Camp shoes – slip-on, substantial, light

[Elliott Wolin]

What's the latest on lightweight camp shoes that are more substantial than Dr. Scholls footbeds tied on with dental floss?

I take off my hiking shoes immediately upon reaching camp and don't put them on again until I leave the next morning. I do all camp setup, chores, water fetching, etc. in camp shoes. This may involve walking some distance on or off trail to get water.

I've been using 7.8 oz L.L.Bean flip-flops, which work great, but are a little heavy and it is annoying to wear socks with them due to the strap between your big and next toe. Thus I am looking for slip-ons.

Crocs work great but weigh a whopping 13.1 oz.

What should I be looking at?

[te – wa]

Feathered Friends makes the down bootie with a removeable/seperate EPIC shell. Use the shell when you can, add the down inner when you need? 9oz for the combo. I likey..
the shell alone may likely be too big/loose for many camp chores. it would keep your feet clean tho.

i found some "and1" croc knock-off sandals at Kohl's that are 7oz for the pair mens size 9 ($10)

found the link: http://www.kohls.com/kohlsStore/shoes/mens/sandals/sport/PRD~176795/And+1+Courtside+Slides.jsp
pair these with some injinji toe socks, worth every ounce

[Ross Bleakney]

I use these: http://www.sprintaquatics.com/prodinfo.asp?number=901
I would not call them substantial, but they can be beefed up. I like them as is, but have considered adding an extra layer of blue foam to the bottom. The mesh works well. I've never had the shoe slip off my foot. I use them around camp, as well as on top of mountains (during day hikes). I've climbed rocky areas with them, but I've had to be careful. Again, the only thing I wish they had was a more substantial bottom (which wouldn't weigh very much, I think, but add substantial warmth and cushioning). As is, they weigh about an ounce a piece.

[Zack Karas]

+1 for the sprints. I would recommend wearing your camp socks along with the sprints if you will be walking around camp much at night, otherwise you definitely feel more of what you are walking on. Mine weigh 1 oz. for the pair.

[Gordon Smith]

+2 Sprint Aquatics Mesh Shoes

[sheila o]

+3 Sprint Aquatics Mesh Shoes

[Robert Carver]

They are a really good camp shoe. I wouldn't want to do major stream crossings in them, but they work great for camp. They are on sale right now for $3.50 a pair.

[Tom Caldwell]

I think mine are the same size as I wear in a normal shoe, and they fit fine, but if I order more I'll probably try a size larger. I've found that with swollen feet and socks they can feel tight at the end of the day, especially slipping into the elastic ring at the ankle. Does any one use ones that are a little larger and how do they feel when crossing streams, do they "flop around" and cause difficulty?

[Mike M]

Teva Mush- Men's size 9, 5.4 oz for the pair- not super light- but very padded and comfy

I've thought about dissecting mine- there is a seam where the bottom tread is attached- w/ the tread portion removed I'd guess they would be in the 2.5 oz/pair range and still have pretty decent padding

they work pretty decently for stream crossings (not talking raging rivers mind you! :))

[Mark McLauchlin]

"What's the latest on lightweight camp shoes that are more substantial than Dr. Scholls footbeds tied on with dental floss?" I so love that Elliot.

My knock-off croc's are about 10 oz (290g).

I did recently stop taking them and now I just loosen the laces right off my shoes and that does me fine, generally dont wear socks with them around camp. When I am sitting down I take them off all together and rest my feet on top of them.

[te – wa]

im also on the peep-out for the fanatically adored Vibram Five Fingers.. just read another blog about the benefits of wearing them..
just cant choke down retail of $75 (yet)

[Jack G]

just received sprint aquatics this week. I wear an 8.5 shoe but ordered the 11-12 based on others saying they run small. Could not agree more. Put back-to-back it is about the same size as my size 9 crocs. The mesh ring around the ankle, as someone else mentioned, is very hard to pull on, especially over a sock to the point where I thought they were going to rip. They didn't and are great once on but definitely order larger. They really should make a size larger than 11-12 because that is more like a 9 and if you normally wear larger than a 9 it might not work.

