User Review: Chaco Beckwith

Chaco Beckwith
Above: The current Beckwith, which may differ slightly from the version reviewed.

Reviewed May 6, 2007 by Mike Hensley

Rating: rated 1 of 5 stars
Materials: Leather
Use: on-trail backpacking and off-trail dayhikes
Break-in Period: 1 week
Weight: ??
Price Paid: $100

This is hands-down the worst pair of boots that I've ever owned and perhaps the worst piece of gear, period. The leather uppers are flimsy and offer about as much ankle support as a pair of tennis-shoes. Despite being leather boots with a reinforced toe, my feet got completely soaked any time that I hiked through snow or shallow puddles.

Speaking of the reinforced toe, the rubber reinforcement makes it impossible for a cobbler to stretch the toe box to accommodate a wider forefoot. The narrow toe box, combined with a worthless pair of insoles that fail to keep the foot in place resulted in quite a few blisters - even when I wore hiking socks and liners. Replacing the insoles helped mitigate this problem. By far, my biggest gripe is that the soles had virtually worn smooth after only 500 miles of hiking. I understand that newer versions of this boot feature a Vibram sole that doesn't wear away as quickly.

If you must hike in this boot, replace the insoles immediately and make sure that you're buying a pair with a Vibram sole. Avoid this boot at all costs, especially if you have a wider forefoot. Chaco should stick to making sandals.

You Might Prefer...

Where to Buy

Sorry, we couldn't find any online retailers selling the Chaco Beckwith. You may want to check pricing and availability directly at these sites:

Retailers: Do you sell the Chaco Beckwith? We want to link to you! Please contact us.

Compare
See how the Chaco Beckwith stacks up against the competition: read more footwear reviews or more about Chaco.

Contribute
Have you used a Chaco Beckwith or a similar product? Write a gear review.

Discuss
Still have questions? Answers? Opinions? Join the converstation in the Trailspace Forums.