lightest camp shoes

[Bob Shaver]

wow, there are some options. In the mountains my feet are usually cold, so I wear socks. The vivo ultras would allow sock wearing. The sockwa says under 3 oz each. Now I have to weigh my crocs. Thanks for all the great ideas.

Bob

[JCH]

The Sockwas are nice and comfy, but the soles are pretty thin. They are darn nice for around camp, and *might* work for stream crossing, but can't be compared to the thickness and stiffness of Crocs.

@Russell…actually, your sock sprayed with bedliner is not a bad description of the Sockwas. But you'd have to lay the bedliner on pretty thick :)

@Valerie E…can you give us some data on Croc Swiftwater weight? I assume they would come in at a min 12oz for a mens 13.

[Ben H.]

I seem recall this discussion coming up in the past. There might be a MYOG thread making slippers out of blue sleeping pads. To really whittle down the weight people recommended slippers you get for free when you go to a spa. Something like this:

[Hikin’ Jim]

If you really want a camp shoe, check out the Teva Mush. It's a flip-flop with a soft foam padded surface. It feels wonderful when you have sore feet. My men's 11 weigh 3.3 oz each, I think they are actually lighter than regular flip-flops, and infinitely more comfortable.

Lots of recommendations on the Teva Mush, but at 3.3 oz each, that's 6.6 oz. Ouch.

I see them listed online as 6.8 oz, so your measurement is pretty accurate. I was hoping for maybe 1.5 to 2.0 oz each. :)

HJ
Adventures In Stoving
Hikin' Jim's Blog

[Bob Shaver]

My size 9 crocs are 16 oz!! Ouch.

[Jim Colten]

I've used the Grip Socks from the same folks. Including 11 days on trail at Philmont.

pros:
* light … 3.3oz for a pair that fit my size 12 feet
* dry reasonably quick

cons:
* tough on feet if walking on small debris (sticks, small rocks or anything pointy)
* miserably cold if you get caught out in a cold rain … wool socks inside plus water proof oversocks would probably help that.

I recently made some CCF insoles for them … two versions from different materials, adding .22oz and .5oz respectively for a pair. Will field test one of each on a northern half JMT trip in a month.

[Anonymous]

The lightest and hands down lightest well padded camp sandals you can make yourself in less than 10 minutes with a couple strips of duct tape and blue 1/2 inch thick CCF from Walmart.. I have size 11 feet and mine weighed 1.2 ounces for the PAIR…..Just google here DIY camp shoes..

[JCH]

>>My size 9 crocs are 16 oz

My fear about the Swiftwaters is that they are a similar weight. They need to be 6-8oz per pair to justify carrying them for stream crossings and camp shoes.

[Diane “Piper” Soini]

I have hiked many hundreds of miles, including portions of the JMT, wearing Chaco sandals as my hiking shoes. No need for camp shoes when you're already wearing them. Chacos feel like strap on boots to me. My only complaint is the traction isn't very good and the experience suffers in snow.

I've made and bought many pairs of huraches and even hiked in them, but they are never very light.

I bought a pair of those Luna Tabus. They are a nylon tabi bootie, thinly lined with cotton and the sole portion has a very thin rubber coating on the outside. There is no real protection from sharp things and they would not be durable for walking any real distances, but you could wear them around camp fine. Not cheap but they're as light as a pair of socks.

[George F]

Back when I wore boots I took rubber soled kung fu slippers with me a couple of times and they worked well. I don't know about stream crossings but I think camp shoes should be tough enough to make it down to the stream and back while in camp so I would favor something with soles thick enough to step on some twigs and rocks without hurting my feet.

[Todd T]

I'm another Vivo devotee. I fully expect the pair I'm using to last a decade, but I went ahead and bought a second pair as defense against their discontinuation.

"In the mountains my feet are usually cold, so I wear socks. The vivo ultras would allow sock wearing. The sockwa says under 3 oz each. Now I have to weigh my crocs."

Mine weigh 4 oz and change (per shoe), but that's the largest size they make. Take a look at:

http://www.vivobarefoot.com/us/mens/ultra-ii-mens?colour=Black/Red

They're lightweight but rugged enough to use for gnarly water crossings and such. They don't absorb water except for a tiny bit in the tongue, though I've heard of some people cutting the tongue out to avoid that (and save a gram or two! :-)). They have adjustable laces to make a better fit than some of the other very lightweight options.

