|
| Home | Guest - Not logged in | |||
|
» Register
» Login
Gear Reviews
Documents
Tools
» Contact
|
Reviews > Footwear > Trail Shoes > Teva Steep XCR > Heather Oakes > Long Term ReportLong Term Report Teva Steep XCR Trail Runners November 7, 2005 Tester Info:
Name: Heather Oakes Palmer Backpacking Background: I consider myself an intermediate hiker/backpacker having been interested for five years without any long-term trips over three nights. Day hiking and weekend backpacking comprise most of my weekend warrior experience averaging one backpacking trip per month and two day hikes per month averaging between 10-15 miles (16.1- 24.2 km) per day. I tend to backpack in warm, humid climates, with a good amount of hiking in the southern Appalachian Mountains and I have rarely hiked in below freezing or snowy conditions yet. I am a lightweight backpacker and buy my gear accordingly. Product Info:
Manufacturer: Teva
Field Info: These shoes have been tested in an almost complete range of weather from the gentle cold rain of late spring to late fall on top of a rocky mountain at 8500ft (2590.8 m) during various day hikes and overnight backpacking trips. Temperatures were anywhere from 40 F – 70F (4-21C) at night and from 60F – 90+F (16-32 C) during the day. Since most of my hiking was done in the mountains of north Georgia and North Carolina, elevation ranged from 1500- 5500 ft (457- 1676 m) and reached up to 93% humidity on one particular mountain hike. Often each mountain had its own separate weather system, with one side of the mountain being cool and dry and the other side rainy and humid. Trail conditions were mostly on maintained national forest trails, with some instances of off-trail wanderings usually looking for water or some plant of interest. The trails were sometimes full of blow-downs after storms and still suffering the effects of last year’s hurricanes in the infrequently maintained areas. Rain-swollen stream crossings, ankle deep mud, gravel forest roads, and big old rocks added to the testing course. These shoes were also tested while backpacking in Arizona in conditions ranging from low desert, to the top of a mountain around 8500 ft (2590.8 m). Report: Durability Since the start of my testing in May these shoes have been up and down rocky mountain trails, through sharp brush and cacti, over and in streams, through sand, and stuck between rocks. Other than a bit of wear directly under the toe on both soles, and scuffed up rubber in the arch area; these shoes have no serious damage. The laces and uppers are still intact and I can see no fraying around any stitching. Nothing is breaking apart at the sole or heel, and the rubber toe area is still together.
Water and Sweat During the testing period I have managed to luckily avoid any major Southern downpours, but I have been able to test the Tevas in moderate rain, very muddy trails, and trails with lots of stream crossings. A little connecting trail in the Nantahala wilderness of North Carolina is aptly named the Kimsey Creek Trail; this short trail connects to the Appalachian Trail following Kimsey Creek. From the amount of mud and water I encountered the three separate occasions I’ve been on this trail I’m convinced that it doesn’t simply follow the creek, it IS the creek. The insides of the shoes were always dry following hiking this trail; the only damp coming occasionally from my socks due to all the sweat from the high humidity. I have had the same experience with every other boggy, wet trail; dry feet and shoes with only slightly damp socks if it was evil humid (not to be confused with the average ‘malevolent humid’ weather that lasts from April to November). As the shoes kept my feet dry after jumping around in little puddles, they also tended to be very breathable with my feet only sometimes being damp with sweat. Hiking in the area I do I expect certain amount of sweat from the heat and humidity; my feet get sweaty even while wearing sandals. The Teva Steep XCRs receive good marks in the breathability department; they are much better than I expected from a shoe that has so much Gore-Tex ® and is so water-resistant. Stability Initially, I had some concerns that the shoes did not have enough tread on the soles to help keep me from plummeting to an untimely death. The tread was enough overall to help my stability, but I would have liked a bit more ‘glue’ on the trail. The shoes clung easily enough to dry earth; but I had to watch myself a bit in mud, sand, and rocks that had steep inclines. The small, loose rocks on the trail coming down from Rincon Peak in Arizona defeated the tread on the shoes; the incline was so steep that at one point I just slid down on my rear since I’d already landed on it a few minutes ago. The large, strong toe box area received plenty of testing as I made my way down hill and scrambled around on rocks. Luckily no matter how often I stubbed my toe or got it stuck in things, the strong rubber toe box really helped me keep my balance. The heel area with its tight fit encased in strong rubber also served to increase my stability as it forced my foot to stay put within the shoes, helping decrease the chances of me falling on my butt. Comfort In my field report I noted continued discomfort on the top of my feet where the tongue of the shoes would rub and bruise my skin. Since that writing I have had off and on pain of the same variety with seemingly no rhyme or reason; one backpacking trip of 12 mi (19.3 km) on the first day and 6 mi (9.65 km) the second in the mountains caused blisters on my heel but no top of the foot soreness, and then one day hike of 9 mi (14.4 km) in moderate hills caused pain and soreness into the following day. Towards the end of my testing period with these shoes I discovered the cause and remedy for the pain: from the start I had been convinced that I needed to wear my generic Dr. Scholl’s’ insoles or else my arches would hurt from the lack of support, but once I stopped wearing them I noticed that the tops of my feet would no longer become red and sore. From one day hike of 12 mi (19.3 km) of moderate trails and another day hike of 7 mi (11.2 km) of strenuous mountain trails I had no pain when I did not wear my insoles. More importantly; during the two-day, 16.2-mile backpacking trip in the Rincon Mountains of Arizona, with about 4500 ft (1371 m) of elevation gain and loss through desert, big rocks, mountains, woods, steep inclines and rock scrambling, I had no pain on the tops of my feet (though the rest of my body felt like it had aged about a thousand years). As for the rest of my foot comfort, these shoes have caused a couple of blisters on the bottom and back of the heel due to either ill-fitting or wet socks. My arches have always been comfortable, my heel does not slip up and down, and my toes have plenty of room in the spacious toe-box of the shoe. Summary: In shoes, comfort is the most important thing to me and these shoes had a rocky start but ended up working very well for me. Whether it was the built in arch support, strong rubber toe guard, Adaptive Heel-to-Toe protection or a combination of all three that kept my toes from getting smooshed on down-hills, kept my heel from moving up and down, and kept my arches from hurting: I don’t care, I have happy feet. These shoes scored high marks in water resistance, the only time I ever had wet feet from water was when I stepped in something that went over my knee. The Teva Steep XCRs also excel in taking abuse; I have taken these shoes on every day hike and backpacking trip since May and they have been in some pretty rough terrain and I kept expecting more than the small amount of wear under the toes that I ended up with. I consider the shoes fairly breathable, but not exceptional. I also would have liked more tread on the soles to prevent me from sliding down steep trails and to have given me a better grip on big rocks. Overall, I’m very happy with the support and durability of these shoes and I’m extremely pleased to have tested shoes that actually lived up to their water resistant advertising.
Reviews > Footwear > Trail Shoes > Teva Steep XCR > Heather Oakes > Long Term Report | |||
