Teva Forge Pro eVent Hiking Shoe - Men's

I have literally waited years to find a shoe that fits like this. I've had these for over a year now and have literally hundreds of miles on them and the sole still has tread on them.

I have the non-eVent Forge, and I must say that I wish I had the extra waterproofing of the eVent. I took these backpacking in West Virginia, and found them easily soaked at stream crossings. However, after a few miles, they will dry. Love the "shock pad" in the heel. Great for backpacking hiking, running, MTB, approach (awesome approach shoe).

My favorite pair of shoes I have ever owned, hands down, by far. Note: I wear a 12-13, and have 13s. They work great.

Pros:

- incredible comfort, shock pad works great.
- phenomenal sole
- Very breathable
- Good ankle support

Cons:

- Ugly. Yeah, I said it. This shoe is damn ugly. Mine are this "freshman-eque" green/black and dear lord, I feel like I am gearing up to play Magic the Gathering every time I put them on. Teva, you make a great shoe, but my god is it ugly.

I've been wearing this shoe for over a year now and they surprisingly show very little sign of wearing. All stitching is still intact after countless hairy approaches to the crag, all season trail running, and a few slips into the river followed by hours of hiking in a wet shoe. These are amazingly water resistant up to the top of the laces. I've been really impressed with how versatile these are as I've chosen them for summer outings in 100 degree heat, and casual winter jaunts through snow and slush. The soles offer great traction up and down steep hills and makes you much more confident in sketchy terrain.

I really want to love this shoe - it seems to breathe well, great stiff sole and upper for support that isnt so stiff it limits use, good traction, durable toe with ample room, and oh the waterproofness... in fact, the other day I stepped into a 3" deep puddle of snow/ice/water with absolutely no moisture infiltration.

Unfortunately, the combination seemingly high and aggressive ankle cut of the shoe and rugged construction doesn't seem to jive with my bone structure and wore the skin off both my ankles the first day I wore them... and subsequent days following, even with thick socks and insoles and days of rest in between to heal.

In addition to this, the sole, although comfortable, seems a little thick resulting in some heavy-footedness while walking. This could be from overcompensation to the pain caused by the ankle cuts, but I am not convinced that is definitely the cause given if you just look at the pic of the inside view of the sole - borderline orthopedic - also losing it some style points.

All and all I really like the shoe functionally (and mostly aesthetically), so I can't downgrade it too much for not working for my specific foot (even though this has never happened in any other shoe ever), just be mindful that its a possibility before.jumping in.

3.5 stars is probably closer to the truth.

I was a little ambivalent about buying a close-toe shoe from Teva at first but I wanted to see if the quality translated over from their technical sandals. The compression molded EVA in the midsole makes this hiking shoe really durable. The spider rubber is great for scrambling over boulder fields. Took a couple of day hikes to break in.