Rebecca Sowards-Emmerd
2009-10-02 02:46:59 UTC
Teva Dalea Mid eVent Boots
Test Series by Rebecca Sowards-Emmerd
Initial Report: October 1, 2009
Tester Information
Name: Rebecca Sowards-Emmerd
Age: 31
Gender: Female
Height: 5'5" (1.65 m)
Weight: 135 lb (61 kg)
Email: ***@backpackgeartest.org
Location: Sunnyvale, California
Backpacking Background
I spend most weekends, and many full weeks a year, exploring the
variety of scenery and terrain that California has to offer. My
favorite area is the Sierra Nevada, and I spend several weeks
backpacking there each summer. I follow lightweight, but not
ultralight, backpacking techniques and am known to carry a few luxury
items from time to time. In addition to traditional backpacking I
enjoy snowshoeing, skiing, and snowcamping, as well as long day hikes,
geocaching, peak bagging, and running.
Product Information
Manufacturer: Teva
Item: Dalea Mid eVent Boots
Size: 9.5 (womens)
Listed weight: none
Measured weight: 2 lb 0.5 oz (pair)
Year: 2009
MSRP: $140
Initial Report: October 1, 2009
The Teva Dalea Mid is a waterproof leather mid-height women's boot.
Specifically, it features Scotchguarded suede and nubuck outer, eVent
waterproof membrane, and a Vibram sole for traction. The pair I
received came in the color 'Chocolate Chip' which is a combination of
standard leathery neutral shades of brown.
Dalea Dalea Dalea
I want to expand on my bio above to include some information about my
feet. One of my most troublesome parts, I've spent years trying to
dial in the perfect foot solution for the trail. To me, a holistic
foot solution is made of up the trio of insoles, shoes, and socks.
Dalea and footMy feet suffer from three problems - overpronation (flat
feet), wide ball and narrow heel (duck feet), and toes that tilt
funny. These problems all result in their own issues and I've had to
deal with them all. My flat feet cause medial tibial stress ("shin
splints") along with foot and hip pain. My wide forefoot and narrow
heel cause terrible fit problems (usually resulting in blisters from
heel slippage), and I often get blisters between my toes.
I've been able to solve the flat foot issue with several visits to a
sports podiatrist and custom orthotics. I've solved the toe blister
problem with socks. And until recently, I had solved the fit problem
with a light hiker style shoe that fit my duck feet perfectly.
Unfortunately, that shoe has recently been redesigned and no longer
fits my foot like a dream, so I have been on the lookout for a hiker
that will fit my poor feet. I recently purchased a pair of lightweight
Teva hikers that fit quite well, but wanted to try something more
robust for the wet winter months. Enter the Dalea.
With that background, I hope it's understandable that I was quite
nervous upon trying these on for the first time, sight unseen.
Miraculously, my feet slid into the Dalea perfectly. I typically wear
a size 9.5 womens for athletic footwear (hiking and running), even
though my standard measured size is closer to an 8.5-9. I usually
stick to a regular width and suffer from some pinching in the ball of
my foot (wide shoes tend to cause my heel to slip, resulting in
painful blisters). All of my hiking and running shoes are size 9.5
regular, so that is what I chose when ordering the Dalea. They fit
just like I would expect - my foot feels very comfortable in them, but
I can feel some extra room. Room that I want so my feet can swell.
They feel slightly narrow in the forefoot (like almost every regular
width shoe I wear), but nothing too tight or pinchy.
I don't normally wear a mid height hiker or waterproof boots - I'm
more of a lightweight trailrunner style girl. However, I often regret
my choice of footwear when hiking in the Bay Area in the winter (due
to mud and heavy rain), and I am also unable to use my typical
footwear when I head up to the mountains to snowshoe. I am very
excited to try out this well-fitting boot in the conditions where I
hope it will excel.
My testing plans include a lot of muddy dayhiking over the next
several months. The rainy season will be upon us soon here in Northern
California, and the local trails will change from their dusty, gravely
terrain to slippery mud bogs. On these hikes, I'll be testing out the
Dalea's traction, waterproofness, and ability to keep clean.
On other weekends we'll be heading up to the mountains to play in the
snow. I'll be trying out the Daleas with my Atlas snowshoes, and maybe
even strap on some Kahtoola crampons if I have the chance. Lastly,
I'll be taking the Daleas down to Death Valley for some cross-country
peak bagging, exploration, and canyon hiking. The traction and
durability of the Daleas will certainly be tested well under these
conditions.
These boots have already passed an enourmous hurdle simply by fitting
my picky and hard-to-please feet. I'm really looking forward to
getting them out on the trail!
