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Suggestions for ultralight camp shoes under 4 ounces.
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Home › Forums › Gear Forums › Gear (General) › Suggestions for ultralight camp shoes under 4 ounces.
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Oct 18, 2011 at 7:51 am #1791950
The lightest sandal you can find is the pedicure sandal mentioned above. I know this because I live in a houseful of women. You could probably stop in at a nail place and offer $5 for a pair and they would be happy to oblige since they probably pay that for 100.
Oct 18, 2011 at 8:25 am #1791965Look at my avatar. A men's size 9 weighs only 3.9 ounces. And they are multiple use too… they double as your hiking shoes.
Aug 29, 2012 at 5:13 am #1907142Thanks for the idea! did mine last night. did a mock up with paper and tape first to get it right. Just traced and trimmed. Got it just right, then flipped it over and traced a mirror image to make the other one. Replaced my 8 oz flip flops with these bad boys at 1 oz for the pair! And I couldn't lose them in a hurricane…unless they blew away
Aug 29, 2012 at 9:26 am #1907206http://birthdayshoes.com/vivo-barefoot-ultra-pure-review
Someone else turned me on to these. I'm planning on nabbing a pair when finances allow for it.
Modular shoe with kevlar bottomed liner sock (lightweight camp shoe) and Croc-ish outer shoe (ditch the modular tongue and swap the cords for Dyneema) and you've got yourself a super light water crossing shoe that doesn't soak up water.
With the tongue, but without the liner these are supposed to weigh in at 3.5oz for size 44. I could imagine that one could get them down to 3.2 each by removing the modular tongue and replacing the cords with something lighter weight.
Aug 29, 2012 at 9:29 am #1907209"Modular shoe with kevlar bottomed liner sock (lightweight camp shoe) and Croc-ish outer shoe (ditch the modular tongue and swap the cords for Dyneema) and you've got yourself a super light water crossing shoe that doesn't soak up water."
Important to note, the Ultra has the liner sock, the Ultra Pure does not (it's the Ultra without the liner sock).
Aug 29, 2012 at 10:10 am #1907231My understanding is that the sockless Ultra Pure includes the kevlar in the sole. Seems to me this would be the most flexible option for those needing the extra protection without having to wear a sock 100% of the time.
Aug 31, 2012 at 11:38 am #1907972I also want to thank Chris for this idea. We've been using this design all year and it has worked brilliantly. We have gone through quite a bit of foam however, so we've been experimenting with different foam types.
The blue foam is el cheapo 3/8" crap. The grey stuff (from McMaster-Carr, PN#86095K44) is 1/2 thick, far more durable, and weighs 1.1oz/pair instead of the 0.7oz (size 13). But at $25/pair in foam, it's orders of magnitude more $$.
Side note: When I was first toying with using this design, I was looking at the blue foam rolls @ REI. A well-meaning employee asked if I needed help and mentioned that most people had switched to the inflatable sleeping pads. I said they don't make as good shoes. The quizzical look I got was pretty funny.
Sep 11, 2012 at 7:51 am #1911249Side note: When I was first toying with using this design, I was looking at the blue foam rolls @ REI. A well-meaning employee asked if I needed help and mentioned that most people had switched to the inflatable sleeping pads. I said they don't make as good shoes. The quizzical look I got was pretty funny.
That's hilarious.
Sep 15, 2012 at 7:04 am #1912398Consider removing your insoles then putting the shoes back on, loosely tied. Easy to put on for biobreaks in the night and the weight penalty is zero.
That was not on topic because the question was about camp shoes, not substitutes for dedicated camp shoes.
Sep 16, 2012 at 7:13 pm #1912826I just made up a pair of blue foam shoes. I'm extremely impressed. I've never carried camp shoes because I find them unnecessary for the weight. Sure, they're nice but I'd rather use up that 4-8oz with something else considerably more useful.
These, though are hilariously inexpensive, shockingly comfortable and I'm absolutely going to bring them on my next trip (and probably most of my trips period). I'm going to try and refine my pattern a little and then make a permanent pattern out of some matboard or something.
I've got size 11.5 4E feet, and my pair ended up at .9oz with about 1/8" overhang and gorilla taped loops.
Jun 29, 2013 at 7:00 pm #2000926Forgive the thread revival, recently joined BPL and was looking for UL options for keeping the feet clean in camp without resorting to hiking shoes.
I'm guessing one of the lightest options (although low durability) would be the ubiquitous real estate "blue bootie." You can pick these up at open houses. Realtors don't want you tracking dirt around clean houses that are for sale, so provide these elastic & fabric (paper?) overshoes. For protection they would not be much more than bare feet, but would save you getting dirt and pine sap into your sleep system.
I have a pair, they weigh 0.4 oz.
I'm contemplating coating the bottoms with something more durable. If I could find a textured (not slick) duct tape, that would be perfect. At 0.4 oz, I can afford a little tape on the soles.
These look more durable than the pair I've got, and the ad says they're moisture resistant:
Jul 1, 2013 at 10:12 am #2001323Yea I would put a layer of duct tape on the bottom and then put the insole from my trail runner on inside for a little paddding and support
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