Shoes Review

[Guest]

Chota Marsh Boots. A size larger than I normally wear, worn with Smartwool socks and Sealskinz underneath they are the bomb in cool/cold weather. The Marsh boots are no good for kneeling, which I religiously avoid; they have a stacked heel, aggressive tread and are near knee height. And they accommodate my chubbyImean muscular calves.

Warm, comfortable and unsweaty in that layered guise. Discontinued, as are the similar, worn out and oft AquaSealed Chota Nunavut boots they replaced.

Crocs flip flops. Model unknown, and also discontinued. I don’t see anything quite the same in the Croc’s line up today.

1 inch thick durable, rock grippy sole, with molded arch support and a decent tread pattern. Thick webbing strap with foot-soft fabric sewn under the webbing.

Yeah, yeah, flip flops are horrible, dangerous, toe stubbers. And when I want to give my water-shoed feet a chance to air out there is nothing quite as breathable. Those are at least 5 years old, worn frequently and showing no sign of failure, even the tread is still there. I’ve never had flip flops last more than a season.

Merrell Moab Gore-tex trail runners. Yay, not discontinued!

http://www.merrell.com/US/en/moab-g...=pla&CAAGID=21158942165&CATCI=pla-56128534817

Wide. I tried on a bunch of “wide” trail runner and those were the only ones wide enough that they didn’t cramp my toes. They are the first “tennis shoes” on which I haven’t quickly busted out the sides with my flipper feet. Waterproof and really comfortable.

I haven’t tried running on a trail with them. And hopefully never will, but dang they are nice when the water drips off my rainpant legs or I just want to take a morning walk around a dewy camp without soaking my feet. For camp shoes and light duty hikers I wish I had bought something like them 20 years ago, but they probably didn’t exist back then.

Cheap WalMart moccasins. Like these:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/M-UB-SLP-TRAPPER-MOC/34461232

No arch support. I can dang near read heads or tails on a quarter through the soles, can feel every pebble and had to G/flex some splits on the tread last winter. But they are excellent slip ons for truck camping and tactile pedal feel while driving.

They won’t make it through a third winter, and much as I’d like to buy a pair of Bean Moccasins or some not-made-in China variety I can’t see paying $70 for something that looks identical and, according to the reviews, wears out just as fast.

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/65637?feat=moccasins-SR0&page=men-s-wicked-good-moccasins

After the $30 Yeti Tumbler vs $8 Ozark Trails mug comparison I have to wonder if the same factory in Guanzhou doesn’t produce both those mocs.

 

[Uncle_Skwid]

Back in the later 90s (I suppose back when many on this forum were retiring), a company called 5.10—maker of sticky rubber climbing shoes since the mid-80’s—developed a low profile water shoe, kind of a mesh sock that buckled to your foot and held as its sole that secret indian rubber stuff for which 5.10 is now widely known. Sticky high-friction rubber. Stealth rubber. I recall hearing about a hardcore sect of purist German climbers (those guys who don’t believe in using mechanical protection but instead climb barefooted and tie knots in their webbing for nuts and chocks), who considered it illegal to wear 5.10s on the rock: you were cheating.

I got into kayaking a few years later—turn of the century—and stumbled across this weird pair of meshy shoes in the discount bin at our local outfitter. Paddling shoes made by 5.10. Briefly made, apparently. They were dusty and John wanted to unload them. Crossing over from the world of climbing I was a firm believer in the 5.10 rubber. I got them for a kind of why-the-heck-not price and don’t remember the model or what they were called, only that I have never found their equal. They didn’t last long, little over a year, as I recall, but they fit into my kayak, buckled to my feet (very important if you’re getting maytagged with your boat and belongings in a frothy spot), and made scrambling around on rocks in the river a sweet piece German chocolate cake. And I'm one of those people who think scrambling around on rocks in the river is the most dangerous aspect of paddling.

I suppose at the time kayaking was still a burgeoning niche market and climbing had well exploded. The odd discontinued mesh shoe disappeared from the earth and I was never able to replace it.

5.10 has offered a water shoe for a number of years which I use in conjunction with sandals and bare feet and mostly enjoy: the Water Tennie. Unfortunately it’s a boot and I have since moved to kneeling, and as anyone who kneels knows: boots don’t work unless you build up some special ankle blocks or some such masterpiece of foam. They also constructed the toe end of the shoe, the business end, at a hard taper like a climbing shoe, and they're frankly not that comfortable. I can’t get my ankle/feet in quite the right contortion with a shoe that rides that high. Fantastic on the rock. But mostly I just work around it or readjust my foot pegs for the rapids or take them off or just grin and bear it for the joy of the rubber.

