Have you ever had a pair of kayak shoes fall apart in one or two kayak trips?
Me too.
Here’s the suggestions for Best Kayak Shoes derived from a popular Facebook kayaking group that has over 20,000 members.
No particular order, just sharing what the experienced have to say.
Keen Newport H2 Sandal Water Shoe (see them on Amazon)
My friend suggested that they are perfect for kayaking trips because they can get wet and they dry quickly.
He’s been on now then 25 kayak trips in many different countries and He has worn them for decades! He was absolutely correct!
I even wore these to a Six Flags water park 2 days in a row! I never took them off. Lazy river, rides, wave pool, etc.
They were perfect!
This particular pair looked cooler to me than the others. I love these shoes! They are comfortable & well made!
I couldn’t believe how comfortable they were wearing them all day in the water. And they dried very quickly with no smell!
Chaco Z2 Classic Sport Sandal (see them on Amazon)
This is my second pair of this design. The first pair lasted approximately 10 years with heavy, almost daily, use. (I live in Houston, so the temperature permits it.)
I have gone about 8 months without my sandals, and with this pair I bought them new again.
If you haven’t owned this specific style (I own a few styles of chacos, and these are my favorites.) then you need to know this above all else: the toe loop is tighter than you might think is necessary, at first.
After wearing them for the better part of ten years- river rafting, beach stomping, jogging the dog on occasion, heavy dirt and lots of soil use… I found these to be one of the best pairs of sandals I’ve ever owned.
Around the ten year mark, obviously there was some wear in the sole. Finally, as I was walking through the parking lot of a local grocery store, the sole split.
Body Glove 3T Barefoot Cinch Water Shoe (see on Amazon)
These worked great for climbing waterfalls and wet rocks, as well as while snorkeling. I had always had cheapo water shoes in the past and wanted something more durable and more comfortable.
Very happy with the fit, grip, durability, and look of these shoes.
Durability – After climbing waterfalls, walking on sharp rocks, and snorkeling on vacation, they stayed on my feet well and only had one small tear in the big toe of one of the shoes (I wasn’t easy on them in the rocks, and I weigh 245lbs).
They had no pulling apart on any seams or insole (which I was worried about after abusing them). I really liked the drain vents in the bottom as well.
Fit – I thought they seemed just a hair large at first, but after wearing them for a while they seemed just right. If they were any smaller they may have been too tight.
When swimming, I had no problem with them feeling like they were going to fall off in the water (something I hated about cheap water shoes).
Other notes – I only had a small amount of rocks/sand get into them through all of the use I put them through.
The pull tie seems to work fairly well for keeping stuff out, although you may want to re-tighten it every now and then.
My dad got the same ones and said he had more issues with rocks/sand getting in, but he may have just not tightened it enough.
Crocs Men’s Swiftwater Mesh Deck Sandal Sport (see on Amazon)
Ok so I swore I would never own a pair of Crocs … I was soo wrong …
My go to kayaking sandals had finally bit the dust so I had to find a replacement. I looked online to find the top 10 kayaking shoes/sandals and what popped up as the best was this shoe … so as much as I hated the way it looked I said I will try it ..
so I did knowing that if I didn’t like them I could return them as I was buying them through Amazon .. So I finally got them .. I wore them on my last trip to Hawaii and used them for 10 days …
OK so now I can say I know why people like them soooo much … they had to be the lightest , most comfortable , easy to wear sandal of any kind that I have ever worn… I really like the fact they have an insole that actually supports your foot .. the mesh on top does not hold onto water and dries fast and it breathes so no hot sweaty feet …
I used them on the beach to start .. but they were so comfortable and light I ended up wearing them all the time … so I tip my hat to Croc and have to thank them for making my NEW go to sandal .
One bit of advice on these .. they run a little large and because of the stretchy material the tops are made from I got a size smaller and they fit PERFECT … so you might want to try the smaller size first .. especially if you are going to use them for hiking or walking rather than just kayaking ..