I was suspect when Columbia sent me the Conspiracy OutDry Shoe to test. That may be putting it lightly in fact; I thought, there's no way I was ever going to like these shoes. A few weeks of putting them through the paces however, made me change my mind.<br /><br />Back in the day I was set in my ways and thought I'd never own a pair of waterproof shoes. They had a good reputation for keeping water out but also a bad reputation for keeping your sweat in. After a long hike the accumulating moisture made you feel like you had been traipsing through a marsh. I'm happy to report the Conspiracy OutDry does not suffer from this phenomenon.<br /><br />As you'll hear in the video, the shoes dried out even after an accidental soaking where water went over the top and into my shoe. OutDry has made me a believer in waterproof shoes again.<br /><br />Omni-grip is used for the outsole which is touted as magnificent everywhere, though I'll give a warning here not to put them to the test on wet granite.<br /><br />Even though I prefer minimalist shoes, the Conspiracy's are light enough for trail running and will be perfect shoulder season high altitude footwear, though still cool enough for the longest of summer hikes.<br /><br />Links<br />Columbia Conspiracy OutDry Shoe: http://goo.gl/tkq97l<br />More gear reviews: http://goo.gl/0x4zz
