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Reviews > Footwear > Trail Shoes > Teva Steep XCR > Jennifer Williams > Field ReportField Report: Teva Steep XCR Hiking ShoesTESTER BIO
Backpacking Background:
PRODUCT INFORMATION
Advertised Features:
FIELD INFORMATION I have hiked 40 miles (64 km) in these trail shoes, in addition to generally wearing them around town. I have used them for day hiking, but have not tried backpacking in them yet. All of the hikes were along the coastal redwood trails between the Santa Cruz Mountains and Point Reyes National Seashore, just north of San Francisco. Elevations ranged from sea level to about 4000 ft (1200 m) and temperatures were between 60F and 85F (15C and 29C). Most of the trails were well maintained, shaded, and woodsy with a few stream crossings and early morning dampness. Some of the trails were more rocky and dry, with loose dirt and rocks along the path. For all of the hikes I wore SmartWool light or medium weight hiking socks and carried a small CamelBak pack weighing 5 to 10 lbs (2 to 5 kg) when full. FIELD TEST During my initial report of the Teva Steep XCRs I noted that the shoes were somewhat loose on my feet, even when I tried to tighten them up. I have low arches and narrow, low volume feet, which makes adding footbeds necessary in most of my active shoes. Thus, I removed the insoles that came in the shoes and replaced them with Superfeet Green footbeds. This helped the shoes feel tighter and more supportive for my arch. I initially wore the shoes around town and to work and they were quite comfortable. After about a week I took them on their first hike on a fairly easy trail among the redwoods. The trail was shady and slightly damp, and had a few short climbs but nothing strenuous. Until recently, I did most of my day hikes in my heavier hiking boots and these Tevas are much lighter and cooler while still feeling supportive. I had to get used to having less ankle support, but the soles of the shoes seem wide enough to add stability and prevent much ankle turning. The next few hikes were longer and had a bit more uphill climbing. The shoes felt generally comfortable during the beginning of the hikes. However, a few times I tightened the shoes a bit too much and started to develop a sore spot on the top of my foot above the arch. I stopped and loosened the laces a bit, but did not feel much relief until I repositioned the gusseted tongue so that it was bunched up under the middle of the laces instead of on either side of the laces. I now make sure the tongue is positioned correctly before I start hiking and do not feel that pain. I suspect this problem is due to having to tighten the shoes to accommodate my narrow feet, which produces extra folds of material in the gusseted tongue. Someone with wider feet might not have this problem. Aside from pain caused by the tongue, the shoes were comfortable and felt very snug while hiking on rocky, uphill sections of the trail. The Adaptive Heel lacing (see description in my Initial Report) seems to hold my heel in place very well and I have not developed any blisters. The shoes perform almost as well on downhill sections, but I felt my feet slipping forward in the shoes once in a while. Despite this slippage, my toes did not hit the front of the shoes. The only problem was that I felt a little less stable. On future hikes I plan to try lacing the shoes tighter near the balls of my feet and my ankles, but looser near the middle of my feet above the arches, in order to keep my feet from slipping without over tightening the tongue. On some of the longer hikes my toes began to feel cramped in the shoes. Loosening the laces helped relieve the discomfort slightly, but my two smallest toes on each foot still felt a little cramped. This is surprising since I have narrow feet and typically have plenty of room all around. The Tevas have relatively narrow toe boxes and are not as rounded as I would prefer. By the end of a longer hike, my feet swell and my toes run out of room. I would like to see these shoes with a roomier toe box to let my toes spread out. I did not receive the Tevas until the end of the rainy season, so I was not able to test the waterproof liner extensively, but when I did see a stream to cross I made sure to traipse right through the water instead of rock hopping. The shoes stayed perfectly dry inside even when the water was almost completely covering the shoes. After submerging them, the outside of the shoes look slightly wet and the insides feel cool, but they dry off quickly and stay very dry inside. They do collect a little dust and mud while they are wet, but they clean off easily. In warm weather the shoes do feel a bit warmer than regular trail runners, but the breathability is still impressive considering how waterproof they are. Generally, the Tevas seem durable and well constructed. The only signs of wear I have seen seem to be cosmetic in nature. Along the sides of the soles there are alternating black and lime green treads (there is a detailed photo of this on Teva's website). The green color has started peeling off of some of the treads to reveal black underneath. It appears to be a superficial paint that should not affect performance of the shoes, but it does make the shoes look more worn than they actually are. Another cosmetic note for the pair that I have is in regards to the color of the shoes. This pair is black and gray with lime green detailing and looks very dusty after hiking in dry conditions. Again, this is cosmetic and cleans off easily, but I think the same shoes in the brown version would not look as dirty so quickly. SUMMARY Overall, I enjoy wearing these shoes on the trail and plan to use them on some more extensive hikes in the coming months. However, I do not feel that they are sturdy enough to wear backpacking if I were carrying much weight. Generally, I need a lot of support from my hiking boots when backpacking due to my pronation and low arches and do not backpack in trail runners or sandals at all. I will consider wearing the Tevas on an overnight trip if the terrain is not strenuous. LIKES:
DISLIKES:
Reviews > Footwear > Trail Shoes > Teva Steep XCR > Jennifer Williams > Field Report | |||