lightest camp shoes

[JCH]

Philip,
Thanks for pointing out the "upgraded" construction of the Ultra IIs…I guess I missed those details on the Vivo website.

Dale,
As Philip points out, I was expressing disappointment that the Ultra IIs were not as light as your Ultras…apparently for good reason :)
I was not disputing your data. In fact I very much appreciate you and Philip taking the time to publish your findings as that allows the rest of us to understand which model (if either) is of interest to us.

[Randy Nelson]

"Ah, another slosher. It doesn't work fine. Sloshing in wet shoes all day in challenging weather and terrain is not OK for the feet. Why is it in the USA speed is so often the priority."

You mean it doesn't work fine for you, right? That's fine. But it works fine for others. Just because I don't care to sleep on a half length Zrest doesn't mean those that do are being stupid light. What exactly is supposed to have happened to my feet anyway?

I wouldn't say speed is my priority. I take breaks in scenic spots. I fish. But I do like to keep moving during the hiking part.

"So we have totally different priorities. Yours are the norm, mine are the exception.
Once in a while, it is worthwhile for folks to hear about the exception."

I agree that we have different priorities and different methods. Not that one way is right and the other is stupid light. They're just different. I'm glad you're happy doing things your way. But that doesn't man other ways are wrong. I hear the same thing from traditional backpackers who wear boots about trail runners. "Oh, that won't work."

And back on topic, some what, before I started using the newspaper bag method, I did try both the Sprint mesh shoes and the Vivo Ultra Pures. The mesh shoes didn't last very long. The Ultra Pures worked fine. I still bring them sometimes if I plan to be doing much evening fishing near camp. I like using them as waders then put my trail runners on when I'm done. That scenario is the one time I'll try to keep my shoes dry. It may not make any sense, but it works for me.

[Barry P]

This reminds me of a Backpacking Magazine thread “need camp shoes”.
If your hiking footwear is not comfortable enough to be a camp slipper where you can sit down and go ahhhh…, then I think your hiking footwear needs to be revisited. Who wants to carry extra stuff to make up for stuff that doesn’t work?

May everyone find their sole,
-Barry
-The mountains were made for Tevas

[Dave Ayers]

BarryP wrote:
… If your hiking footwear is not comfortable enough to be a camp slipper where you can sit down and go ahhhh…, then I think your hiking footwear needs to be revisited. …

Many of us have non-standard shape feet, bunions, pump bumps, hammer toes, neuromas, or one or more other situations which prevent getting to 'ahhhh' level comfort in any shoe. So a lightweight camp shoe/slipper/sandal is simply a desirable option for a portion of hikers. For example, I've personally hiked in at least 50 different shoes and have never reached the 'ahhhh' level.

[Barry P]

“Many of us have non-standard shape feet…”

What I have seen is everyone has “non-standard shape feet”

I’ll give you a hint. Sometimes hiking shoes don’t cut it. Because of my non-standard feet, I had to move on to sandals to solve all the shoe woes. Even then I had to try a couple dozen styles.
Now I can
1. Wear the thickest socks or down booties or the thinnest sock while still maintain tightness but not strangling my feet
2. Center my arch with one strap. If the arch is off a hair in a shoe, ouch… plantar f….
3. Clean the footwear off in 5 seconds or leave outside of tent in rainstorm.
4. No more athlete’s foot— ever; thus no more powder.
5. No more stink (if wearing socks)
6. No more hammer toes — or whatever blackens your toe for going downhill 4 hours.
7. Have the nicest camp shoes ever; and even take-a-break shoes
8. And other pluses I mention in my gear list.

I stay away from closed toe sandals for reasons mentioned in my gear list and I never stub my toes (knock on wood) or twist an ankle for reasons in my gear list.

May everyone find their sole :)
-Barry
-The mountains were made for Teva Terra Fi 4’s

[JCH]

It's been a long quest, but I think I have a solution I am happy with.

Previously my choice of camp/stream crossing shoe was the Sockwa G4. Very minimal with quite a thin sole, but for 7.5 oz in men's size 13 they were the best weight/performance trade off I had found, but were not very good for stream crossing

Thanks to everyone who posted in this thread I was able to try a few other things, and make a significant improvement:

Vivobarefoot Ultra IIs, Size 47 – Really liked the fit and function but at just over 14 oz they were a sent back.

Croc Swiftwater, Size 13 – Again, great fit and function but a whopping 17oz per pair. They *are* pretty nice though and I have decided to keep them for Kayaking and banging around on the weekend, but they will *never* be in my backpack. I would recommend them for the purposes I mention.

**Winner** Vivobarefoot Ultra, Size 46 – Pretty much the same fit and functionality of the Ultra IIs but much lighter…8.7 oz per pair. As Philip informed us, the Ultras lack an extra measure of durability compared to the Ultra IIs, but as far as I can tell they are identical in outward design and sole thickness. As Dale mentioned in his review, the inner socks are the extra added bonus. At 8.1 oz per pair they make a great camp shoe which is very comparable to the Sockwa G4s but with a significantly thicker, more protective sole for only 0.6 oz more.

Hope some of this may help anyone still searching. The Ultras in men's sizes are getting pretty scarce, but a few sizes are still available from Amazon and LeftLane Sports. The Women's version seems to be easily found…try 6pm.

