Bass Pro Shop shoe department.
Check out Keen shoes. Company from Oregon-- some imports, many assembled here and I believe the more expensive shoes/boots are pretty much a US product.
I think this was the pair I tried on and will probably buy when spring finally gets here.
The 2-3 styles of water shoes that we have at a local retailor have an pretty bold tread and what I like is the wide toe box.
Keens are our go to shoes for most any shoe we need now.
@Yooper16 said:
Check out Keen shoes. Company from Oregon-- some imports, many assembled here and I believe the more expensive shoes/boots are pretty much a US product.
I think this was the pair I tried on and will probably buy when spring finally gets here.The 2-3 styles of water shoes that we have at a local retailor have an pretty bold tread and what I like is the wide toe box.
Keens are our go to shoes for most any shoe we need now.
Thanks,
But they would let in too much mud, sand and pebbles
Heres another Keen–
they call it a fully enclosed water shoe. I really like their large rounded toe box on most of their shoes. Not certain about drainage tho. With as “blocky” looking that their shoes are, I was pleasantly surprised at the lack of weight.
https://www.keenfootwear.com/p/M-RIVERPORT.html?dwvar_M-RIVERPORT_color=1020872&cgid=activity_water
Looks like their H2 with mesh instead of open areas. I’ve worn out 3 pair (one was a hiking boot). Great, durable shoes and sandals.
No really slippery mud today on the Looking Glass. Two log jam portages but both had pretty decent landings. They are very light & don’t retain water. Better than booties for a long portage but not as good as hiking shoes. Here is the sole:
@Yooper16 said:
Heres another Keen–
they call it a fully enclosed water shoe. I really like their large rounded toe box on most of their shoes. Not certain about drainage tho. With as “blocky” looking that their shoes are, I was pleasantly surprised at the lack of weight.
https://www.keenfootwear.com/p/M-RIVERPORT.html?dwvar_M-RIVERPORT_color=1020872&cgid=activity_water
A shoe store where I bought my umpteenth pair of Keens said they were the top seller in the PNW “because in our wet area we have web feet.”
The roomy toebox is GRRRRRRREAT!
I had really good luck with a pair of Solomons. The had grippy soles with good comfort on the trail. However, they had a crazy heel cup separated from the rest of the shoe with a slot that ran almost down to the sole. That slot was like a vacuum for sand and gravel, which once under foot was painful and hard to wash out. The Solomons lasted through hundreds of uses but the stones underfoot cost them 2 points. I’d give them an 8 out of 10.
I replaced the Solomons with Astrals, which I’ve used for around a year. I like the Astrals a lot. Very comfortable and while the tread on the soles is not aggressive, they’ll hold when you get in slippery stuff. I like the drain holes just above sole level–jets of water squirt out the drain holes for the first few steps out of the water. I do wish they had drains in the heel of the shoe, too, for those times you plant your butt in the seat but leave your feet over the gunwale to drain. The fabric is quick to drain and dry, but not quick enough when your feet are over the gunwale . The laces stay tied, but I’d prefer a snag-resistant closure such as the Solomons had over the regular bow knot I use with these shoes. I give the Astrals an 8 out of 10.
~~Chip
I’ve used 2 pair of water shoes for many years.
In brief: one gets me to the kayak, one is used while paddling.
Reasons:
in kayak: foot, heal comfort; able to remove & put back on w/out popping skirt
to kayak: holds on through deep mud, keeps feet safe walking on oyster beds, walking through soft (deep) sand crossing beach.
I use Mion Ebb Tides in kayak (thick, stiff heal, easily removable) (long since out of business)
Currently my ‘getting to kayak’ is Sperry Maritime H2O Bungee Sneaker, but have used Keens in the past, pretty good, but small stones, shells get inside while walking.
If spending more than 2 or 3 hours at a time in the kayak, I think foot comfort is a big deal.
You can replace shoelaces with kevlar laces and use cordlocks instead of tying. Google Lock laces. The Techphibians wore out for me quickly in Canada. ( six weeks of daily use doing portage maintenance) The heel cup was also too shallow.
Astral Brewer is a good shoe, pretty light, grippy sole, drains well, very good support, strong enough to walk on oysters, they don’t pull off easily in muck. They finally added a “heel-pull” to make them easier to put them on. One issue that I have is that with all the sand around here (central Florida), just walking a few steps in the water at the put-in, gets enough sand inside to abrade my toes on very long trips/races.
Other than taking them off and rinsing while in the kayak, what works for me is to wear some lycra sand socks with the shoes (socks worn inside-out for more comfort). Feet stay sand and blister free, even for long races like the EC 300. These socks are often sold for use with fins, and there are a bunch of similar brands. I use these:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0026PHGRC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Greg
Except for #3 (portaging)…Crocs! Add a set of straps for better portaging?
