Poll- Chairs & Camp Shoes…Luxury or Recovery?

[bradmacmt]

I wonder how much these “garden shoes” weigh?

The amazon ad says 350 g’s (12.3 oz’s).

They DO look comfy!

[David Gardner]

Thanks. I need better glasses I guess.

[Kevin Babione]

On a trip last year after we got to camp at the end of the day, one the party slipped one foot into 8″ of water while getting his water and then lost his balance and dunked the other foot.  This is the guy, and you all know someone like him, to whom EVERYTHING happens.  His brother-in-law was also on the trip and gave him grief endlessly.

Anyway, after he dunked his boots he did something quite clever:  He pulled his insoles out and, using two pieces of cordage, fashioned a pair of “sandals” using the insole as the footbed.  It worked surprisingly well and allowed him to walk around the campsite without too much worry.  His boots would have dried much faster if he had kept his feet in them, but he wasn’t hearing any of it…

If you wouldn’t mind poking a couple holes in your insoles you could pre-fashion the cord you’d need (and a cordlock to hold it in place) that would give you at least some underfoot protection at very minimal weight.

[David Gardner]

Huh. Maybe do the same with Dr. Scholl’s or similar aftermarket or replacement footbeds? Glue them to the bottom of some socks?

Hmmm…I have some blue yoga mat CCF sitting around, a lonely pair of ankle socks, and some glue…

[bradmacmt]

that would give you at least some underfoot protection at very minimal weight.

Dang, this is the site that keeps on giving. Kevin, a brilliant insight!

Huh. Maybe do the same with Dr. Scholl’s or similar aftermarket or replacement footbeds?

David, now you have my wheels turning…

 

[bradmacmt]

Ok, a bit of google-foo…

search on amazon: Barerun Barefoot

There’s a bunch of these on amazon that look light and promising.

[Brad W]

Shoes?  http://www.trailquest.net/sandals.html

[Steve H]

I just Google-foo’d it & I thing the equivalent of a size 12 weights ~ 7.5 oz.  Looks interesting, but I’d love to find something around 4-5 oz.

Flip flop style shoes don’t work great w socks.  I’d love some SUL Tevas.

[David Gardner]

These are $10-$15 depending on size, under 100 grams (though they don’t say for what size), and available in plenty of other colors and patterns

[bradmacmt]

These are $10-$15 depending on size, under 100 grams (though they don’t say for what size), and available in plenty of other colors and patterns

These? I just ordered a pair and will report back…

[David Gardner]

Carry water shoes and wear them to cross streams while keeping your hiking shoes dry, depending on how much fording you have to do, or if not much just use as camp shoes?

[Roger Caffin]

All this talk about extra shoes for this and for that, and camp chairs … This is BackpackingLIGHT, not glamping.

Lightweight joggers, wool socks, take them off when you get in the tent in the evening if they are wet – no problem. Then you can sit on your mat while you get dinner.

(~1,800 m)

Cheers

[bradmacmt]

All this talk about extra shoes for this and for that, and camp chairs … This is BackpackingLIGHT, not glamping.

And yet everything in your dated photos reflects glamping…

[David Gardner]

My rig only weighs 128 oz. No decadent glamping around here!

[edit: 128 kg]

[Roger Caffin]

And yet everything in your dated photos reflects glamping…
:) . :) . :) . :)

Yes, we are quite comfortable in our tent (1.3 kg total for 2), with pack weights of 12 kg (me) and 10 kg (Sue) including 7 days food and some water.

Cheers

[jscott]

The 6 ounce-ish camp chair that I tried wasn’t particularly comfortable, and so now stays home. And other more comfortable chairs are far too heavy for hiking. In the end I relax in my tent lying prone for reading; and then, usually I can find a log that’s more comfortable than the skinny camp chair. Oh, and that chair needed my sleep pad inserted to work very well. Yeah, and what could possibly go wrong with that? given pine cone needles, rocks, snags and all the rest. No thanks.

