Crocs on a hike

Crocs are very light (up to 300 grams) and at the same time warm, dry quickly, do not rub, and fit well on the foot. On a hike, Crocs are almost the perfect partner for your basic mountain boots. They are convenient to cross rivers, relax in parking lots, walk around the city and in public transport.

Imperfect sandals

For a very long time (probably 12 years), on my hikes, I used hiking sandals as replacement shoes. Most often these were Teva Hurricane. They are lighter than sneakers and dry faster. When resting, your feet are better ventilated in them. In dry weather, you can easily move in sandals even on very rough terrain. Those. If your main boots are lost, you can “walk” the rest of the route with more or less dignity in sandals.

But sandals weigh as much as 500-600 grams! For a minor piece of equipment, this is prohibitively high. Now there are tents that weigh less! This excess has been bothering me for a long time, but only this summer, when I was going on a hiking in Iceland, I decided to take a risk and take something lighter instead of sandals.

I already had light flip-flops (a pair of 100 grams), but they would have been difficult to cross the stormy Icelandic rivers and walk in the snow. So I decided to slightly expand my wardrobe, went to the nearest supermarket and bought a cheap ($2) domestic clone of Crocs.

Testing Crocs on a hike

From my first day in Iceland, Crocs captivated me (I had never worn them before). At the campsite, you could safely go to the shower, because within 15 minutes after bathing, the Crocs were completely dry right on your foot. Even the most minimalist sandals (thin webbing and not an ounce of foam rubber or leather) would take much longer to dry in a similar situation.

The relatively high side and almost closed front made it possible to walk safely through shallow mud, snow and wet grass.

At the same time, the foot is well ventilated (much better than in sneakers) and the feet, steamed for the whole day in boots, also dry out quickly. I

At the crossings through the stormy Icelandic rivers, the Crocs sat securely on their feet and were not washed away by the current. The closed toe provided some protection from impacts against pitfalls. After the crossing, the Crocs quickly dried on the external sling of the backpack.

The thick sole of the Crocs has sufficient thermal insulation properties to stand on the snow for a long time, even without socks. And with fleece socks you can even spend the winter))

With socks, Crocs can be used as city shoes. I walked quite quickly and for a long time in Reykjavik in them and did not rub anything.

Unlike flip-flops, Crocs behave normally while driving - you can drive a car in them and not worry that at a crucial moment they will jump under the pedals.

Disadvantages of Crocs

Of course, these shoes also have disadvantages:

1) You cannot wear heavy backpack in Crocs. They do not support the foot enough and it experiences excessive stress.

2) The sole of my cheap fake Crocs are not designed for rough terrain. On an inclined plane (dirt path, small powder) they slide much more than sandals or, especially, boots. Perhaps other manufacturers have Crocs models with more “toothy” soles, but they are most likely much heavier.

3) If handled carelessly (roughly stuffed into the bottom of a backpack), Crocs
may wrinkle. No big deal - just a couple of creases on the top side. But if there is a shortage of space in the backpack, then the “non-compressibility” and relatively large volume of Crocs can become a problem. The same flip-flops are much more compact.

Results

Due to the above disadvantages, Crocs are much inferior to hiking sandals as a substitute for a burst shoe. But if your main shoe inspires confidence and doesn't seem to be planning on "dying" during this hike, then the weight factor and how fast the Crocs dry out outweigh any disadvantages. Of course, this is a compromise solution. Of course, this is a certain risk. But I also don’t want to carry extra pounds in my backpack.
And if you remember about the comfort at the bivouac, then doubts will quickly melt away and Crocs will firmly settle in the lists of equipment and backpacks of tourists.

Kirill Yasko, September 2017