in my mind, while evaluating their construction during the past several minutes, I must admit I was slightly worried that they may not fit as well as they looked or appeared to be designed. Of course they would be stiff and require a break-in period, as most leather hiking shoes do. I was not worried about that. I was much more concerned about how they felt when I slipped them on. And now for the verdict: although the shoes seem to be long enough so that my toes don't touch the ends, they are very tight in the width. After putting them on, I walked around the house for several minutes hoping to loosen them up. Over the past few days, I have continued to wear them around the house as well as while working out on my stair climber in order to stretch them out, and they have loosened up slightly. Of note, the heel cup does a good job of securing my feet so that they don't slide around and the tongue and lacing capture my foot so that it does not slide forward. I also don't feel any pressure points around my ankle, but the sides of my feet are squeezed just before the toe box and my feet hurt after wearing them for a few hours. Upon further evaluation, there seems to be enough room when I remove the insoles and so there may be a height issue going on as well.

Before ordering these shoes, I checked the sizing chart on Teva's website and measured my foot as instructed. I normally wear a size 10 (US) in most brands and that is the size they recommended based on the length of my foot. As far as I can tell, there seems to be about 0.25 inch (0.64 cm) from the end of my toes to the front of the shoe and I am not sure that moving up a 1/2 size would increase the width at all. I spoke with a representative at Teva and they agreed. Based on that, my plan right now is to hike in these shoes and carry a second pair of shoes in my pack in case these become too uncomfortable to wear.

eVent liner and foam insert

Vibram outsole

SUMMARY

I really like these shoes. They are well made and appropriately aggressive for trail hiking. My biggest concern is fit. I am looking forward to getting these shoes out on the trail and giving them a thorough workout.

This concludes my Initial Report on the Teva Riva eVent Shoes. Please check back in two months for my field report. Many thanks to Teva and BackpackGearTest.Org for the opportunity to test these shoes.

Test Report by Brian Hartman

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