As you can probably tell by the pictures in this article, I’ve had these shoes for a while. In April 2008, I saw a pair of Patagonia Drifters on sale and decided to give them a try. So, this is our longest term review yet at 11 months of use.
Over all I’m pretty happy with the shoes. I’ve worn them most of the time I’m home or while hiking and they have held up well. They aren’t nearly as supportive as a full boot, but they are just enough for the average day hike. I wouldn’t hesitate to wear these shoes around town or on a 9 mile hike.
Sizing on the shoe is a little bit on the small side, so try them on before you buy them. Those with very high arches probably won’t like these shoes as they don’t have tons of arch support. I don’t have high arches, so they fit me perfectly.
In nearly a year of use, these shoes have worn well. The soles still have quite a bit of tread on them and the insoles are still very supportive. Considering this is Patagonia’s first try at making shoes, I’m fairly pleased with how well they’ve held up.
There have been a couple of things I’ve disliked about the shoes. The laces that come with the Drifter are rough on the hands and the outer casing of the lace tends to split. This means the inside layer of the laces comes out of the lace and makes it much more difficult to tie them. Additionally, a bit of the glue has started to come off the back of the right shoe. This is an easy fix, but for the price I would have expected a bit better. Hopefully in the last year, Patagonia has fixed this issue.
MSRP is $110.00 for the Drifter. While not outrageous for a hiking shoe, it is on the high side. If I found another pair of these shoes on sale in a color I liked, I’d probably pick them up. While there are a couple minor issues with the shoes, they are well made overall and have lasted as long as I can really expect a shoe to last.
