Dan Hagen wrote: > > David Seng wrote: > > > Sandals are one step up from going barefoot. They can be very comfortable > > and convenient to wear when in "amphibious" mode, but the don't really offer > > a lot of protection from the elements (cold) or the hard stuff ... > > There have been times when small pieces of gravel have lodged between the > > sole of my foot and the footbed of my Tevas. OUCH. I've stubbed and cut > > toes while both barefoot and sandaled. ...<snip>... A > > medium weight wet shoe (like the NRS ATB) does admirable duty when on the > > water and a pair of medium weight hikers take care of shore-bound tasks. > > I couldn't agree more. I really wanted to like my Tevas, but they just > don't provide much protection. Getting gravel and shell fragments > between my foot and the sandal is the worst problem. I just don't > understand why people prefer these things to the many superior > alternatives. Of course they are more fashionable than heavy-duty > neoprene boots, but for the areas in which I paddle they are > functionally deficient. As always, YMMV. My gosh, it must be still winter with more limited cofoortable paddling opportunities in the Northeast if I now find myself defending sandals. :-) I have tried a range of other amphibious footwear and except for paddling in water of temperatures below about 50 degrees, I have never found anything to work quite as well as sandals. Below that temperature range a switch to thick neoprene booties works best for me, the kind that are 7 inches high without zippers. My feet never get cold, even not wearing socks. Sandals dry quicker than anything else. Quicker than those mesh low cut shoes that Nike sells. And certainly quicker than fuller shoes such as the Vasque and the ones that Teva sold at one point. I finally threw away the Teva shoes because they would take days to fully dry even inside a warm apartment sitting in the sun coming in through a window. Sandals offer more foot support in their thick soles than most amphibious shoes. Certainly more than in the Nikes which just don't hack it in the arch and stiffness of the sole. Same surprisingly true of the Teva shoes. Only the Vasque offered true foot support with a thick sole and a steel shank embedded in the sole. Sandals, while certainly looking like they leave your feet vulnerably exposed, offer plenty of protection if they are fitted right. In nearly a dozen years of wearing them from early April to late October in paddling and walking and mild hiking, I have sustained one small scratch and not one stubbed toe. The secret again is to make certain that your foot stays well within the sole's perimeter. If the sandals are too short and your toes are protruding out in front of the soles, all bets are off. As for pebbles and sand getting into them, I have had the annoying odd item get between the sole and the foot but it is easy to flush those out as you are getting into your boat something you can't do when the same said foreign material infiltrates an amphibious shoe (you can only flush the latter by removing the shoe and swishing water around in it and even then some will stay in until the shoe is dry). I have noticed that my Chacos seem to get pebbles a tiny bit more than the Alps for some reason (or has natural selection bred a more pesky persistently invasive pebble as it has mosquitoes?). Sandals bring us closer to Judeo-Christian biblical times and a simpler life and have been spoken highly of with nostalgia by prez candidate John MacCain thinking back to his POW days (still has his). Oops, not good...must keep religion and politics out of PaddleWise! :-) Let's see what else we can argue the virtues of as we await warmer weather?: --Baseball caps vs. Tilly type hats in paddling --Synthetic T-shirts in warm weather/ warm water paddling vs. all cotton --Cover up clothing from neck to wrists in strong sun vs. wearing a tank top and developing a nice tan --Using high SPF sun bloc vs. developing a tan --Using any type of cutdown or light clothing in summer paddling vs. wearing neoprene or neoprene-like clothing as exposure in even 75 degree water will do you in to hypothermia if in the stuff long enough saludos to all, ralph diaz -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024 Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com "Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Well, Ralph, there I was lurking and not even daring to open my "mouth" ( a miracle, indeed, I admit) while everyone was trashing my Tevas sandals. I was glad for your support, and noted that it must be a slow day in the big city from the length of your post (didn't even try to snip from it). OK, so they're not the safest and I did have to extricate my foot from it and then dig down in the mud for the sandal over the Long Key weekend, but they are so much cooler. I also use the ones from the local K-Marts ($8) - I can afford to lose them. (I got the Tevas on close-out). And when I'm paddling a SOT I can just flip the leggies over the sides and soak my feet - gets rid of the sand and pebbles, too. I ordered a pair of ankle-high Vasque shoes that looked great in the catalog, but returned them because I could tell they would be slipping off in between rocks and mud and stuff. I recently bought some sandals that have a whole bunch of straps - unisex styles from Target. They were $15 and I really like them. They have adjustable straps and little Fastex buckles. Sandy Kramer *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Right ON Ralph! I couldn't help thinking what a bunch of whimpie piggies some paddlers have. I generally wear Teva Alps or Chaco Z-1's from mid March to early November. Exclusively. No other shoes. Land or sea. Been doing it for years and years. Hardly a stub, seldom a bruise, a *little* blood now and then but hey I got great tan lines *and* you can show off your toe nail polish! BTW, you wouldn't believe how many sea kayak clients will paint their toes if given the op! Steve Scherrer <also a March-November shorts guy> Alder Creek Kayak and Canoe 250 NE Tomahawk Isle Dr Portland, OR 97217 Phone: 503.285.0464 Fax: 503.285.0106 Web site: http://www.aldercreek.com Email: acks_at_teleport.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
AlderCreek wrote: > > Right ON Ralph! I couldn't help thinking what a bunch of whimpie piggies some paddlers have. > > I generally wear Teva Alps or Chaco Z-1's from mid March to early November. Exclusively. No other shoes. Land or sea. Been doing it for years and years. Hardly a stub, seldom a bruise, a *little* blood now and then but hey I got great tan lines *and* you can show off your toe nail polish! > > BTW, you wouldn't believe how many sea kayak clients will paint their toes if given the op! > > Steve Scherrer I failed to mention one "injury" that I did get while wearing sandals. My wife and I were paddling on the Hudson River about 100 miles north of New York City. We stopped in the town park of Coxsackie (great name!) to wait for the currents to turn from flood to ebb (they can run 2.5 knots even that far from the ocean). As I walked across the lawn, a bee, in an unintentional but perfectly timed flight pattern, flew into my sandal at that precise moment when the big toe was raised. As I completed the step and stepped on him with my big toe, he retailated and stung me. I almost fell off my feet. I looked down to see this dazed bee stumble out from under my foot. The pain was incredible. I did several things: 1. First, since wearing sandals brings out the peacefulness in one, the St. Francis of Assisi in all of us, I did not take out revenge on the poor dazed bee but let it live. St. Frank lives in all sandal wearers. 2. Next, I limped immediately over to the river bank and stepped into the cold water to relieve swelling and pain. I stood there for 10 minutes and then got out, found some anti-histamines in my survival kit, and was no worse for it all...no lingering swelling. Lingering though in the back of my mind were all the paddling horror stories about the dangers of wearing sandals. Clearly, since I am a proponent of safe sandaling, I surpressed the thought until now. My tale now, alas, will just add fuel to the anti-sandal crowd. I must point out something here. The raised big toe is pretty much SOP for sandals but not the Chaco's. Somehow in the process of making them, they get the front part of the sandal to curl upwards quite noticeably, so much so that it is a brand recognition sign even if you don't see the label or they come out with a new model. That molded upward curl of the footbed at the toe area would probably prevent such a freakish bee sting accident (I was in pre-Teva Alps at the time). So if you are worried about stings from angry stepped on bees, wear Chacos. :-) ralph diaz -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024 Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com "Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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