kidchill
08-22-2014, 18:56
So, just curious, what do you use for camp shoes? Now, I'm not getting into the whole, "you don't need camp shoes!" or the, "if you need camp shoes, then your hiking shoes aren't good enough!" debate. HYOH, save it, I like to change into camp shoes! Hell, if I just go do an 8mile power hike, I bring a change of shoes to wear in the car on the way home! I like the change in pressure points on my feet, and I really like letting them breathe! So, here's my predicament. I enjoy keeping my pack weight low, but at the same time, I'm not the crazy gram weenie that cuts my toothbrush in half cause it saves me 1/4 of an ounce! Also, I'm not interested in making hobo thong sandals to save weight, lol. Fall is rapidly approaching and I will definitely be doing some over-nighters. When I thru-hiked the AT I used Vivobarefoots for my camp shoes. I wear size 12-13 in shoes, so anything that's decently comfortable is gonna weigh too much. I'll have to look up my gear list to see the weight on the Vivos. I think at the time it was the lightest thing I could find. Now, when I was on the AT, the Vivos did their job; however, there really isn't any sole to those shoes. It's really just a flimsy plastic/rubber type of thing. I definitely noticed the lack of padding when I was in PA, scrounging around camp for firewood, water, etc. Ideally, I'd like a pair of camp shoes that has some sort of padding to them. I love Crocs, but they really are just too heavy. I can't remember the measured weight, but I think each Croc in my size was running like 10+oz. So, that's 20+oz for a pair of shoes that I'm going to carry majority of the time. Well, I ran across these Zem Gear Shoes, I think it was the Oxygen 2 model, and I find them kind of interesting. Anyone have experience with them? It looks like there may actually be a little bit of rubber there...I'm not sold on the whole ninja split toe design, but I mean, ninjas are cool, so who knows? I also have a minimalist shoe from Merril, but again, it's just too heavy. I pretty much bought and wore them at work for a few months before leaving for the trail, just to toughen up my feet. So, I'm open to any suggestions that anyone has. Oh, and here's a link, I was kind of bouncing around looking at different models and reading reviews, so I'm not sure this is the oxygen 2. http://www.amazon.com/ZEMgear-Hero-Ninja-Shoes-Womens/dp/B009V5OJ9I/ref=pd_sbs_shoe_8?ie=UTF8&refRID=0HJHSJ437R08EFR4TF8S