But not anymore. 5.10 has finally brought back the low profile water shoe in a design they’re calling the Eddy. Apparently they introduced the Eddy this summer, but I’ve been too busy with summertime and stolen boats and breaking in a new boat to worry too much about clothing. Who needs clothing in the summer? When I finally caught wind I ordered a pair (100 u.s.d. with free shipping direct from 5.10), and took them out for a recent week of solitude, water, and mountains. I ordered up a size so I could wear them with a sock and dry suit, and on this trip I did end up in my dry suit, despite the pleasant ambient temps. (I suck at boating and swim a lot, hence the near constant scrambling on wet rocks.)

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The uppers are mostly just your typical mesh water shoe. They won’t last long as anyone who kneels knows: shoes are not made to be worn sole up. They just aren't. Kneeling in a canoe tears the crap out of a pair of shoes. But I don’t care. They did away with the buckle and use laces. (I know some people who are frightened of laces in a boat but I like my shoes to be tied to my feet. And I believe for those concerned about the lacing 5.10 will release another version of the Eddy in January that moves the lacing behind the tongue to alleviate any spook factor.) They’re low down comfortable. They’re super light. Quick draining and drying, with a kind of rubber rind around the toe front for those inadvertent tip of toe rock plants. But they’ve got that rubber, man. That rubber that makes you feel like you’re cheating, somehow. Sticky and weird.

If you're not wearing 5.10s, and you do a lot of river rock scrambling, you might be inadvertently wearing roller skates.

View attachment gEgjFmspPFKCTbL4-PwhJzRhl56d2rwey34JT02qtfIlBS5yO26w7hXe30dBxgaKBHmJZrUkMPo_lkk3yFi4z3XuKWMNYOAPO3ev

PS: I bought the shoes retail and do not work for 5.10.

 

[Canotrouge]

Five ten all the way, Water Tennie all the way and I kneel all day, no foot pegs, top of foot flat to the hull, In tripping canoe tandem or solo, solo ww canoes, tandem ww canoes, I'm a kneeler, and I were the Tennie all day long!! The best water shoe I ever bought and that rubber, that rubber is just fantastic!!

 

[martin2007]

I just went looking for these (Five Ten "Eddy") on line. Can't find them in Canada, and the US sites I visited say "out of stock". Makes me want them even more Canotrouge, where did you buy them?

 

[Canotrouge]

I just went looking for these (Five Ten "Eddy") on line. Can't find them in Canada, and the US sites I visited say "out of stock". Makes me want them even more Canotrouge, where did you buy them?

I don'T have the "eddy" but the water Tennie. and I bought them directly from Five ten... When our dollar was worth something...

 

[Uncle_Skwid]

I've used the Water Tennie for a few years and simply prefer the low cut design of the Eddy for kneeling. I can't kneel comfortably in high tops. But both shoes have 5.10 rubber. And that's the schnizzle. I got my Eddys direct from 5.10 about 3 weeks ago. Maybe I bought the last pair, for which I apologize, considering the track record I've got with 5.10 water shoes. They'll make more in, like, 15 years. I knew I should've bought a few pairs!

 

[Guest]

. Sticky high-friction rubber.

That rubber that makes you feel like you’re cheating, somehow. Sticky and weird. If you're not wearing 5.10s, and you do a lot of river rock scrambling, you might be inadvertently wearing roller skates.

I have an old pair or NRS “water shoes” with sticky soles, and a decently aggressive tread as well. They are the bomb for rocky landings and boulder scrambling.

The downside is that they are sand/mud/clay/pebbles debris magnets. I have never found a shoe that carries more debris into the boat. Swishing them overboard won’t dislodge the crud. heck, banging them together when the soles are still wet clogged doesn’t do much other than spatter wee bits; they are tenacious at keeping crud adhered.

Of course the debris does fall out eventually, over the course of a day. In the boat, under my gear and float bags.

Those (discontinued….maybe a reason) NRS shoes have a form fitting and tightenable topline, one of the few watershoes I have found that prevent sand and pebbles from getting into the shoe and underfoot. I’d rather be barefoot than have pebbles trapped against my plantar or sand chafing away at the top of my dorsal foot ridge. I don’t like stuff in my shoes period. God bless knee high Mukluks, at least in cool temps. Or something I can easily take off and rinse clean in warm temps.