[Curt Peterson]

-1

Obviously they work for some folks, but I found them only slightly better than nothing. Try them out – super cheap and super light so there's really no reason not to, but I'm thinking the insoles with dental floss are probably just as substantial. Thought I'd add a contrary opinion :)

[Fred eric]

not really lighter than your flipflop, but its shoes
i am using feelmax kuusa 7.1 oz / 202 g in size 42 / ( = 9 in the US ? )

http://www.feelmax.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=359%3Akuusa-black-grey&catid=45%3Amallisto-2009&Itemid=107&lang=en

[Sam Farrington]

I use ankle high dive sox because they weigh 3.5 oz the pair, provide warmth and moisture protection, slip on and off easily over my hiking sox, have a slightly textured sole, can be used for stream crossings, and fold up small. Drawbacks; the neoprene is not breathable, so they would be hellacious in hot weather (not a problem at night and early morning where I hike), and since they go on and off easily, they would not work for crossing a muddy river bottom that would suck them right off my feet. Like the aquatics noted above, they don't have much padding under the foot. The brand I use is Deep See.
Sam Farrington, Chocorua NH

[Noel Hong]

I use the KSO model for trail running. Needed to test out a new hip belt for the Aarn pack last week. Decided to use the KSO for footwear. Loaded the pack (total wt ~17kg) and took off for a short hilly hike (9km). Feet felt fine. No different than normal.

The plus if your foot structure has been conditioned are backup hiking shoes, camp shoes, excellent water crossing shoes, light weight.

The negatives: cost/value, they get really smelly after a few days without washing, not convient to slip on, correct sizing is very important.

[Mark Verber]

I am with curt -1 on the sprint auqatics… I tried them several years ago when I was trying to figure out the best way to handle stream crossings. They are slightly better than nothing, but I found that in most of the situations were the sprints worked, my bare feet worked just as well.

I have no experience with them, but there has been at least one thread in the BPL forums about using Tyvek Overshoes as camp shoes. Some people seem pretty happy with them. Your experience might vary.

Ultimately I concluded that for me, trail shoe (Inov-8 310 flyroc) was sufficiently comfortable and got "mostly dry" quickly enough that I didn't need water crossing or camp shoes. This saves weight and time since I didn't need to switch between shoes. I could just plow through.

In some conditions I have also had good luck the vibram 5 fingers (13oz/pair, size 11) as do everything footwear. The one place they just didn't work for me were dusty locations like trails than horses go on. The dust went right through the mesh and then started to feel like sandpaper.

–Mark

[Dave Heiss]

I've used the Sprint Aquatics for a couple of years now, and they work very well for stream crossings here in the Cascades, for washups, and for walking around camp if I want to get out of my boots. I added another layer of thin foam (using foam from the disposable flip flops my wife brings home after a pedicure). The extra layer makes a big difference in comfort and puncture resistance. I've never felt them coming loose during a stream crossing, but then I'm a size 10.5-11 and the SA size 13 is a snug fit.

[Elliott Wolin]

After so many endorsements for Sprint Aquatics I bought some. We'll try them out at the bottom of the Grand Canyon this fall. They are indeed light, and sized a bit small it seems.

Keep on posting, and thanks to everyone.

[BlackHatGuy]

On longer hikes I carry a pair of End WOW water shoes. They're not ultralight, but they serve lots of purposes for me. One important factor, for me, is that since I backpack in End Stumptowns, the WOW shoes could fill in in a pinch if I destroyed the Stumptowns. I've reduced my pack weight in so many other areas that I don't mind a few extra ounces for these!

Doug

[Frank Perkins]

Delete every user who contributed on this thread. Except me because I'm just being a sarcastic tool ;-)

[Tohru Ohnuki]

I wonder if these are light? They look fairly durable..
Kigo Shel

[Nick Gatel]

With Noel and Mark on the 5 fingers. Good option for one shoe does everything. But they are not for every trail or route.

I use my lightweight hiking shoes as camp shoes. They are comfortable and multi-use.

[BlackHatGuy]

I wrote the company. Got an answer back within a day. Not too shabby.

Anyway, according to Rachelle at Kigo, the Shels (size 7) weigh app. .7 pounds per pair (my quick calc says that's about 11 oz.) FWIW

Doug

[Sanad Toukhly]

Go barefoot around camp and camp shoes will become zero ounces. Watch your step and be cautious, you'll be fine.

-Sid

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