lightest camp shoes

[Aaron Sorensen]

You can take those 1 ounce camp shoes and burn the bottoms with heat.

That will harden the padding  making it harder with no weight penalty.

[Christopher C]

I’m on the same search myself.  Putting your shoes back on to walk around camp is an invitation to fungal issues.  Your feet and your shoes need time to air out at the end of the day, and the more time the better.  Carrying an extra pound around your back is not a good option either – and most good solutions seem to weigh about a full pound.  Vivobarefoot Ultras look great, but they’ve been discontinued and are super hard to find.  Also, I really want something I can wear my thick wooly sleeping socks with on cooler nights.  That means a sandal with no straps between the toes (flip flops can contribute to plantar fasciitis anyway – steer clear).  Teva original sandals are about what I’m looking for, but are heavier than I want and don’t pack well.  Lo! I think I may have found the holy grail at a (somewhat) reasonable price  [I DID NOT.  Total weight for the pair turns out to be 13.8 oz at size 12 – the search continues].  Xero Shoes Z-trek line of sandals.  Advertised at 6.4 oz/pair for men’s size 9 (the Amuri’s), and flexible enough to be rolled up and packed however you want.  I’ve ordered a pair and will try to get back and update with first impressions and/or results from the trail.  [No I won’t – they turned out to be too heavy and will NOT be coming with me on the trail]

[Russ W]

Are you sure that is 6.4 ounces for the pair, or for each? I have some Xero shoes which are fine for weekend boating and kicking around but too heavy for campshoes.  I hope I’m wrong.

[Christopher C]

Are they part of the Z-trek or Z-trail lines?  Website says that’s for the pair and looking at them that’s believable. [UPDATE:  It’s per shoe.  Total pair weight at size 12 is 13.8 oz.  Very disappointing!]

[JCH]

Have you looked at GooseFeetGear’s overbooties? Advertised weight is 3.7 oz per pair with the upgraded Toughtec sole.  I see no reason why they wouldn’t work over any type of sock.

[Thomas Willard]

I was very disappointed with my Xero shoes. My pair of Amuries at size 12 came out to 14oz!

These are gaining popularity: USA Dawgs A size 10/11 only weighs 8.6oz for the PAIR.

[Brad Rogers]

Hadn’t seen those before.

[Christopher C]

I think waterproof overbooties will pretty much negate the purpose of airing your feet out at the end of the day.   Very disappointed to hear somebody say their Xero X-treks weighed in at 14oz/pair.  I’ll weigh mine when they arrive and post. Looking at them it’s really hard to imagine being that heavy. The soles are super thin and the webbing cannot come in that heavy. We’ll see…

[Christopher C]

The USA Dawgs Hounds Ultralight do look very promising and are cheap. I might just order a pair of those anyway and do a side by side with the Xero’s. Thanks!!

[Update]  Ordered.  Will do a side by side once both arrive with weights and impressions after both arrive.

[Christopher C]

Price Alert!  At the USA Dawgs website (link posted above by Thomas Willard), the Hounds Ultralight Shoes are only $9.99 (normally $29.99).  Might signal a discontinuation.  Either way, super cheap!!!

[John Vance]

Thanks for the heads up.   Order placed.

[Nico .]

I’m typically in the “no camp shoes” camp… when I’m in camp I just clean and dry my feet, put on clean socks (perhaps with goretex over-socks or similar if I packed them expecting wet shoes), take out the insole to dry and slip my loosened shoes back on.  It’s probably not as comfy as a dedicated camp shoe or sandal but wins on simplicity and non-redundancy for me.

If it’s a particularly cold trip, I’ll pack a pair of Goosefeet down booties and over booties.  They’re nice and warm but I find them pretty frustrating to try and walk around in- too sloppy.  If I’m expecting just one or two wet feet creek crossings, I may stop and take the time to remove my socks and insoles before putting my shoes back on and continuing with the crossing.  Taking the time to do that or switch footwear for multiple crossings in a day however, sounds tedious to me.

All that being said, I keep finding myself drawn to the idea of a lightish pair of hiking sandals of the “bedrock” or “luna” varieties.  Probably more so for use as an alternative to trail runners for certain trips, but I could see myself throwing them in my pack as a “camp shoe” if I were planning to have a lot of downtime around camp to be spent fishing, rock-hopping down creeks, hitting swimming holes, etc.

Interesting to see everyone else’s takes and opinions on this.

[Christopher C]

I hear ya.  As someone prone to athletes foot, non-breathable options for the evening are not a good option.  Also as food for thought, if the sandals are hung from the outside of your pack on a ‘biner, I don’t think it would be any more effort to swap to them in if you’re already stopping to take off socks and pull out insoles; sounds like the same amount of effort to me.

The Xero’s do sound like a good alternative hiker for light days where you don’t want to wear the same shoes all day long.  They have a 5,000 mile guarantee, so they should be up to a lot of abuse.

[Lester Moore]

On the JMT last summer my “camp shoes” were a cheap pair of tyvek booties – 0.5 ounces per pair. They held up fine for a few weeks if only worn near camp (cooking, nighttime bathroom breaks, etc). Good idea to put a pair into your resupply every few weeks if you’re doing a longer trip.

