Re: [Paddlewise] Watershoes

> Saloman Tech Amphibians and they are terrific.  As a folding kayaker I
> need something that works well both in-water and out.  On a two week
> paddling trip in France this summer, my feet stayed comfortable through
> all the paddling, as well as two solid days of walking around Paris.
> This is the real strength of these shoes: they have a real sole.  This
> is great on land, and on rocky beaches, but could be a liability
> getting in and out of a kayak or using them in tight underdeck spaces
> (not an issue with my folders).  The TAs drain well, so my feet stay
> quite comfortable all the time.

Ideal water shoe probably depends on conditions of use. I've put Salomon TA
on my list, especially after my recent experience with NRS Shark Attack in
two different regions: rocky BC shores and sandy Baja California.  NRS Shark
can be found on their website and is similar to Nemo Five-Ten high shoes.
Same neoprene cuff to protect ankle bones - and this was a problem with
coarse and sharp sand particles of Baja.  It gets between the ankle and cuff
along the upper edge of this cuff, and rubs against skin when I walk back
and forth, loading a kayak or doing anything else. After 15-20 minutes my
skin was sore. Since I didn't have another watershoes in this trip, I had to
constantly check for this trapped sand and push it from the tight neoprene
cuff deeper inside, where it wouldn't rub the skin.

I would have never taken a pair of not tested shoes in any trip, but these
Sharks were tested earlier - in BC, in combination with Sealskinz socks.
Such combination worked until mid-October, with fleece socks added under
Sealskinz. Sand didn't get in (with socks) and there sands are finer here,
and much less encountered than in Baja anyway.  If I careful enough when
getting in and out of a kayak, water doesn't come over the top of Sealskinz,
and my feet stay both warm and dry, no need for sweating in neoprene MEC
Swellies or Chotas.  Even if some water gets in, such a combo keeps it warm.
Walking and non-slippery qualities of these Sharks are excellent, and drying
fast too. Though, Sealskinz socks wear out too soon for that price.  Looks
like NRS Sharks are for whitewater rather than for sea or river kayaking -
high, good protection, non-slippery on boulders, real tough sole for sharp
rocks, impossible to lose - and hardly possible to take them off :-), which
is annoying when you are tired in the evening.  I think they are snug enough
to fit into most of low-volume kayaks.  But they didn't work for me on
coarse sands.

>After two weeks of consistent use,
> though, they developed quite a stink.  It took a lot of work to get rid
> of the stink, but I seem to have been mostly successful now (soaking in
> shampoo, drying on the balcony, using dish detergent, etc.)

On the photo TA look like with a lot of mesh, and if it is so, stink is
strange. But, may be, after two weeks of non-stop use, paddling and walking,
who knows... My Sealskinz socks stink after one or two days of paddling, but
they are waterproof.  All waterproof shoes and socks stink. One thing
worries me - backs and ankle bones look unprotected in Salomon TA - back
looks soft, like in bedroom "sleepers", and can probably be folded in, same
as in bedroom sleepers (which is not bad :-).  Ankle bones are probably open
in Salomon TA - same as in running shoes.
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