3 season eVENT shoes or boots?

[Craig Burton]

So, I've been a boot guy since I started backpacking. I use a pair of Scarpas with full leather uppers of one-piece leather. These are great boots and they've served me well for nearly two years now. They are most amazing on stream crossings, for my they are impermeable to water unless submerge (which I have slipped and done once). Surprisingly they dried very quickly after the submersion, and like I said, I love them.

But, I'll be honest here, these boots cause me some serious foot discomfort about halfway through day 2, and things go very sour from there.

After reading the popularity of shoes here, I am seriously considering purchasing a hiking shoe and abandoning the boot route. In fact, I plan on visiting local retailers tomorrow to try on the Montrail Vitesse, Merrell Ventilator, and whatever else piques my interest. Unfortunately I do not foresee many hiking shoes being adequate for my backpacking conditions: very wet, muddy, and brushy conditions in southern Appalachia. It's not uncommon for me to have no choice but to walk through mud up to 4 inches thick and nasty puddling over 3 inches deep. I particularly foresee the traditional hiking shoes (ie, mesh uppers) being very uncomfortable when traversing these conditions. Am I wrong in this logic?

One thing that I am interested in, and have researched a bit today, are shoes/boots using eVENT uppers. I have found a few boot manufacturers, including Kayland, that appear to have nice boots; but I can not find any local dealers to try these on at.

I also can not find any eVENT hiking shoes. Do these not exist, or am I not looking hard enough?

One other question regarding the popular hiking shoes worn here. Are the bottoms of these type shoes permeable to water seeping in or no? I absolutely can not stand the soggy, mushy soles I get from my tennis shoes walking on wet surfaces. I certainly would not to backpack with that feeling under my feet.

[Joshua Knapp]

I really like using a goretex sock with trail runners! Very versatile, light weight, and relatively cheap!

[Steve Cain]

Try searching for Kayland shoes. I have their eVent boot, but they also make great shoes!

[Craig Burton]

Thanks for the suggestions, guys.

I totally missed the eVENT shoes when I was on the Kayland website earlier today. They look like real quality stuff; now if I can only find a place to try on their product line.

[Jason Smith]

I have both the Arya mid and low and think both of them are great. We will see this spring with how they deal with continuslly wet conditions.

[Jaiden .]

Keen makes event boots and shoes. I have the Targhees and Growlers for winter. I got my Targhees at REI and the Growler's at Dick's Sporting Goods. I think only the Targhees are made in a shoe form factor.

[Tim Heckel]

Like you I am attempting to move from leather boots which I have used for 30+ years.

It sounds like the Scarpas are not a good fit for your feet. One bit of advice is to find the absolute best boot fitter you can find. I was lucky enough to attend one of Phil Oren's fitting clinics. Here is a URL for his website: http://www.fitsystembyphiloren.com/

Just because someone, or some magazine or website, recommends a particular boot or shoe does not mean that brand or model will fit your feet. They are all different. Good luck in your search and remember that fit is of paramount importance.

That said I have used gore-tex mid-height boots by Salomon with limited success. They are kinda supposed to be trail runners I think. I do use them for shorter trips with light loads but revert to my leather boots for long trips. The Salomons do not breathe well and I frequently remove them to let my feet breathe and dry.

[Robert Devereux]

Keen makes the Targhee II as a hiking shoe. I wouldn't call them three season though. If I wear them at any temperature above 40 degrees, my feet overheat. Unless you have really cold feet, I'd suggest trying something else.

I went with the same solution as Joshua, trail runners with Gore-Tex socks. I found them much more comfortable over a wider range of temperatures. The sizes I chose were tight, so I can't layer additional socks for more insulation, but I'm OK from 32-50 degrees. Anything higher and I don't worry about water, I'll get wet and dry out. This may be cheaper than finding an eVent shoe.

If you want to try eVent stuff, Zappos.com has one style of Kayland shoes. They have no hassle returns, so if I can't find something locally, I'll try from them.

[Denis Hazlewood]

Keen makes their Targhee II in both shoe and boot styles using eVENT in both. I've been using the shoe type for several years and the new version has given me good service. I wear Brasher Supalites, with Gortex, in the winter or for beach hiking.

[Author]

Posts