Here's a ruff model of a camp shoe I'm working on. It uses one of those disposable flip flops from a womens spa, some nettng I had laying around, a draw cord, and a piece of ccf foam added to the bottom for extra coushon and protection.

I don't have a weight, my scale won't measure something this light, not even in grams









I used the mesh so I could keep out pebbles and stickers, also if I go in the water the water won't stay in the shoe.

Jack

Edited by jumpbackjack on 05/28/2012 22:20:32 MDT.

Man--I would give these about twenty minutes in camp, before those straps break. And if there is any current in that water, my guess is that they will be gone in seconds.

We use Crocs for our camp shoes...and even they take a beating. I've got duct tape holding mine together after a few mishaps.

I am experimenting with spa shoes as well. The weak part is definitely the toe strap. I was thinking of using duct tape to make a strap over my feet. They are not very durable, but very light. Please post your results.

Very cool! Keep us posted.

@ Paul, I also have a croc style shoe that is my go to shoe when I'm in camp or crossing water. I made these mainly to see if it would work, and something super light weight for around camp. I may only get one trip out of them, but it's fun just to make new gear and try it out, will see. The one problem I have, is they don't make these any bigger, these are tailored towards women, and I have a size 12 foot that barely fits inside. I would have used 2 pieces of ccf instead of the spa flip flop, but my machine wont sew something that thick.

Thanks for all the comments, Jack

Pretty cool!

from reading posts, some have a different purpose for camp shoes, such as river crossing.

I'm probably gonna get beat up again, but when I get to camp, I keep my boots on for the initial camp setup, moving stones, logs. When my tent (that's right, not tarp) is setup, then I do one of the following, depends on my mood, weather and conditions.

1) I take my socks off, and loosen the laces on my boots, my boots become my camp shoes.

or

2) I have an old pair of socks, I slip inside it an old shoe liner, you know that foam insert, and then I wear the sock, so its actually a camp sock, not camp shoe.
I'm not expecting to do any significant work with these flimsy things, just walk around the perimeter, eat my food, sit around the no-fire-california-firepit, water refills from a creek, and water the roses at midnight.

I like the mesh modifications on the flip-flop sandals in the photos. Boo mosquitoes!

Edited by RogerDodger on 05/30/2012 14:45:17 MDT.

I'm with you roger, although I may even go more minimal!

I'll wear my shoes, laces loose in camp if the ground is thorny or rocky (I love my desert, but it sure is inhospitable). If I get the luxury of pine duff or sand, which usually means I'll have wet feet as well, I'll just go barefoot or tie some grocery bags around my feet. Sometimes it backfires but it's definitely simple. That said, I do like the OP's shoes. If they prove more durable than one trip use I may have to investigate myself.

Actually, those might be really good camp shoes for hanging around and keeping mosquitoes from biting your feet. I guess it would depend on how loosely the mesh wraps around your feet.

I use the Dyneema Overboots that's came with Gooses Feet down booties, they only weigh an ounce or so and have foam inserts.

Do you think these woud stay on and provide enough traction for river crossings?

No. They will fill with water and get pulled off. Plus they are very oversized since they fit over your puffy covered feet.

I only use mine for camp, as Ken mentioned they would be no good for water use.

Good to know.
Darn I wish sprint aquatics would start selling their nylon mesh slippers again.
Maybe I'll do my own myog experimenting here as well.

What about something like this:

http://www.invisibleshoe.com/store/

They have directions on making your own. Perhaps you could add some paracord to them. I am going to try making some with some old insoles.

Jack,
Those look pretty cool, but I have to agree that they look like they won't hold up.
I like seeing different ideas on how to do things so please keep us posted after you have used them.

I made a pair of evazote foam camp shoes and taped them together with duct tape.
They weigh in at 2.6 oz now. (They were lighter, but I found I needed to add extra duct tape to the bottoms to make them more usable.)

They would certainly not work for river crossings but are great for evenings in camp and getting the trail runners off my feet for a little bit before bed.

I used to use Croc's and liked them, but at 14 oz for my size they were just too heavy to keep using.

Edited by dallas on 06/05/2012 09:31:52 MDT.

Here is my first prototype of some huarache like shoes for summer. Just some Wal-Mart sleeping pad and paracord. Weigh in at just under 1oz.

There are several ways to ties these including wrapping the ankles for more security when river crossing.

The knot is just a taught line hitch so the tightness can be adjusted. Im sure many other knot and lace combinations would work.

Tony

Edited by adfischer on 06/05/2012 22:35:40 MDT.

Tony, you may find that those holes will rip out. I hot glued fabric patches over the holes and punched the holes through the fabric and foam. That's been holding up well.

I agree the holes may rip out. These were just the test pair to see if the concept would work for me. I'm thinking on these I could wrap some duct tape around them for added strength. Fabric is a good idea but I'm going with the idea that I need to be able to repair them on the trail with what I have. You could probably have 3 or so blowouts and be able to repair them. I was also thinking if I make them more square they could be flipped around and a new set of holes started if needed.

Other thought is find some more durable material. Going to try an old insole and see how that works too although they are a bit heavier - probably 4-6 ounces total vs these at 1 oz.

Tony, those look great. Could you go into more detail on how you tied them? Thinking of making some for myself as I have some blue walmart foam laying around here somewhere.
Thanks!