Sunday, June 24, 2007

Homemade, Lightweight Sandals


Last year in order to save weight I opted not to bring any sort of camp shoes or sandals. After 17 mile days in the Sierra's with my feet being continually wet from creek crossings I wished I had brought some. There's no better feeling than taking your wet shoes and socks off after a long day and putting on a pair of sandals to let your feet breath. Unfortunately there is nothing out on the market that provides you with ultralight weight sandals. So I devised a pair of sandals that weigh .95oz (for the pair) and don't cost a thing. If you have any extra thermarest or foam padding lying around all you have to do is cut out the shape of your foot and attach a semi-thick rubber band underneath the sandal, over your forefoot and voila! An ultralight weight sandal that will be much welcome after a long days hike. Personally I am using flexible velcro straps for a little more durability than a rubber band.
I've tested them outdoors and they work fantastic plus they pack down so easy! Give them a try!

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Sounds like a good idea. I need something like that for a philmont boy scout trip, but they cant be open toed.