By: Blonde Two
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As you know, I am a girl who loves her walking boots. They keep my feet warm and dry, support my ankles and don’t complain when I get them muddy. In fact, I am so fond of them that I am quite happy to wear them all day to teach in.
Which is probably why the Teva Kimtah eVent Mesh Walking Shoes that you see below, are my first pair of walking shoes, ever.
I found this pair at a discount price on the Outdoor Look website (www.outdoorlook.co.uk) and asked if I could review them. The Teva Ladies Kimtah eVent Mesh Waterproof Walking Shoes have a very long name, so from hereon in I am going to call them Kimtahs!
I wanted to find a shoe that would be light enough to drive my little car, do the shopping and have an occasional jog in; but supportive enough to make me feel that I would get some support should I want to walk in them over some rough ground. I have succeeded in this with the Kimtahs; they have a high grade waterproof leather upper and a rubber sole that seems happy gripping onto Dartmoor boulders (even low ones like this!)
I did find a puddle in which to test their waterproof qualities, but soon realised that a shoe is not as tall as a boot and probably not the best thing for puddles.
Teva claim that the breathable membrane and the mesh design will keep the Kitmahs (and your feet) cool enough to use in summer months. Our Blonde budget didn’t stretch to a trip to the Southern Hemisphere to find some sunshine, but I did give them a jolly good test in my very warm classroom for a couple of days (I have been walking to school in them) and noticed no overheating toes or unpleasant smells.
I think I have decided that I like walking shoes. Blonde One and I have taken them for two Bimbles, one up to the Haldon Belvedere (see Monday’s post) and one along the Haytor tramline.
It was nice to be able to walk in comfort, but not have to wear my boots and keep changing to drive the car. I could tell you all about how great the Kitmahs are to run in, but I have only done a little jog up our road. They apparently have stabilisers, shock pads and nylon shanks which give you (or presumably your feet) a ‘sublime ride’. I don’t really understand all of that but they are very comfortable for my walk to work, both up and down hill (including steps) and I do appear to be wearing them most of the time at the moment.
The Outdoor Look website is another outdoor gear shopping site that is worth checking out. They have some tempting bargains and a few out of the ordinary items and brands that I haven’t seen before. I would however recommend searching by size as they don’t have every item available in all sizes.
All my walking last summer and nearly everything since including all the Outlying Fells campaign have been done wearing what I call trail shoes. The latest ones have been the best by far – Salomon Evasion GTX with Gortex lining (Be careful, there is a sort of clone version, cheaper, and without the Gortex); I bought them on Day 8 of my Boston to Barmouth walk at Go Outdoors in Wolverhampton (got a lift there from Mick and Gayle), and they are still going strong.. A lot of the terrain has been pathless wilderness with many bogs and the like and I can’t remember the last time I had my feet wet. You just have to be a bit more careful. Gortex lining is superb for as long as it lasts, but it can get damaged early on in the life of a shoe, and that is just tough luck. I would only wear boots now if I anticipated severe steep pathless ground as one would expect Munroing in Scotland.
Not sure I am ready to give up my boots just yet. I spend so much time going over on my ankle that I think it would be a disaster. Mind you, I was wearing boots when I broke my ankle.
I’m not advocating giving up boots totally. I always take mine in the car and decide what to wear before I set off from the starting point, but as I said, my confidence with the trail shoes has increased over the last twelve months. I was out again yesterday over marshy, boggy terrain, high up on Lake District hills and my feet remained dry.