I do carry a pair of pool shoes that weigh under two ounces–for the pair. I can’t recall their name! they’re all mesh top with a VERY skinny soles, but they work well around camp. I’ve used them for river crossings but honestly, they don’t function that well for that.

[Steve H]

@rcaffin – we don’t eat in our tents around here, but it would be nice & comfy if we could.

[Diane “Piper” Soini]

Litesmith chair: relative luxury. Nice to have a back rest but not necessary.

“Camp” “shoes”: kind of both luxury and necessary for me. My rule is I have to be able to hike in my secondary shoes. Nobody makes shoes wide enough for my feet. I need a backup. Sometimes I just bring the secondary shoes. My secondary shoes are either Xero Ztrails or Luna Monos, both of which are sandals. I’ve done trips with just the Lunas or with just Chacos. I can hike a lot farther in Chacos than other sandals, but I fall down a lot because the bottoms grip poorly under some conditions. So my footwear choices really depend on where I am going.

[David Gardner]

My yoga mats are toast.

Inspired by this thread I wanted to try making some UL camp sandals.

Didn’t like the idea of cords penetrating the sole or walking on knots so made this with two layers. The cords with knots at ankle and across base of toes wrap around and under the top layer. Can’t feel them. Foot and sole held securely together for actual walking; your foot stays in place and doesn’t roll out the sides or slide back and forth. Layers bonded with E6000.

The two CCF’s are quite different. The light blue is soft and cushy, the dark blue much stiffer. Poured water on polished granite and rubbed with samples of each to determine which had better traction.

The paracord is heavy af. With lighter cord I’m sure the weight can be reduced to 1.0 oz or less.

[Diane “Piper” Soini]

Yoga mats are heavy. That interlocking EVA foam mat under your yoga mat sandals would be a lot lighter.

[Roger Caffin]

Hi Diane

Nobody makes shoes wide enough for my feet.
The niche mfrs don’t, that is true. They can’t afford to.
But New Balance makes shoes with widths up to 6E. Lots of joggers at 4E, which both Sue and I need and wear. Yeah, we have big feet – comes from walking.

Have you MEASURED your feet on a Brannock Device? Worth doing, as then you KNOW what you need.

Cheers

[David Gardner]

Maybe calling them yoga mats is a misnomer. That’s what I’ve used them as for years. They’re so old I don’t remember where I bought them or what they were called. Could be CCF camp mats. The EVA and the darker blue are the same thickness.

[bradmacmt]

Inspired by this thread I wanted to try making some UL camp sandals.

Nice!

[Crystal G]

David, you are on to something.  For those folks who don’t want to DIY, take a look at the Mayfly shoes here:  https://www.mayflyultralight.com/

I don’t usually carry camp shoes unless I am doing a mellow basecamp type trip or if I am breaking in a new pair of shoes and need to have a backup pair (my feet have a lot of issues).  Camp chair comes along on the mellow basecamp trips as well, but otherwise stays home.

[Daniel Oxnard]

Chair = luxury

Clogs = almost vital gear = prevent foot injury while wading/ swimming

I always keep my ground sheet (tyvek) outside of pack to use to lay down and as a poncho when I am tired, or it is raining. I also keep a 2 foot by 2 foot piece of tyvek in my back pocket, if I need a quick dry seat, or kneeling pad for making fire, cooking, drinking out of a small spring etc.

Recently I picked up a super tacky, but super light and cheap pair of “George” eva clogs from Walmart.

15 oz. for the size 13 pair, and under 10 dollars. They are lighter, and more comfortable than the merrell hydromocs that I had just ordered then returned.

They have nice little studs in them so my feet do not slip around, and raised bed around toes. They also do not slip off easily so I can walk comfortably in them, and swim rivers without worrying about them popping off and floating away.

I punched a bunch of holes into them for increased drying, ventilation, and minor weight reduction.

The other side of river was a 20′ vertical brambly scramble up to level ground (needed to dry and clothe), which would have been particularly hellish while freezing and naked without the benefit of creek crossing shoes.

If I know I am going to be wading in below freezing/snowy weather, I will take two compactor or contractor bags to put my socked feet and legs into.

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