TEVA Fuse-ion
I WOULD CALL it a baptism of fire, if it wasn’t for the fact the Teva Fuse-ions copped their first test rafting down Tassie’s Franklin River. For a water shoe, the Franklin is a great test bed, with plenty of the wet stuff, slippery rocks, sand, dirt and tree roots. In short, all the things a water shoe is designed to cope with.
The Fuse-ion is a mix of traditional styling and the latest in water-shoe tech. The styling is simple – and not dissimilar to a Dunlop Volley – although that would really be selling the Fuse-ion very short. This basic styling hides some of the latest technology, such as the use of Ion-Mask for waterproofing. Ion-mask is nano-technology, which translates to every fibre of the material being coated in a water-repellent treatment. This tech is used in other outdoor applications, such as sleeping-bags, and is effective.
During rainy periods of the trip, my feet did stay dry. Obviously, though, once your foot is fully submerged past the ankle opening, water does get in and your foot does get wet – as it does with any footwear – but the Ion-Mask kept the material from absorbing too much water, thus making the shoes lighter when wet. And they did dry quickly.
The Fuse-ion utilises Teva’s trademark Spider Rubber and JStep outsole for traction and this worked well during the Franklin trip. Whether it was dragging rafts across slippery rocks, or scrambling up a cliff-side path during a portage, the Spider Rubber did its job. I still had to place my feet carefully and remain balanced, but provided I did so, the Spider Rubber got a grip. This provides plenty of wearer confidence. When you’re on a river/ocean trip and scrambling across slippery surfaces, a twisted, sprained or broken ankle is always on your mind if you’re not confident of your shoes’ traction.
A collapsible heel made removal and fitment easy, too. The heel material’s stretchy qualities provided a snug fit – I had minimal sand and grit work its way into the shoes. The outer material is tough, copping plenty of bangs and scrapes during the trip, while the sole has enough cushioning to be comfortable without removing that “connection” with the terrain underfoot.
It is still early days, but the Fuse-ions impress at this point. For something that, externally, looks like a basic sand/water shoe, the Fuse-ion packs plenty of tech bang for your buck. Teva even promotes them as the water shoe you can wear to the pub and, as a truly dedicated tester, I confirmed this claim during our post-Franklin celebrations on the last night in Launceston.
RRP $169
