Jumping from That Home-Office Zoom Meeting to the Trail Right at 5PM?

That has been my routine in this sort of new world of adventuring and working from home. To help me accommodate this type of lifestyle, let me say I am happy to step no farther except straight into the new Oboz Sypes Low Leather Waterproof shoes. 

General Overview:

These shoes are an immediate favorite of mine from my Oboz collection, not only because they are innovative in their design with waterproofed leather on the outside and sustainable algae biomass foam padding for the insoles on the inside (WHAT!), but because the shoes are lightweight, versatile, supportive and ready to go out on the town or tackle the trails. Being a professional trekking guide during the high season and spending the other times of the year working in the office, I need a shoe that can be appropriate in an office setting as well as look stylish (so I can impress my co-workers), but ready to go into the field for a call out at any time. The Sypes Low Leather Waterproof shoes definitely fit the bill on this. Plus, I can always stand behind using recycled materials for the laces, webbing and lining in the making of the shoes.

Fit:

The Sypes Low are fitted in the heel and wider up towards my toes to give the fit a very comfortable and natural positioning for my feet. I could also easily feel the support in my arch from the insole. I could tell instantly upon taking them out of the box and slipping onto my feet that they would not need a break in time. I took them out for a 7 mile hike straight from the box with no fit issues. The fit was true to size for me. I also really enjoy that the Sypes come in a Mid fit, because who doesn’t like options for their favorite shoes!?

Performance:

I have a personal preference to more readily choose my low-profile shoes for hiking these days, but I do know the general fear of feeling like a low-profile shoe may not provide all the support you need on an adventure. However, the Sypes Low Leather Waterproof definitely felt secure and supportive in all the right places when walking off the sidewalk to the trail. 

I also live in the desert, where gear can sometimes go to die in our harsh, dry environment with relentless, fine sand invading every crevice of your shoes, the sharp plants around every bend waiting to rip holes in the material and the beating a shoe’s sole can take on the transitions from rock to rock. However, as expected, the Sypes Low Leather Waterproof did not fall victim to the torment of my desert adventures. The surface area and deep grip of the Bend outsole kept me clinging to the sandstone rocks below my feet while the outside material was durable to the elements. I added weight to my back for a light overnight backpack trip, and the Sypes Low Leather held the same exemplary performance in support and grip...and did I mention how stylish I looked out there?!

Oboz’s proprietary waterproofing system, B-DRY, came in to save the day by keeping the water out on one of my adventures of crossing a creek to continue the trail on the other side as well as keeping my feet dry during an afternoon monsoon rain storm.

Closing Thoughts?

Two-thumbs up for the Sypes Low Leather Waterproof from this hiking guide! Thanks Oboz!


Mikaela Ray

Mikaela Ray

Sedona, AZ

Where I’ve Been: My father and I built a canoe together when I was about 12 years old. We took our makeshift canoe down a huge section of the Delaware river, camping and eating fresh caught fish for dinner for weeks. We had to make so many repairs to our canoe along the way. This was the start of my lifelong obsession with adventure.