Please Critique my Camp Shoes

[Dan]

Keep going, you will eventually be covered in that stuff from head to toe!  ;-)

[jscott]

did I already mention pool shoes? Sometimes the answer has already been invented. However I do see how these shoes are super super light. I think my old pool shoes weighed just under two ounces for the pair. Some of the pool shoes have excellent grip, however, which is good for stream crossings and slick rock.

[Scott S]

What pool shoes did you have exactly?  I haven’t seen anything like 2oz, 4oz is the lightest I have ever heard of.  Pool shoes would be better if it were not for the 3+oz weight penalty.  I had thought my Shamma Warrior sandals would be awesome, they look like no mass at all but the scale doesn’t lie, they are 6 oz alas.

Keep going, you will eventually be covered in that stuff from head to toe!

I confess I did start thinking of doing a shirt and some pants… I’d be the greenie meanie 😝. I already have similar fabric in a wind jacket and pants which have similar weight though..  One thing that still could be good is some “socks” or booties for night wear, I could put them over my AD socks to add another bit of insulation for near-0 weight penalty (probably .5oz total for two socks).

[jscott]

“What pool shoes did you have exactly? ”

I can’t find them anymore! they had a super thin sole and mesh tops, weighing under two ounces for the pair.

The ones that show up on Amazon are heavier; however some seem to have very good grip. Note that I didn’t investigate past the first page. It’s a trade off! Your latest design would seem to allow water into the shoes. At that point, why not mesh?

[Scott S]

Your latest design would seem to allow water into the shoes. At that point, why not mesh?

This fabric has DWR and should be as waterproof as any waterproof trail runner shoe.. in other words you can step into a shallow puddle without getting soaked and it will take some sprinkles OK.  It also has some insulation, not as much as the previous pair I made but if worn with socks will not be too cold.  So it still will be useful in most backpacking weather conditions.

That said I did order some mesh samples when I placed my last order.  I think a 1.5oz mesh could work very well for a warm weather version of this kind of shoe.  The lighter weight mesh had far too much stretch to it.  Maybe I will eventually try a pair in mesh.

[Scott S]

.. I had hoped I was done, but the last design above (low tops in lightweight green fabric)  is a fail.. the heel inches down as I walk.  The fabric lacks the stiffness needed.  In any case I decided it could be better to go back to more the original design but with this lightweight fabric as it would make it more all-purpose in terms of wet and cold (or not).

My original plan was to copy the original high-top design but in the process of making it I noticed a one-piece design was possible:

(ignore the overly curious dog).  The whole back is open for easy entry, a challenge otherwise with non-stretch fabric.  It is easy to slide a foot in and then fold and connect the two velcro pieces to get:

So far I think this design will work.  It has an advantage on my original design of having no seam on the side where water could get in, it should be watertight (as much as DWR is) up to about 4″ above the ground.  I had to rub some beeswax under the folding area as the fabric is very slippery and it would shift over time.  With the beeswax it seems to be working.  I’m not sure how high to make it, I will probably trim the top back some.  The velcro attachment gives a very secure attachment to your foot, something critical with this lightweight fabric.

No its not the most pretty shoe, but I’ll take it at .5oz each.

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