------------------------------------
Test Series by Rebecca Sowards-Emmerd
Initial Report: October 1, 2009
Tester Information
Name: Rebecca Sowards-Emmerd
Age: 31
Gender: Female
Height: 5'5" (1.65 m)
Weight: 135 lb (61 kg)
Email: ***@backpackgeartest.org
Location: Sunnyvale, California
Backpacking Background
I spend most weekends, and many full weeks a year, exploring the
variety of scenery and terrain that California has to offer. My
favorite area is the Sierra Nevada, and I spend several weeks
backpacking there each summer. I follow lightweight, but not
ultralight, backpacking techniques and am known to carry a few luxury
items from time to time. In addition to traditional backpacking I
enjoy snowshoeing, skiing, and snowcamping, as well as long day hikes,
geocaching, peak bagging, and running.
Product Information
Manufacturer: Teva
Item: Dalea Mid eVent Boots
Size: 9.5 (womens)
Listed weight: none
Measured weight: 2 lb 0.5 oz (pair)
Year: 2009
MSRP: $140
Initial Report: October 1, 2009
The Teva Dalea Mid is a waterproof leather mid-height women's boot.
Specifically, it features Scotchguarded suede and nubuck outer, eVent
waterproof membrane, and a Vibram sole for traction. The pair I
received came in the color 'Chocolate Chip' which is a combination of
standard leathery neutral shades of brown.
Dalea Dalea Dalea
I want to expand on my bio above to include some information about my
feet. One of my most troublesome parts, I've spent years trying to
dial in the perfect foot solution for the trail. To me, a holistic
foot solution is made of up the trio of insoles, shoes, and socks.
Dalea and footMy feet suffer from three problems - overpronation (flat
feet), wide ball and narrow heel (duck feet), and toes that tilt
funny. These problems all result in their own issues and I've had to
deal with them all. My flat feet cause medial tibial stress ("shin
splints") along with foot and hip pain. My wide forefoot and narrow
heel cause terrible fit problems (usually resulting in blisters from
heel slippage), and I often get blisters between my toes.
I've been able to solve the flat foot issue with several visits to a
sports podiatrist and custom orthotics. I've solved the toe blister
problem with socks. And until recently, I had solved the fit problem
with a light hiker style shoe that fit my duck feet perfectly.
Unfortunately, that shoe has recently been redesigned and no longer
fits my foot like a dream, so I have been on the lookout for a hiker
that will fit my poor feet. I recently purchased a pair of lightweight
Teva hikers that fit quite well, but wanted to try something more
robust for the wet winter months. Enter the Dalea.
With that background, I hope it's understandable that I was quite
nervous upon trying these on for the first time, sight unseen.
Miraculously, my feet slid into the Dalea perfectly. I typically wear
a size 9.5 womens for athletic footwear (hiking and running), even
though my standard measured size is closer to an 8.5-9. I usually
stick to a regular width and suffer from some pinching in the ball of
my foot (wide shoes tend to cause my heel to slip, resulting in
painful blisters). All of my hiking and running shoes are size 9.5
regular, so that is what I chose when ordering the Dalea. They fit
just like I would expect - my foot feels very comfortable in them, but
I can feel some extra room. Room that I want so my feet can swell.
They feel slightly narrow in the forefoot (like almost every regular
width shoe I wear), but nothing too tight or pinchy.
I don't normally wear a mid height hiker or waterproof boots - I'm
more of a lightweight trailrunner style girl. However, I often regret
my choice of footwear when hiking in the Bay Area in the winter (due
to mud and heavy rain), and I am also unable to use my typical
footwear when I head up to the mountains to snowshoe. I am very
excited to try out this well-fitting boot in the conditions where I
hope it will excel.
My testing plans include a lot of muddy dayhiking over the next
several months. The rainy season will be upon us soon here in Northern
California, and the local trails will change from their dusty, gravely
terrain to slippery mud bogs. On these hikes, I'll be testing out the
Dalea's traction, waterproofness, and ability to keep clean.
On other weekends we'll be heading up to the mountains to play in the
snow. I'll be trying out the Daleas with my Atlas snowshoes, and maybe
even strap on some Kahtoola crampons if I have the chance. Lastly,
I'll be taking the Daleas down to Death Valley for some cross-country
peak bagging, exploration, and canyon hiking. The traction and
durability of the Daleas will certainly be tested well under these
conditions.
These boots have already passed an enourmous hurdle simply by fitting
my picky and hard-to-please feet. I'm really looking forward to
getting them out on the trail!
------------------------------------