[Diane Pinkers]

I’ve done the down booties overboot routine, and no way would I do it again, way too slippery and unstable.

I used Mizuna Wave Universe 5 racing flats for water crossing shoes on the Timberline Trail. Pretty good stability on wet rocks, not much toe protection  (but then flip flops or sandals would be no better), and lightweight at 3.5 ounces, and pack down pretty flat. Look for a sale to reduce the punch to the wallet.

[Russ W]

The last time I got sucked down this rabbit hole I purchased the Xero Amuri Clouds in a men’s size 12 and it weighed in the 13-14 ounce range for the pair. If memory serves I justified the purchase using the individual weight for a size 9 and it seemed like a good decision until weighing the pair of size 12’s. Comfortable weekend shoes but a bit heavy for backpacking.

Next up was a version of the Mizuno 5’s, an on my scale a svelte 7 ounces for the pair. They do look gawd-awful, but are very breathable and feel like an actual shoe that could get you home if your main shoes/boots fell apart.

All of that said I almost always forego use of a campshoe and leave them at home during the finally gear assembly for a trip. I continue to remain nervous about barefoot stream and river crossings and the idea of dealing with a cut foot in the backcountry. If you must have a something, IMO the Mizuno is a worthy contender.

[Christopher C]

Looked at the Mizuno.  I agree they’re pretty ugly colorways, but the weight and breathability look really good.  Not something I’m going to wear with my comfy possum down socks though.

Not sure if the Amuri Clouds are part of the Z-trek or Z-trail lineup for Xero.  I’ll definitely post the weight for the Z-treks after they get here  [UPDATE:  13.8 oz/pair!  Disappointing…].  I’m a size 12, so that will be direct comparison.  Z-trail is their lightest sandal line with Z-trek 1oz behind (but more durable apparently).  I ordered the Z-trek sandal.  I also ordered the USA Dawgs Ultralights which look like a lighter version of Crocs.

I’m starting to wonder if I shouldn’t just make my own out of Tyvek, duct tape, and paracord/shock cord.

[Christopher C]

The USA Dawgs look like they could have the uppers cut up a bit to shave more weight too.  If they come in at 8-9 oz (per website) I might be able to get them down to 6 oz with some careful razor blade work.

[Brad Rogers]

I ordered a pair of the hounds just to try them out.  I have debated about taking camp/river crossing shoes on a couple of trips where I know if my trailrunners get wet they won’t dry for the rest of the trip, though I haven’t taken camp shoes in over a decade.  If nothing else I am only out $13 and have some increasingly ugly around the house shoes.   I will weigh them and report back when I get them – 7-10 business days.

On a side note they have lots of similar looking shoes – some with more aggressive soles – but they are more expensive in the 35-60 range.

[chris s]

I too bought the xero ztrail sandals, thinking they were 6oz a pair. I was wrong. My size 12 xero trail sandals weigh 13oz for the pair. They’ve never come out. I went with the blue foam option. I like the idea, just want to find some better foam for the project.

[Christopher C]

True enough.  The Xero’s just arrived and I don’t even need to put them on a scale.  I’m a size 12 also and they are obviously in the 13-14 oz range.  So I’m waiting on the USA Dawgs Ultralights to show up.  We’ll see how those weigh in – if they’re more than 8oz for the pair, I’ll try some Xacto knife surgery and see if I can DIY a weight drop.  I’ll post results.  I’m also already brainstorming ideas and researching for a completely DIY ground-up build.  70 hardness rubber sheeting is cheap enough (what they use for rubber souls.  I think I could cut a sole pattern and rig up a sandal top using a few 1/8″ eyelets a few tiny rivets and a combination of paracord, shock cord, tyvek, and 1/4″ or 1/2″ webbing.  Who knows I might be back posting a video tutorial link if I have any success.

[Edward K]

I took a pair of Merrell Vapor 2 [EU45] (355g / 12.5oz) on my last trip.

Not the lightest but I had put aside a pair of flip flops thinking – ‘ yeah, flip flops are always the lightest’. When I weighed the flip flops they came in at 354g… Thought I’d try the Vapor’s instead as I could hike/wade in them.

I’d look for a lighter option for the next trip but actually liked the Vapors in terms of comfort/grip/fit.

[Abraham Schlossberg]

I got those USA DAWGS delivered today. Size 10-11 (medium) weighed 8.5 oz on my scale. One could probably trim them down somewhat, starting with the pseudo tongues on top.

[Christopher C]

My 12/13 size USA Dawgs Ultralights arrived.  9.2oz on my scale.  They are very comfy and will work for my needs well – though I’d prefer a more packable option.  That said…. these are sooooo ripe and ready for some surgical adjustments to shave ounces.  The tongues and straps can go.  The upper can be cut way down, and more holes can be punched is whatever is left behind.  I might even shave the soles a bit.

For $10 (normally $30) these are definitely a good option.  They’ll go on my next trip and I’ll post impressions.  When I get around to cutting them down (not until after the first couple uses), I may video and post.

[John S.]

Those are similar to the Bass Pro shoes which cost 20 bucks and weigh a few more grams.

http://www.basspro.com/RedHead-Ragin-Water-Shoes-for-Men/product/120829053621886/

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