Best Water Shoes for Adventures
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Best Water Shoes Write-Up
What’s up everybody! Trip Smith here on YouTube, coming at you folks with another video to help teach you and inspire you to get out there and live your own adventure!
In this video we’re talking about shoes and footwear selection for kayaking, Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) adventures or even backpacking. I know a lot of people wonder,
- What shoes to buy for these trips?
- Do I need waterproof or not?
- Do I need both and when might I want one over the other?
Now let’s get into the meat and potatoes. We’re going to cover my strategy and philosophy when it comes to waterproof vs non waterproof shoes, the pros and cons of each, and when you might want to wear each shoe type.
My Simple Water Shoe Philosophy
My strategy is pretty simple. I want to stay dry when I can, but when I’m going to get wet I make the best of it because you can’t be dry in all situations. I keep things practical and affordable is all.
Waterproof vs Non-Waterproof Shoes
Waterproof shoes are typically made of native gore-tex, which has upsides and downsides. Gore-tex often keeps your feet warmer in addition to keeping them dry.
The tradeoff is that they’re heavier, can be uncomfortably warm in the summer, and take 1-2 days to dry. On super rainy days, your feet will still get wet. Waterproofing properties will decay over time so you must maintain them from time to time.
Non-waterproof options have a lot of pros in my opinion. They’re often times lighter and they dry faster if they do get wet. They’re more breathable for your feet and you don’t have to worry all day about keeping them dry. There are also a lot more design and style options out there for whatever adventure you’re going on.
The cons, well of course, they offer no protection from wetness and they’re not as warm. However, you can mitigate that with a good pair of socks!
I’m just gonna deal with the fact that sometimes my feet are gonna be wet. The nature of adventures on the water is that you can’t always control your environment.
When do you wear Waterproof Shoes?
Now if the forecast is especially rainy, I will wear waterproof shoes but this is mostly to stay warm.
For occasional wet feet from getting in and out of your craft or portages, non-waterproof shoes are the way to go because they dry so quickly. Waterproof shoes don’t guarantee complete dryness so if they do get wet you’ll be wet all day long.
What Water Shoes Should You Buy?
Frankly, you’re going to need multiple pairs of shoes. For year round adventures, there just isn’t one shoe that can do it all.
You need a pair shoes specific to your adventure. The main things you need to weigh are the trip’s:
- temperature
- amount of wetness
- protection/padding needed.
Summer Shoes Options
Croc's Swiftwaters
For most people a summer time shoes is all you need. When I first started these adventures my favorite summer shoes were Croc’s Swiftwater. I’ve worn these for so many adventures, and I love these shoes.
Earth Runners Circadian
But now I’m kind of steering more towards minimalist sandals like Earth Runners Circadian. During the summer these are great to walk in. I actually did a hiking trip where I hiked 2.5 miles with a 60 pound backpack and these did wonderfully!
I love these shoes and I’m wearing them a lot these days. That’s why the soles are so raw and sandy.
Aleaders Mesh Slip-Ons
If you’re not a big fan of the Crocs or want something more similar to a traditional style shoe, I recommend ALeaders. These still allow you get in and out of the water, but provide a little more protection to your foot.
Backpacking Shoes
If you are going backpacking, a pair of lightweight non-waterproof trail runners better fits the bill. For all trips except snow these shoes work well in almost all situations.
Salomon SpeedCross Hikers
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Cold Weather Shoes
If you are going backpacking, a pair of lightweight non-waterproof trail runners better fits the bill. For all trips except snow these shoes work well in almost all situations.
NRS Neoprene Booties
If I know it’s going to be a cold and wet trip, I opt for these neoprene booties. I wore these when I went down the Little River on my paddleboard (Link to video) There were so many trees down and it was raining the whole time so I grabbed the neoprene booties to keep my feet warm and dry.
They work fantastic despite their appearance! I like them for climbing in and out of the kayak on logs. They really keep your feet warm and dry the whole time.
Neoprene Socks
If you don’t wanna go with the bootie you can go with something more like just a neoprene sock like the Blank. These even have little grips on the bottom that work pretty well. They are primarily intended for scuba diving purposes but they are great inside your kayak to keep your feet warm.
Salomon Gortex
For wet trips that require a little more protection I like to wear my Salomon waterproof hiking shoes. My preference is still non-waterproof shoes, but these provide peace of mind when getting in and out of my touring kayak.
You have to be careful not to step in deep water with these. But I have worn them on several trips and so far no problems with foot wetness.
Conclusion
I can answer directly what you should buy for your next adventure, but I hope I’ve given you enough information to weigh your own variables and factors to make a good decision.
Let me know what you think by posting in the comments of my Youtube video or post it below in blog. Tell me your favorite waterproof or non-waterproof shoes and why.
Folks, thanks for watching and don’t forget to subscribe and GET OUT THERE! I’ll see you in the next video.