So for my first review, I'd like to talk about the FiveTen Guide Tennie. This amazing shoe is the pretty much everything rolled into one. It's a a low top hiker able to tackle an 8 mile Oregon coast trail to a killer lookout. It's an epic scrambling buddy when you're trying to be a mountain goat. And it's a pretty kick ass climber, helping you send that fun 5.8 at your local crag. It's all of these things and that's why it has become my go-to shoe for pretty much everything.
Sizing and Fit The Guide Tennie is true to size for sure. I normally wear a women's 10.5, but since they didn't carry that size I purchased the men's 9 instead. And they fit perfectly. My toes don't hit the toe box and the lacing enables me to tighten them to my slightly slimmer feet. The shoe is roomy and comfortable. The lacing extends the length of the shoe which enables extra fit capabilities. They are a little stiff out of the box and I would recommend breaking them in. I might also look into getting insoles for the shoes, since the mid-sole isn't the most suited for extended use. With that being said, I found they are still extremely comfy and I never had an issues with hot spots, even hiking in the when soaking wet.
Performance The Guide Tennie is composed of FiveTen's wonderful Stealth C4 Rubber soles and a leather shoe. The shoe's main uses are scrambling, hiking, climbing, everyday use. While scrambling alongside crumbling canyon walls in Central Washington and squeezing and climbing through giant cracks getting to the Vantage crag, these shoes kept me confident in the places I was putting my feet. I've logged over 50 miles in these shoes and I never had any complaints. I never got any hot spots or blisters. I hiked in the mud of the Oregon coast trails, hiked ridge trails at Mount Rainier National Park, gotten them completely soaked in the Pacific Ocean (which I washed in a bath tub and they held up their shape perfectly). I climbed in them at Vantage, leading my first climb and sent a 5.7 and a 5.8 (my first!). They also worked great working at my school's challenge coarse. And finally, the Guide Tennie has turned into my everyday shoe. I wear them to school, to the park, to the store. Pretty much everywhere. And they've yet to let me down. The traction is incredible on all rock surfaces and handle any trail condition it's thrown into.
Weatherproofing I've hiked in most weather conditions and my feet have stayed warm and dry every time. The leather on the shoes is not overly breathable and they can get a little warm in the summer, but they handle keeping the weather out very well. When I got them soaked, I was still able to hike five miles in them without getting blisters, but it took two days for them to dry fully.
Pros They are light, comfortable, with great traction on rocks and most trail conditions, and a great price (still on clearance at fiveten.com).
Cons They lack great breathability, don't dry quickly, slick on roots and logs, and a bit stiff.
Overall Score 4/5
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| My Guide Tennies tackling a muddy trail along the Oregon Coast |
Glad to see somebody else uses these, too! I like mine but haven't done much long hiking in them. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, I think I'll have to take them out for a longer trek ASAP.
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