lightest camp shoes

[Hanz B]

Aleader water shoe on amazon. 6.5-8.5 oz a pair. worked fine in Denali through glacier water crossings and camp. Drain quick dry in an hour, 20-25 bucks. Add neoprene socks as needed for multi purpose. Really hard to beat for an actual sole and protective mesh. I’ve hiked miles in them as well.

[JCH]

Man! Frontgate must be selling gold plated Ultra Pures…$95?  I paid $47 (admittedly after the Ultra IIs came out)

The original Ultra Pure came with an “sock” insert that was ~half of the weight shoe’s weight.  My size 13 UPs are 248g for the pair.  The socks add another 231g. The socks by themselves are a quite respectable camp shoe with a very sturdy sole.

I read that the Ultra II was a response to customer’s complaints that the Ultra was too light.  It would be nice if Vivo “undid their mistake” of the Ultra II and returned to something more like the original.

[Chris H]

Vivobarefoot Ultra III’s are the “rebirth” of the Ultra Pure’s that are available now for $75 from the Vivobarefoot.com website

I’ve been waiting for them to release an updated variant, it’s just a shame the new version is more like the Ultra II than like the original. I think I might stay with my New Balance MT00 at ~260g.

If anyone’s interested in the Ultra III, use code “WEARVIVO20” for 20% off on vivobarefoot.com.

[Tom V]

I just got a pair of Birkenstock arizona essentials. They are made completely out of EVA. They weigh 7.8 ounces on my scale in size 8 (I normally wear 9’s in most shoes but Birks run really big).

[Dave Heiss]

As Hanz suggested I went to Amazon and purchased a pair of the Aleader water shoes (the slip-on version) and at 9oz for the pair in a US 10.5 size, I’m impressed. I have/had been using the mesh shoes from Sprint Aquatics and haven’t had any problems, but my last pair is wearing out and those mesh shoes do not appear to be available anymore.

Also, for me, the Aleader shoes seem to be true to size. Among the product photos on Amazon there is (for many of Aleader’s shoes) a chart that tells you to purchase a size larger, but that did not turn out to be necessary. I’m happy. Thanks Hanz!

[Hanz B]

Glad you like them. I have used them with and without the inserts (about 0.75oz extra weight). I’ve found that a neoprene sock without the insert hits a nice weight to usability balance. Mine are still in good shape after around what I think is 100 miles of use. But I’ll likely need to update soon. No holes yet. Also I have found these can be thrown in the washing machine with bleach and come out funk smell free (I bought in white) after a trip.

[Joe Medlin]

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[Jeff]

Girlfriend and I tried some from Amazon, here are the ones we got.

CIOR Men’s and Women’s Lightweight Mesh Slip-on Water Shoes size 12 weigh 300g

 

Amoji Unisex Garden Shoes Clogs Slippers Sandals

size 8 weigh 162g, size 11 weigh 254g

 

[Boyan B]

After being suckered once into paying excessive sums for a pair of vivobarefoots I will not make the same mistake again.  $5 slide sandals from Wally’s do the trick for me  100x better than vivobarefoots who a) provide no insulation between you and whatever it is that you are stepping on; b) trap all sorts of pebbles as you walk around camp.  Not the lightest thing, 8oz for size 12, but they sure add to my comfort at the end of the day.

[john cremer]

This is dirtbag… but it works.  For shallow water crossings I have removed the custom insoles i use in my Vasque boots, and placed them inside a large pair of old hiking socks.  They are not very grippy, but they get you to the other side with dry boots.

Wring out the socks and hang-dry them on my pack, and pop the insoles back into the boots and head on down the trail.

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