Application - Five Ten Insight - David (drunken_marmot)

Here's my app for these shoes

Application to test the FIVE.TEN Insight
 
I have read the Test Report Requirements section of the current
version (v. 1202) of the BackpackGearTest Survival Guide and agree 
to comply with all the report requirements.  My tester agreement 
was signed and mailed to Shane long, long ago.  I also understand 
the testing period shift from ~6 months to ~4 months and will be 
able to get out and wear these shoes in varied terrain for a good
fraction of the 4 months of testing, easily exceeding the required
five days/nights.

Personal Information:
Name: David Sowards-Emmerd
Age: 28
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 8" (1.73 meters)
Weight: 155 pounds (70 kilos)
Email Address: drunken_marmotATyahooDOTcom
Los Altos, California, USA
Date: September 15, 2005

Sizing - if selected, I belive a Men's size 9 (US) is probably the
correct size (this is the size of another pair of 5.10 scramblers I
own).  I tried several stores in San Francisco, but was unable to find
a pair of Insights to try on.  It appears there is not choice of color
for the Men's shoe, so I'm stuck with grey/yellow.

Backpacking Background:
I began backpacking semi-frequently about six years ago, soon
after moving to California. I generally take weekend (1 night)
trips, and occasionally take 3-4 day trips. Most of my
backpacking experience is at moderate altitude, 6,000'-12,000'
(1,800-3,650 m), in conditions ranging from dry desert to hail/heavy
snow in the mountains. In winter and spring I split time between
Southern California (SoCal) deserts and snowshoeing/skiing/snowcamping in
the Sierra/Cascades. Summer and fall I tend to stick to the high country.
I have reduced my packweight, including food and water down to less than 
50 lb (23 kg) for snow camping and mountaineering and under 30 lb ( kg) 
for 3-season camping with temperatures down to freezing.  I'm trying to 
include more mountaineering, climbing and bouldering in my trips.

I'm a big fan of approach shoes and shoes with climbing tendancies. 
I've thoroughly worn out a pair of La Sportiva Boulders (worn a hole
through the ball of the foot) and still have a well worn pair of
Five.Ten Mountain Masters.  I'm very interested in trying out the
Insights, which appear to be a move towards the approach shoes made by
La Sportiva.


Specific Things to Test: (I'll think up some more stuff for my IR if
selected)

- Construction - where's the rubber, where's the leather, quality product?

- Traction on ice, snow, sand, various types of rock (smooth granite,
rough granite, volcanic, dust polished, etc.)  Granite slabs and talus
are my favorite...

- How does the sole perform on wet, slick or icy rocks?  Will the sole
grab onto sharp edges?

- Arch support - any?

- Are the water resistant at all, or do I need to avoid getting them
wet?  If wet, how long does it take to dry out thoroughly?

- Are they use

- Torsional Flex, rigidity, heel control, etc. Rigidity is a big
question for me for scrambling shoes, since without a rigid
sole/midsole, feet get bruised easily from small rocks and sharp edges.

- Durability - will the rubber delaminate quickly?  Will the stitching
come loose?  

- Insulation - do they provide an noticeable warmth?

- Breathability - will I sweat them up on the first 15 minutes of
hiking?  Any ventilation?

- Is the tongue gusseted to keep out rocks?  5.10 has left this
feature out of several models which is a real pain when hiking on
scree/gravel and shoes have to be dumped out every 15 minutes -
especially with laces to the toes.

- How much does this squeeze the forefoot inward?  (these are climbing
shoes so this is generally expected to some degree). How pointed is
the toe - enough to fit in 1" pockets, 2" pockets, etc?

- Reasonable amount of cushioning, or minimal for more sensitivity
through the shoe?

- Are the included insoles decent? Are they removeable? Will I need to
replace them with SuperFeet?

- Are the extra loops for putting the shoes on just cosmetic extras? 
I've cut at least one of the rear straps of most of my climbing shoes
as I don't find them necessary.

- Overall comfort - blisters, hot spots, does the upper flex and rub
on the top of my foot.

- What's the deal with the 'flex screw'?

- Do the laces go far enough up the ankle that they shoes feel like
they'd be really difficult to pull off?

- Comfortable when jamming a foot in a crack, or between rocks, etc.?

- Good friction and feel on steep slabs?

- Fit - where does the fit of this shoe fall in between climbing shoes
and trailrunners.  Are they nice and tight and control friendly, or do
my feet feel like they're swimming?

Testing Locations:

I expect a handful of overnight trips into the Sierra granite this
fall before the passes close.  More locally, I would wear the Insights
as approach shoes for local climbing in Castle Rock State Park,
Pinnacles National Monument, Mount Diablo State Park, and other local
areas, and will see how they do for technical climbing before putting
on actual rock shoes.  I a shooting for 1-2 more mountaineering trips
on rock in the Sierra Nevada before the winter weather kicks in. 
Also, if the test closes and shoes ship promptly, I have a 3 day trip
planned to Rock Creek (Eastern Sierra Nevada) at the end of the month
that will consist of peak bagging and bouldering.  During the week of
Thanksgiving, I hope to take my usual 9 day roadtrip (might be stuck
with just 4 though) to the deserts and rocks in Southern California
and the Eastern Sierra.  I will be heading to Michigan for 1-2 weeks
over Xmas and will have a chance to try out the shoes on snow and ice.
 Finally, I will probably try snowshoeing in the Insights (wearing
waterproof or neoprene socks) - I tend to wear trailrunners like this
during warmer trips.

Owner Reviews:
Princeton Tec Attitude/Rage
http://www.backpackgeartest.org/reviews/Lighting/Flashlights%20-%20Hybrid/Princeton%20Tec%20Rage%20and%20Attitude/Owner%20Review%20by%20David%20Sowards-Emmerd/

REI Mistral Pants
http://www.backpackgeartest.org/reviews/Clothing/Pants%20and%20Shorts/REI%20Mistral%20Pants/Owner%20Review%20by%20David%20Sowards-Emmerd/


Completed Tests:
Integral Designs eVENT South Col Bivy
Gregory Whitney
Gregory Halo
Princeton Tec Corona
National Geographic Back Roads Explorer
Psolar.BX
Ultimate Direction SpeeDemon
Granite Gear Stratus Access 4500 FZ
Brunton Liberty Mantleless Lantern

Current Tests:
Integral Designs eVENT Rain Jacket (LTR phase)
Integral Designs Bug Liner (LTR phase)
Scarpa Zero Gravity 65 GTX (LTR phase, due Oct 11 - I have already
used these boots more than enough to write up my long term report, so
I do not see any reason why testing the Insights would interfere with
this test - also, I don't expect the Insights would arrive until close
to October in any case)

Other Tests Applied For:
Benchmade 530

Currently Monitoring:
Imlay Canyon Knife






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