@pikabike said:
Except for #3 (portaging)…Crocs! Add a set of straps for better portaging?
Crocs? Portaging in Crocs in the wilderness is an invitation to death when solo… Carry a PLB… They suck in the mud too… Have you ever lost one in the mud! Everglades? Look for a green one at Highland Beach somewhere.
“Highland Beach” -memories?
One year we pulled into the nice sandy firm beach at high tide, set up our tent and enjoyed the peaceful wilderness a gazillion miles from civilization. The next morning the tide was low, and it was time to move along to our next camp site. It looked like the tide had gone out a hundred yards. We started pulling the kayaks through a inch of water covering 6" of mud. Fifty feet later there was still an inch of water and the mud was about 10" deep. Another fifty feet and there was still an inch of water and the mud was knee deep. Then the water just became a skim, and in order to move the yaks we had to get in front of them and with our backs to off shore had to lean back and pull on the grab handles. This would move them a foot, and then we would have to try and release our stuck feet and repeat the process. After what seemed like an eternity, we gained an inch of water and saw the light at the end of the tunnel. I yelled that my yak was finally floating, and my wife gave one last hard pull. Her boat yanked free at the same time and she did a nice backwards prat fall into the mud. If it was me, there would have been much cursing, but she sat there laughing.
When finally in the boats, we checked and it had taken us one full hour from the time we started till the time we were in the boats
@kayamedic said:
@pikabike said:
Except for #3 (portaging)…Crocs! Add a set of straps for better portaging?Crocs? Portaging in Crocs in the wilderness is an invitation to death when solo… Carry a PLB… They suck in the mud too… Have you ever lost one in the mud! Everglades? Look for a green one at Highland Beach somewhere.
Which is why I said “Except for #3 (portaging)”, since the OP did not state where the portaging was. Could have been the hard, forested ground near a lake, or on gravel.
Mud can suck even snug-fitting booties off the feet. BTDT.
@pikabike said:
@kayamedic said:
@pikabike said:
Except for #3 (portaging)…Crocs! Add a set of straps for better portaging?Crocs? Portaging in Crocs in the wilderness is an invitation to death when solo… Carry a PLB… They suck in the mud too… Have you ever lost one in the mud! Everglades? Look for a green one at Highland Beach somewhere.
Which is why I said “Except for #3 (portaging)”, since the OP did not state where the portaging was. Could have been the hard, forested ground near a lake, or on gravel.
Mud can suck even snug-fitting booties off the feet. BTDT.
I cant even wear crocs while portaging down to our floating dock… One stretch has the grain of wood parallel to the slope not crossways. One Croc outing the wood was wet and down I went… The Crocs went to recycling that night… Next day we installed anti skid strips across the dock.
There are different soles for Crocs and I allegedly had the boating soles but they must have been meant for cocktail hour on a yacht… not carrying a canoe.
For what it is worth:
I need them for every kind of condition
I gave up on water shoes a long time ago because none of them suited all my needs.
Up until now I have used my Walmart specials which I have adapted and they have all I need except I would like much thicker cleats.
They are about $15 and I think they are called “running shoes”. They are absolutely the lightest foot wear I have ever picked up . They come in white, gray, and black and I prefer the gray. They have two velcro strap closures which makes for quick on and off, and they have a good solid bottom. I orginally tried to drill them for letting the water drain, but the drill bit just twisted the fabric.Then I found that my soldering gun with a pencil point would burn a nice 1/4" hole through. I put three holes trough the back of the heal near the bottom and three more through the toe box,and they drain out good.
If I could fined a water shoe as light as they are and as rugged and with thicker treads on the bottom, I would spring for them in a heart beat, but so far I haven’t found any
Jack its best to actually go to a store that sells them. A brick and mortar store that allows try ons. look for Merrell and Salomon or Five Ten
I am very happy with my Croc Swiftwater sandal (the particular style I have is no longer made). Drains easy, easy to take on and off in boat (e.g., to rinse sand off feet), can walk on oyster beds, not prone to come off in muck although that is not a typical issue for me, protects my drysuit booties in the winter as I’m walking between my truck and the ramp. Usually though, as soon as I’m in the water, off come the shoes. I much prefer to paddle barefoot (same for driving long distances). Probably not suitable for OP’s scenario though, going up and down steep muddy inclines.
I like cross country running flats, narrow, light, drain well and grippy enough to run a carry and climb Raquette Falls
For the Devizes/ Westminster race in the sopping wet English spring I wore a pair of Palm paddling shoes with Vibram tread but found them to be overkill and tough to cram in a tight bow or easily into foot brace straps