The only rub is the price (currently $75). But as mentioned above, I like them enough to have spent that twice (actually, they were cheaper when I bought them, but you get the idea).

[Dale Wambaugh]

There are some sales at LeftLane Sports. I thought I would try the Ultra model for $32. It comes with a removeable sock liner. The stream crossing thing is important to me and I want a shoe that gives some sort of side protection and stay on as well as not absorbing water; otherwise cheap flipflops would be fine for camp use.

For those interested in DIY cord strap minimalist sandals, you can get kits from Xero shoes for $25 and up. http://xeroshoes.com/shop/diy-kits/diy-feeltrue/

Luna Sandals makes some interesting sandals and kits, but not in the cheap column.http://lunasandals.com/

[Dave Ayers]

I've also worn the Vincere Grip Socks (version of the sand socks with a sturdier sole). I added insoles cut from Walmart blue foam padding which brought the total weight to 4 oz. (size 12) and generally eliminated the rock/debris discomfort. I've had good results with those along with calf length socks (which I wear at night anyway).

[Link .]

MIZUNO WAVE 5 UNIVERSE 3.2 ounces in men's size 10.5, not the cheapest but you can sometimes find them on sale, I bought a pair a few years ago for $32.

[Nick D]

"MIZUNO WAVE 5 UNIVERSE"

Wow those are hard to look at. :)

[michael levi]

I have some foam tevas with cloth straps. I think they set weighs 2 ounces. They are very light and I can even hike with them with my pack on. There's no reason camp shoes should be heavy.

[Stephen Murphy]

I bought a pair of these a couple of years ago. No longer made, but still seem to be sold online for as little as $30 / pair. My size 10.5 mens weigh 8.5 oz for the pair. The have eva soles, a stretch fabric upper that fully covers your foot like a regular shoe and have Velcro closures. these have been great for both around camp and for stream crossings as the Velcro and stretch fabric keeps them pretty secure, even in swift water – something I would not even consider trying in crocs or flip flops. And they are colorful!

[michael levi]

So those are your backups? Here are my main hiking shoes new balance mt110. They weigh about the same as those probably.http://runblogger.com/images/2011/08/new-balance-mt110-trail-running-shoe-review-by-nate-sanel.com

[Valerie E]

@Michael — With all due respect, I don't think there are any Teva flip flops that weigh 2oz per pair in men's sizes (even for toddlers, they probably weigh about 4oz). I suspect your flip flops are more like 7oz per pair.

I'm afraid I would require proof (photo of men's Tevas on a scale with weight shown)…

Edited to add: I'm not trying to get all "Bob Gross" about this, but I think you're wrong! ;^)

[Monte Masterson]

"I'm not trying to get all 'Bob Gross' about this"

Someone has to assume the mantle Valerie.

[Owen McMurrey]

"check out the Teva Mush"
Great flip-flops. Just bought spares, and am wearing a pair right now.
As for the weight discrepancies, I just weighed my new pair that has never been worn, and one is 3 1/8oz while the other is 3 5/8oz. A half ounce difference between sizes certainly doesn't sound unrealistic when my matched pair are that far apart.
I wear 9.5EEE or can size up to a 10 in some shoes, and the Mush in size 9 fits.
I don't take flip-flops backpacking, though, and rarely any kind of camp shoe. If I do, I want to be able to wear socks…

[Hikin’ Jim]

MIZUNO WAVE 5 UNIVERSE 3.2 ounces in men's size 10.5

Presumably that's per shoe? In other words 6.4 oz for the pair? Might make decent stream crossers.

HJ
Adventures In Stoving
Hikin' Jim's Blog

[Gerry B.]

I have tried several options mentioned but the Viva Barefoot Ultra Pure are my favorites. To me they provide the best support (particularly for stream crossings) for the least weight. I think I bought mine for $38 on sale because they were the ugliest color combo they offered….red and white tops, white sole. I look "patriotic" when I wear them but on the bright side, no one would ever dare steal them and I can't accidentally leave them behind in a campsite.

[michael levi]

Valerie, I'll weigh my tevas later, in all honesty there are lighter flippers out there, but these are built very well and are high quality but still very light.

[Hikin’ Jim]

Interesting old thread on BPL: ultralight camp shoes under 2 ounces

Weight: About 1 oz.

HJ
Adventures In Stoving
Hikin' Jim's Blog

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