Lightweight sandals

The lightest Kmart sandals I’ve found are 4oz/pair. But Kevin Smith’s got me beat on his out of the box web site:<www.datasync.com/~wksmith/welcome.html>

Cheers Al

Yes, 4 oz (less than 5 ounce; 140 grams is okay), but i need such that I could walk on steep mountain paths — the ones in the link are just flip-flops — of no special use (to me anyway). I am really curious why no one wants light footwear on this planet … . I would be willing to pay at least 100 dollars, but this seems to be something that money can’t buy :-).

If your budget is <=$100, then you should go to the local running store and ask for the lightest racing flats that they have. The ones made for running 10K events have truly light weights <8oz. Try the Brooks T3 Racer at a shade under 6 oz. These should be adequate for hiking and fit into your jersey pockets. I’ve run 100 mile trail races in a pair and they will be fine for any mountain path. The sharp rocks need to be avoided, but as long as you are paying attention to where your foot lands, it shouldn’t be a problem.

Well, now we are closing in on something interesting! Thanks for the tip! — even if I may not use them for the specific purpose as they still seem a bit too bulky to my taste (hard to tell from photo on the web), I might get a pair for running in …. as I need new running shoes also … hmm.

Jason, great idea. I’ve thought about the racing flats idea, and plan on testing it out soon. Some cross-country style spikeless racing shoes can be found in the 5-8oz range. They’re not made for thru-hikes, but it will be interesting to see how the shoes and my feet hold up on day hikes and possibly beyond.
-Mark

I use my mtn bike to access some remote climbing areas. After trying both nike’s and la sportiva’s foldable shoe I’ve just started using five10 approach shoes with power grips instead of going clipless. I realize this isn’t the solution you are looking I think there is a market for what you are looking for. I also used lake’s cycling sandals with clipless pedals for just hiking.

That is light! That model is discontinued, but shoe models change often, so little surprise there. I went Web surfing looking at running flats strictly by weight, and found Nike Zoom Streak XC shoes at 5.6oz. Like I said, that is looking at weight only. I did see a number of models in the 6-7 ounce range. I’m going to look closer at athletic shoe sales for these light running shoes.

As far as light camp and fording shoes, I have Croc Caymans that are 6.5oz. each in US size 10. Being made of plastic foam, they dry instantly and provide much more protection than a pair of flip-flops. With the heel strap, they won’t float away in the middle of a ford and they are easy to strap outside my pack.

I run 5Ks for my school team and I use a pair a Nike Mayflys, which weight under 5 oz a pair.

Re: Nike Mayfly

Interesting shoe — all Tyvek! My guess is they dry pretty fast too. I came across a listing at Road Runner Sports and they are $45-$50 a pair. Amazing.

See the caveats in the article at http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/sportsbusiness/news/story?id=1814284.

Expect them to be short on cushioning and durability —- compromise, compromise, compromise. Better than flip flops and lighter than something like Tevas or Chacos.

You know, I wonder about the durabilty factor of walking vs. running. A runner really pounds the whooah out his shoes and there has to be a lot of pavment scuffing on soles, etc. A hiker might do more damage to the sides on rocks, but I would be careful placing my feet with light thin shoes on, so they might not get the knocking that more traditional boots would. I’ve hiked in Teva sandals and not had any injuries from sticks and stones, although I would do the “teva dance” every once in a while– that’s the one where you stop and tap one foot behind you to shake the $%^&* little stone out.

The Mayfly is made to last one at best one good 26.?? mile race. I looked at this shoe about 2 years ago and talked to someone who tried trail running in a pair. They lasted about 20 miles. I don’t think a pair would last very long on the AT.

There are a few other very light running shoes (8 to 11oz each shoe-range) that might work. I look at the sole pattern first and most of this type shoe have a sole pattern good for a smooth surface but not very aggressive for trail use.

Call Road Runner Sports and get on their mailing list. They put out a nice catalog. 1-800-551-5558
or check out their web site
At

A shoe based on the Mayfly design but with beefier materials and a more articulative sole is the Nike Free. Its about $85.

just to expand on Peters comment.

there is a “trail” version of the nike free trainng shoes, these are probably more trail worthy than the other designs, but Im still not sure how well they will do when exposed to rugged trails for long days.

Have a look at AEI shoes. I saw these on a “barefoot running” web site (ironic, eh?). They are basically uncushioned slippers that are meant to provide protection against trail debris. They have sizes 9, 10 and 11, for sale on a limited basis and the page about their development should give you some ideas for DIY.

Thanks for the link,which led to more links, which led to my wife threatening to go to the movies without me. Nothing quite like a Sat. afternoon surf-fest…

Have contacted them as this might be the best option for me — not bulky, hard sole and light-weight! :-) Will se if I can find the Nike Mayfly shoe also (maybe I can find it NY when I will get over from Sweden after xmas … ). Thanks for all the interesting tips!

I have a pair of AEI shoes. I got them about 6 months ago. They have been excellent on many notes and I’m glad that I bought them. There are a few things that you may like to note though. These shoes are designed for running in, so after only a few miles of hiking I managed to tear a lot of the material away from the heel area. Because of their design it is also easy so slide of the sole whilst walking. At times the staps can get painful because of the fact that it is ribbon and it bunches up but its easily fixed. You can always just adjust the staps a little. Other than that pretty good. I will be sending mine in for repair or purchasing another pair with some modifications if he can mannage them. The sole is excellent at providing protection from stones and the like. I bought them because I barefoot most of the time but occasionally come to areas that I can’t walk on (Mostly man made grids to stop soil erosion). They are very light weight and cheap so It is worth giving them a try. I run in them form time to time even though they are fairly damaged. They are good to run in but very loud on hard surfaces. Because they have no insole in them you may find that they do wonders for your feet in the long run. Overall a good shoe and worth a try if you don’t mind the down points.

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Thanks for photos — they look much more promising than the Nike shoes and not unlike my own attempt at trying to solve this. They should perhaps have padded the straps a bit like on Teva sandals… . (– I have modified some thin “over-shoes” for cycling shoes with a sturdy sole on the bottom, which works fine with cycling shoes on, but only together with Kool covers (to make it easier for people to walk around in racing shoes) for Look cleats (racing shoe cleats) — modifed Shimano cleats this Summer to suit the Kool covers (only made for Look cleats). But the cycling shoes are not very good walking with even with these modifications … still managed to walk over a big pass nearby Mont Blanc (Grand Col de Ferret) for example.)

I am looking for a waterproof lightweight sandals to be used for river fording. I am going on a backpacking trip & I will have my boots on for the entire trip. I plan to use the sandals just for the river fording & then switch back to my boots. Can anybody suggest a good lightweight one?