Boat shoe/boot alternatives

[tacmik]

Barefoot. Year round. Shoes. I don't need no stinkin shoes.

[MITCHELL]

Untill you step on a broken clam or scallop shell at oex back launch, there like razor blades I no i sliced open my finger moving rocks to launch my canoe in the dark at the last battle of the bays

[Mr. NiceGuy]

I bought these wet suit booties to try. They are lightweight and basically as comfortable as bare feet. I wanted them to avoid sunburning my feet. They breathe easily and feel cool and dry. The soles are strong enough for kayak pedals, sandy beaches, launch ramps, etc., but not tough for jagged rocks or walking over broken bottles. They slide on and off easily like socks. Stay in place comfortably. I would call them water socks.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[ProfessorLongArms]

Figured I would tap this thread rather than start a new one. I’ve been through like five different approaches on boots and just arrived at one I’m really happy with.

My criteria for boots on a pedal kayak were as follows:

1) ideally high top that would tuck under my pants so I didn’t have to put sunscreen on my ankles all day
2) breathable, mild insulation, drain well. I don’t mind if I get water in the shoes so long as they’re dry in an hour or so.
3) support. Picking over a cliff side with a kayak and landing in the rocks is pretty gnarly. I’ve also found if I don’t have decent arch support, peddling all day my feet start getting really sore.
4) waders don’t apply here.

I’ve tried going barefoot with sunscreen and I don’t understand how people do it.

I started out just using a cheap pair of slip on water shoes... not enough support. Barely better than barefoot. Neo sport makes a cheap neoprene high top dive boot, and those have definitely gotten the job done over the last 2 years... I hoped I could do better and tried NRS water boots.

The big problem with both of those is they have just fair support and they basically hold water. I would come home and my feet would just be pruned up and destroyed, and I would especially start to feel it with a fresh load of water as I’m hauling my kayak up the stairs and realizing The flip-flops in my truck would be a better alternative.

Just recently I bought a pair of Merrell mesh water shoes at REI with a .5mil neoprene sock, and they’re amazing. Super supportive. Really grippy bottoms. The neoprene doesn’t rub at all, and I have 100% UV protection. The mesh seems to keep out anything that would qualify as a hitchhiker in the surf zone, and the neoprene sock seems to keep my feet dry enough.

Links:

https://www.rei.com/product/114954/n...n-05-wet-socks
https://www.rei.com/product/164484/m...ter-shoes-mens

Shoes a bit pricier than I’d like, but hard to beat a good rei sale when those rei dividends are burning hole in yr pocket