Teva Verdon WP Hiking Shoe

The big fishing trip had finally come. Five days on the Snake River in Hell's Canyon fishing for Steelhead. I was excited to say the least. I mean, who doesn't want to spend those five days standing at the back of a boat, shivering in pouring rain with a rod & reel in hand waiting for some fish to bite a shiny object at the end of a rope? Sounds wonderful if you ask me. But only wonderful if you're comfortable. Comfortable translating into a good set of waterproof rain jacket and pants, a warm cap, and of course a great pair of waterproof shoes.

Well, I had two of those three. The shoes not so much. My old Nike hikers had been with me for some time and although they were supposedly GoreTex, I came to find out that Gore had left Tex many miles down the trail as these things acted more like sponges than liquid defenders. By the end of day one, I felt like I had two sacks of wet flour strapped to my feet. I could literally wring the water from these things. To make matters worse, by the end of day two, the sole had delaminated at the tip so I was walking around like a scuba diver with flippers on.

I vowed there and then to get me a pair of hikers that would stand up to this type of weather. After much research and multiple visits to the same outdoor goods store (the girl in the shoe department thought I was stalking her,) I finally decided on the Teva Verdon WP. Not only are they among the cheapest (translate: inexpensive) waterproof hiking shoes on the market, they are definitely the most comfortable. And, thanks to their undersizing technique, I felt like a much bigger man having to go with size 11 (when my normal shoe size is 10.)

With the advance of the wet fall, I've been taking every opportunity to put these shoes through their paces, trudging through puddles, six inch wet grass and standing a soccer games in an all-day rain. So far so dry. I like to be dry.

I can't wait for our next Snake River adventure so I can again stand in miserable conditions and catch no fish. At least I'll be comfortable.