Gear Guide

Tevas aren’t just for water sports anymore

VAWN HIMMELSBACH, Chic Savvy Travels

When I arrived in Bogota — the third-highest capital in South America — it was cold and rainy. According to my alarm clock (which has a handy thermometer) it was only 12 C in the middle of the night, so I was grateful for the bolsa de agua (hot water bottle) the hostel provided me with.

I spent the next day trudging around in the rain on Pedestrian Sunday, when traffic is banned from the streets of Old Bogota and museums are open to the public at no cost. When I returned to the hostel, other backpackers were draping wet socks and hiking boots around the stove in the kitchen, in hopes of drying them out. That’s when I first noticed that my feet were actually dry.

Teva Dalea eVent

I had decided to test out a new pair of Teva hiking boots on this trip. But I was having doubts about this decision, since I hadn’t had a chance to break them in yet. I’m also pretty attached to my old hiking boots, which have held up over the years on trips to Everest Base Camp in Nepal and El Mirador in Guatemala.

Teva (which comes from a Hebrew word meaning nature and is pronounced teh-vah) is best known for its sports sandals and water shoes, but has dabbled in closed-toe technical and lifestyle shoes over the years. My new hiking boots were not as lightweight as my old ones, and they were made of stylish nubuck and green suede, so I was a bit skeptical they would hold up.

But, turns out, Teva’s expertise in amphibious footwear translates over well into hiking boots. I was testing out the Dalea eVent in Laurel Wreath ($150 Cdn), which is designed for a woman’s foot, and features Teva’s eVent waterproof breathable membrane and Molded Mush Infused Insole for comfort.

According to Teva, eVent waterproof fabrics keep out water while millions of tiny pores promote breathability. Through a patented process called Direct Venting, sweat vents directly to the outside of the fabric. And another technology, called Shoc Pad, evenly transfers the energy of impact throughout the footbed and away from the heel, providing greater spring in your step.

Cool stuff, but that’s not what I was thinking about when walking in the pouring rain in Bogota, or trekking in the cloud forest around San Gil or heading down to the beach in Taganga. In fact, I didn’t even notice my feet. No discomfort, no soreness, no blisters and, surprisingly, my shoes still looked brand new when I got home. I don’t know what Teva does to its suede, but it held up remarkably well, even in mud and rain (clearly, they are more technical in nature than my suede Michael Kors knee-high boots, which can’t even handle a little bit of slush on a Toronto sidewalk in winter).

The verdict? I live in a tiny space, and I review a lot of gear, so unless I’m really enamored with something, I give it away. As for these Tevas, they have earned a space in my closet.

Teva Churn

Teva has also come out with its spring lineup, with some cool new additions:

The Gnarkosi, for example, is a water shoe that looks like a running shoe, offered in funky colours (like Drizzle and Sage). Designed by wakeskaters, it grips like crazy and uses Drain Frame technology (perforations in the toe and heel) to drain water like a sieve, so you can wear them in and out of water.

The Churn is a multi-sport shoe that also looks like a running shoe, but specializes in getting wet, with a breathable and quick-drying mesh upper — ideal if you’re heading to the cottage or traveling abroad and just want to bring one pair of shoes. It also features a collapsible heel so you can just slip them on like a sandal.

And the illum flip flops, designed by surfers, feature a waterproof removable flashlight — sounds gimicky, but if you’re a surfer on dawn patrol (or just have to run to the bathroom in the middle of the night while camping), they’d come in handy. And, quite frankly, they look a lot less geeky than a headlamp.

Date Added: April 16, 2011 | Comments (0)