The Teva Riva Peak Mid eVent

Teva Riva Peak Mid eVent
Country of manufacture: China
Weight: 1,540g a pair (men’s size 10/44.5)
Price: £140
Colour: dark blue
Material: uppers, full-grain 2mm leather; eVent waterproof membrane; sole, rubber/EVA
Crampon rating: B0 (not crampon compatible)

Teva’s reputation has been built on walking sandals, but it also produces a range of boots, and this updated Riva Peak Mid eVent is the top of the range walking boot for the Californian brand.

The new Teva Riva Peak Mid will be launched next month and has a different sole, upper styling and Teva’s dual density insole. An eVent membrane provides waterproofing in addition to the full-grain leather upper.

Many of the competitor models in this sub-£150 category are principally fabric boots, so the Teva Riva Peak Mid offers good value for a full leather boot.

The forefoot has been widened and in use we found there was plenty of room for the front of the foot.

The boots were tested in some very wet weather but the 2mm leather and eVent waterproof lining kept out the rain, though when working hard uphill there was some perspiration build up.

The new Vibram sole gave confidence on most terrain

The Vibram sole offered reasonable grip uphill. As with virtually all boots, wet mud meant some slipping around, but that’s more because the ground is moving rather than the boot itself losing grip.

Performance on wet rock was quite good, and braking downhill was adequate too, with gravel paths, wet grass and rock descended with confidence.

The Riva Peak Mid is only available in whole sizes which meant the sample boot was a little larger than preferable for me, which meant there was very slight movement forward of the foot downhill, though at no point was the toe in danger of hitting the toe box.

Half sizes would help eliminate this problem.

There is no locking lace hook, so a locking knot is necessary on the fifth loop up if you want to keep the forefoot and heel tight. Getting a comfortable fit around the ankle needed experimentation with the lacing as, although there is some padding around the leather ankle cuff, it’s not as thick as on some boots. The tongue is well padded though.

Lack of a locking hook meant careful lacing was necessary to obtain best comfort

There is extra protection at the toe box, with a raised rubber rand supplementing the leather. The heel has some additional leather protection above the midsole unit.

The sole unit is fairly flexible, putting the boot just into what we’d describe as three-season. It’s not a true stiffened mountain boot but will cope with fellwalking admirably, though it’s not designed for kicking winter steps and won’t take a crampon. The sole has a nylon shank for stability.

Where the Riva Peak Mid really came into its own was cushioning of the foot. The polyurethane midsole absorbs the pounding of hard ground very well, backed up by Teva’s ShocPad section in the heel.

Combined with the dual-density Mush-infused insole and a Vibram outsole that is also quite cushioning, this meant a pair of very happy soles even after protracted trips on hard and rocky ground.

At the end of our tests, the leather uppers, which are soft to the feel, were holding up well, with no sign of damage or scuffing.

The Teva boots coped with all the British weather could throw at them

The Teva Riva Peak Mid is an impressive contender at a competitive price. It’s heavier than most of the fabric boots but should be a little more durable with its leather uppers.

As with the best gear, we were largely unaware of the boots while we were walking, once we had the lacing sorted to the right tension, particularly around the ankle.

The ankle cuff is not as high as on some boots, but there was enough support in all the situations we put the boot in.

The Riva Peak Mid coped with all the terrain we put it in, which ranged from muddy moorland to rocky paths; steep routes with a few scrambly sections to hard-surfaced trails.

The pay-off for a leather boot is its extra weight compared to some of the fabric models in this class, but the cushioning for the foot’s sole made for a very comfortable experience, even on extended walks.

Cushioning for the sole was excellent

The boot will be available in men’s whole sizes between 6 and 12, and the women’s version, in rhubarb colour, in sizes 4 to 8.

Teva supplied grough with the sample boots. Stockists can be found via the Teva website.

grough rating:
Performance 23/35
Comfort 32/35
Quality 6/10
Value for money 17/20
Total score: 78/100