Water shoes/sandals

[wombat4787]

Hi all,

I'm looking for lightweight shoes/sandals that are usable for water crossings and general end of day utility. Crocs have come up, but do people find them too inherently buoyant when walking in water? I've also come across Sharskin shoes, but I have no experience with the brand. Any other suggestions? I know "lightweight" and "long lasting" are generally mutually exclusive, but I'd rather something that was at least somewhat robust.

thanks,

Peter

[keithj]

I sometimes take 3mm neoprene diving boots - such as https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007256074127.html
V. light & compact with adequte sole for water crossings & around camp... but not especially robust.

[tassietramper]

I use croc sandals. Similar to these: https://www.anacondastores.com/footwear ... pkv0KWdr00

They work great around camp as they can be worn with socks.
Have good grip (standard cros have next to no grip) so ok on rocks, wet surfaces etc.
Still pretty light.

[ChrisJHC]

I just use my Teva sandals.
If they get wet, I just hang them outside my pack for a little while and they dry well.
Comfortable as camp shoes, lots of air flow to help prevent smelly feet and can be my spare hiking footwear if my boots fail catastrophically.

[JohnnoMcJohnno]

If I'm expecting a lot of water crossings, I have a pair of Salomon Cross Amphibian Swift 2 shoes I take. Fairly light (470g for a pair of size 12's), fairly sturdy, fairly comfortable. Salomon don't make that particular model anymore but I believe they have some similar options. If it's just the odd creek crossing now and again, I don't bother taking them, I'd rather save the weight.

[andrewa]

Crocs are great, but bulky.

For me it’s weight vs bulk vs use.

Off to NZ next week fly fishing . We will have wet feet all day every day, so have concluded that end of day footwear when we want dry feet is (carried) waterproof socks inside our wading boots or silicon overshoes (temu) with foam footbeds. Have also used dry socks inside freezer bags inside wet walking/wading boots at night, however I note that you somehow want to keep your boots dry doing creek crossings, this being the major issue!

[lseries92]

I have been using Ballop Skin Fits V1 (although they now seem to be called Ballop Skin Fit Actives). They are very light and comfy but may not be robust enough for you. That said mine have lasted nearly 10 years although I have not been using them for many water crossings lately. I primarily use them for camp shoes or walking around town on rest days when through hiking.

I wear the 270mm versions which come in at 240g for the pair (yes - that is the total for both shoes including inner soles!). They dry fast and pack flat meaning you can pretty much stuff them anywhere on the outside of your pack. While it is not advertised, my pair of Spider Black colour are slightly luminous meaning you can normally see them without turning on your head lamp if you need to get up at night.

Being so light the sole is pretty thin but it has held up well over the years and mine seem to have plenty of life left in them. One thing you do have to watch out for is that they have perforated soles - something not uncommon in things like water shoes - so if you are walking around camp across wet grass you feet will being to get wet. You may be able to manage this by getting non-perforated inner soles but I have never bothered.