canoeing shoes
For canoe racing and training in the summer, I wear cross country running shoes. They have good tread on the bottom for portaging, are light, and compact.
Canoe shoes
In warm weather, when I don’t care if my feet get wet, I wear a pair of Converse tennis shoes.
In cold weather, when I do care if my feet get wet, I wear Red Ball duck boots. I was skeptical of them for most of my life, but when I was given a pair as a present I was hooked for life. My feet stay warm and dry, but they are like wearing moccasins.
Chota lights in the cold.
Cheap neoprene sandals in warm weather.
Size 13 feet
and I put size 9 water sandals on them. That way I can fit my feet in the boat but still have protection for landing/launching and the foot pedals.
Foot Clearance
It wasn’t the Chotas…It was that the saet was too low !!! I had problems with Nike River trainers also.
Warm? Cold?
Warm is a pair of sandels or something like that. I always pack a “dry” set of cloths including boots/shoes for in camp anyway.
In the cold weather I’ve turned to wearing Muck Boots. Warm, waterproof(well tested over time!!!) and even though my feet sweat they still stay warm. Only downfall is that those suckers stink after a day or so. Pull those babies off around the campfire and you’ll have that fire all to yourself! Needless to say what it does to make your feet stay healthy smelling and does wonders for keeping critters away from your tent!
You can also stash them in your paddlin’ partners car for an afternoon unless you value that friendship! 
dougd
SealSkinz
The water blocker version of these socks keep your feet dry even if you stand in water above the top of the sock, their regular ones work to that height but don’e keep water from coming over the top. We live in these things come warmer weather under sandals, NRS Kickers or whatever. About $30 and worth every penny.
Celia
Tevas
I wear Teva Gammas most of the time. I just ordered a pair of Onium Pros thru REI that I hope will also double as wet suit booties for back strap slip in scuba fins. Bob
For the really cold water…
(less than 40*F) I use heavy weight (7mm) divers neoprene boots. I have a size big enough so that I can use WalMart neoprene socks (cheap) underneath them, but this is because I use SOT kayaks, and keeping exposed feet warm in the winter is more difficult than with a SINK. The boots I have are actually waterproof as long as no water goes over the top.
Tony
summer is time for capilene socks and
– Last Updated: Nov-28-04 10:49 PM EST –
aquaterra watershoes from hi-tec. transiional is time for capilene liners and neoprene socks and aquaterra watershoes.
Winter is time for the drysuit with goretex booties, capilene liners under the heaviest wool mountaineering socks, and aquaterra watershoes.
Chota mukluks might be nice for those who do not have a drysuit with goretex booties.
Barefoot All Year
It’s an old southern tradition to fish year round barefoot. My feet just don’t get cold and the gas pedal rudder controls on my Prijon Eski work great when barefoot. My sandals stow behind the seat for beached exits. I keep a pair of half socks with the toes cut out handy if sand in the floor starts to cause heel abraision. The whole theme of Kayaking for me is to keep it simple. Up north, well, I dunno!
Plain ol’ rubber pull-overs
I usually wear cheap 17-inch rubber boots (usually the Tingley brand). I do a lot of wet-foot landings and launchings, and will usually walk the boat through shallows rather than trying to grind and lurch along. They go on and off pretty easy, so I usually take them off if I’m going to be cruising in the boat for any length of time unless I need them for extra warmth. They are light enough to go on long hikes with, and the shoes I wear within provide the fit, support and warmth for whatever kind of walking I need to do. Pikabike is right about rubber boots too. The fact that they do not absorb any water is a huge advantage (nothin’ better’n dry warm feet!).
I once considered getting a pair of high-top Chota “Marsh Boots”, but they don’t come in half sizes so I couldn’t get anything close to a decent fit with them, and even if I could, they seemed like a pretty lousy design for walking any distance. An improved cinch-strap system would make a world of difference in that regard (those eighth-inch bungies are worse than useless - might as well not even be there).
mmmm … nice n warm
This fall while heading off on the annual “guys trip” we drove through a blizzard and camped in 6" of wet snow. The morning we put-in we stopped at a remote hardwartestore for some of those last minute items. I spent $25 cdn on a pair of insulated rubber boots and wore them for the next 5 days. That’s one of the best investments I’ve ever made. They were great! I was able to get in and out of the canoe with warm dry feet. I was the only one with warm feet sitting around the fire in camp. They are big and clumsy, but I was toasty warm despite cold wet weather and boggy portages.
Chota Mukluks Lite
I just got a pair of those for the cool weather. I bought them specificaly because they are very flexable and have no heel. I’ve had no problems getting them out from under the seat and my feet have been comfey.
If there’s a chance I’ll be swimming I’ll wear the drysuit with the attached socks and 6" neoprene boots. Gotta keep them pups warm and dry!
Chacos!
When I was guiding in the BWCA, I wore Chaco Z/2s. The water would be chilly at times, but I just dealt with it. They are as stable as any sandals I’ve seen. My feet never slid around even while portaging through mud.
I had a pair of old Tevas, and the velcro never stayed put and my feet slid around like crazy.
So unless it’s cold out, Chacos are my footwear of choice.
depends
I have an old pair of white canvas boat shoes (now they call them women’s shoes) that I often wear.
When it’s cold, I wear my scuba boots (unless my daughter takes them first) or just water shoes (the kind with the net top).
My kid wears sandals normally though the local school insists on shoes because of the broken glass in every river and lake in the state.
But this is Arizona and we can paddle a SoT in December if we want and will this year.
Teva Avatars with SealSkinz
Gives me the flexibility year round…plus I found the avatars great for portaging. The sealzkinz can be removed and hand washed (and I have a back up pair)and allowed to dry w/o tying up the entire shoe.
caveat…these arn’t useable shoes for low volumn boats.
cheap warm feet
mountain equipment co-op calls them coral boots (scuba-booties) at 19 bucks a pair you cant go wrong
Omigod a Caper!
– Last Updated: Dec-01-04 8:43 PM EST –
Quick! Hide the BEER!
Welcome, madmac. Great to see another Nova Scotian.
I like mine dry
Canoeing I like 18 inch boots such as Chota neoprene or LaCross rubber. Both are comfortable and great for getting on and off shore as well as sloshing through the marsh or wet grass. The Chotas are a little more flexable when kneeling for long periods in the boat. Around the camp site I use LL Bean shoe cut boots. These are great for walking around in the morning’s due covered grass and are easy to slip on in the dark for that middle of the night trip to the woods. They don’t take up a lot of room and are light too.