I still like those sticky soled water shoes and use them when I anticipate lots of rocky shore, but when I get into a clay & pebble wet foot I try to remember to take them off and endure the necessary over the gunwale sole debriding. They are a peculiar nightmare on desert rivers, and I have thought about bringing a small bristle brush to whisk out the crud.

 

[Muskrat]

I don't think Astral has been mentioned yet. I have a pair of their Brewers. They're great. Sticky rubber soles, great drainage. I wear them around town all the time too. Favorite pair of shoes I own.

 

[yellowcanoe]

The trouble with shoe recommendations is that when someone recommends them and you do some research when you go to find them.. they are no more. For that reason I got three pairs of Merrell Maipos some years ago.

I didnt know Astral made shoes... good..!

 

[Guest]

The trouble with shoe recommendations is that when someone recommends them and you do some research when you go to find them.. they are no more.

Too true. I much prefer knee high Mukluks with a stacked heel and aggressive sole and tread. Chota Nunavuts were the bomb. Discontinued. A couple years later a similar but (to my taste) improved version appeared, Chota Marsh Boots. Discontinued.

Same with hats. Patagonia’s original neck-drape sun hat was near perfect. The second generation lost some ear cover flap for a larger bill. Not an ideal trade off for my sunburned lobes, but still better than other UV protectant neck drape hats. Discontinued.

I appreciate that (sometimes) the second, third. . . .fifth generation iteration of a product is improved, but just as often a product is changed to ill effect. Or, worse, discontinued completely.

The Eureka Alpine Meadows was identical to the trusty Timberline, with the addition of a single center hoop pole that made the interior more spacious, kept the wet rain fly off the tent and added considerable wind shedding resistance. Discontinued.

But that is another topic; favorite piece of discontinued gear.

 

[Alan Gage]

I really like my Rocky S2V jungle boots. I believe these are the ones I got. I think they've been replaced by an updated model so the old ones are on sale with limited sizes. http://www.rockyboots.com/sale/rocky-s2v-jungle-boot/FQ0000106.html

Compared to the New Balance Abyss boots I wore the summer before these are leagues better. The Abyss boots started to show signs of wear and tear on day 3 and towards the end of the trip I was concerned about them holding up until the end. The Rockys, on the other hand, still look new after 42 days. Good traction in mud and wet rocks as long as they aren't snot rocks, which is what I call the rocks with green algae and brown lichens growing on them. Does anything grip those rocks? They had noticeably better wet traction than my camp shoes (trail runners).

They could drain and dry a little faster but they were still ok in those departments. They're claim of "walk them dry" might apply in the dessert but not in typical canoe tripping land. If you're wet footing it expect them to be wet all day and damp in the morning if you're portaging on a regular basis. It took quite a while to get them broken in but once that was accomplished they're very comfortable.

Alan

 

[Canotrouge]

The trouble with shoe recommendations is that when someone recommends them and you do some research when you go to find them.. they are no more. For that reason I got three pairs of Merrell Maipos some years ago.

I didnt know Astral made shoes... good..!

The Water Tennie has been made for years and they are stilted today! And I really hope for a lot more years!!

 

[Guest]

Nothing to do with tripping or traveling shoes, but for house and (dry) yard slippers fuzzy lined Crocs are the bomb, especially if you have cold concrete floors.

OK, I sometimes wander far from the yard. Walking into the local country store wearing fuzzy Crocs and overalls demonstrates my true fashionista sensibilities.

 

[Odyssey]

OK, I sometimes wander far from the yard. Walking into the local country store wearing fuzzy Crocs and overalls demonstrates my true fashionista sensibilities.

...and bathrobe? Never give in to conformity Mike.

I'm partial to work boots and whatever...jeans, bathing suit, old saggy shorts. No-one else in the yard, right? Except when I forget about public decency and "just pop out to the store". Never having a clue why everyone steps aside to let you to the front of the check-out line, till you see your reflection in the store window. Oh.

 

[Magnus919]

Merrell Moab Gore-tex trail runners. Yay, not discontinued!

Along a similar vain, I picked up a pair of Merrell Grassbow (non-waterproof) hiking shoes this year. I took them out for a short walk to break them in on day one and ended up putting 7 miles on immediately. They just felt that good. I went for the non-waterproof because if they do get wet inside (and let's face it, they will) I want that water to get back out again. These were bought for my hikes in the woods and have become my daily wear shoe, even to the office (and, of course, on day hikes).

I found a deal on them that's like half of what I paid for them at REI a few months back. See link.