[mik matra]

Those closed foam cell DIY camp footware are prolly the lightest you'll get but due to the nature of the closed foam cell it degrades easily and drops bits and pieces. Park rangers her in Oz don't like them much. On trail in Tasmania (Overland track) my mate had one of those rolls strapped to his pack horizontally and the on trail park ranger (they were doing helicopter drops for track repairs) told him to put it vertically or he'll take it off him because as he is walking it brushes past trees, shrubs, rocks and scrapes bits and pieces off the rolled up pad that doesn't degrade back into nature easily.

[mik matra]

1 ounce (28g) for sz12!! For another 15g totalling 43g (1.5 ounce) I can glue another layer of 'tread' and make it comfier and more puncture proof including gaffa/duct tape on the sole to prevent itself from shedding bits and pieces.

[peter tooke]

nm

[JCH]

The weights I listed were for each piece separately. You are correct that if you combine the inner with the outer you have ~17 oz per pair. I do not plan to take the inners (or the tongue)…just the outer shoe.

[Hikin’ Jim]

Awesomeness. And a bit of duct tape on the bottom for durability? Genius.

HJ
Adventures In Stoving
Hikin' Jim's Blog

[mik matra]

"And a bit of duct tape on the bottom for durability?"

Yes Jim, and that would only add a couple grams though I haven't tested them for grip with the duct tape so please be careful.

PLEASE NOTE that this footware is ONLY intended for pottering around camp and definitely not as an alternative to hiking or football or moonwalking.

Out of 1 roll of foam (180cm x 60cm x 1.2cm) I can make 8 pairs of these and if you 'double sole' them then 4.

[Richard Colfack]

 
Found these camp slides at Wally World for $8.97. Nice thick semi rigid foam soles.   Very light 5.75 ounces for the pair (that’s 2.85 ounces each) in Men’s Medium size 9-10.  The real downside are the horrible Dallas Cowboys logos ?

I got my handy scissors out and carved away the excess foam around the sides and now they weigh only 4.45 ounces for the pair (2.2 ounces each)!   I could cut away at those Velcro flaps for add’l weight savings.

I’ve been wearing them all day while doing yard work.  Definite keepers.

 

[Gerry B.]

I love my original Vivobarefoot Ultra’s which weighed around 4 oz each.  Reading this thread, to my dismay, I learned that the Ultra II’s weighed over twice as much.  Yesterday I received an email from Vivobarefoot saying that they no longer even make the Ultra II’s and do not have plans to reintroduce that style of shoe.  My Ultra’s are well worn and I mourn the fact that they are now obsolete.  Is there anything comparable as far as support and rubber construction that dries nearly instantly at a comparable weight in a closed-toe design?  The Boy Scouts require that camp shoes have closed toes.

[jscott]

the thread title is “lightest camp shoes”. I love my sprint aquatics, at just under two ounces. But the home made blue pad shoes (stay off o’ my blue pad shoes) look pretty sweet.

But I really only take my sprint aquatics for river crossings, since I blister if I hike with wet feet. And then I use them in camp, because I have them.

But nothing at all–just loosen your laces and use your hiking shoes/boots–wins hands down.

I can’t imagine bringing a half pound of camp shoes on a trip. I’d rather bring wine! (which I don’t). To each their own!

[Gerry B.]

Jeffrey, as a camp shoe only I agree with you.  But for river crossings and for kayaking, the original Ultra’s hit a pretty sweet spot for me.

[John S.]

Walmart is selling croc swiftwater knock-offs for about 15 bucks.

[Thomas Willard]

I bought a lot of UL style camp shoes and found them uncomfortable, cheap, or inefficient. I stumbled on Waldies which are a knock off Croc but over the half the weight less. Super comfortable and durable.

[Gerry B.]

Thomas, unfortunately Waldies AT shoes are no longer available either.  They were the original “croc” made by the Walden Canoe Company but sold the rights to Croc when they got into financial trouble. Some years later they reintroduced the AT and they were a great shoe but got sued by Croc and had to quit making them.

[Nick D]

“Found these camp slides at Wally World for $8.97. Nice thick semi rigid foam soles.   Very light 5.75 ounces for the pair (that’s 2.85 ounces each) in Men’s Medium size 9-10.  The real downside are the horrible Dallas Cowboys logos ?”

 

Nice find. And for those who don’t have a local Wally World or want a better team :) ….

[Thomas Willard]

Gerry- there was a whole rack of Waldies on sale at Neel Gap (Mountain Crossings) when I passed thru there 3 weeks ago. Not sure if leftover or they are back in business?

[Jeff Patrick]

What about the best water shoes?

[Gerry B.]

Thomas,  That is fascinating about the Waldies at Mountain Crossings.  When I last bought mine from the Waldies company about two years ago, I bought four pairs over the phone and that is when they told me about the suit from Crocs and they wanted to be sure my purchase was legit and not a ploy from the Crocs’ lawyers.  They told me that they were going to donate the rest of their inventory to a charity in Africa.  Their website remained in operation with other styles of shoes for a couple of years but I notice that it is not longer in operation.  They are significantly lighter than Crocs and in my opinion, more comfortable.

[Huib van der Wal]

I don’t know the availability of Feelmax shoes in the US but their Niesa 3 model weighs about 79 grams. This is a very minimal camp shoe.

http://feelmax.fi/shoes/niesa-3/

[jimmyjam]

Here’s my modified Dollar General camp shoes at 9.7 oz:

[Author]

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