Re: [Paddlewise] Teva shoes

On Thu, Mar 11, 2010 at 4:44 PM, Niels Blaauw <niels_at_nibla.nl> wrote:

> ..........but one cannot start soon enough on finding _shoes_ for the trip.
> Teva is my brand of choice - not that they're any good, but their
> comparators are even worse.
>

I understand your pain. My size 12-1/2 (US) feet also need paddling shoes
that do not take up a lot more room than my bare feet. I have a pair of NRS
Desperado water shoes that have been excellent in the boat but are almost
impossible to put on over a drysuit; at least for an older and less flexible
person such as I am.

Some watershoes have excellent friction which turns out to be a drawback as
they grip so well that you cannot slide your feet into the cockpit. Others
have soles that are well suited to walking but their thick soles make a size
12-1/2 shoe into a size 13-1/2 shoe.... just a bit too long to comfortably
fit in a modern narrow kayak.

Putting them on (and taking them off again) can also be a serious issue.
Certainly it is for me. I am not, as I mentioned above, as flexible as I
used to be and shoes with strong elastic around the ankles can wear me out
to the point where I'm ready to just go back and sit in the car.

The best paddling shoes I have ever found were a pair of floppy scuba
booties with a zipper up the side. I wouldn't want to walk very far in them
but then all I really need them for is to protect the booties of the
drysuit. The zipper makes them simple to put on and take off even when
encumbered with a drysuit. And they are made to fit into the foot-well of
diver's flippers. Another point in their favor is that they are loose enough
to easily slip out of just in case they get jammed up in your foot braces.

And they tend to be cheap... often less than $25.

Mine burned up in the shop fire last year so I've been using the Desperados.
But as soon as I can get to a dive shop I'm gonna find a new pair of floppy
booties.


Craig Jungers
Moses Lake, WA
www.nwkayaking.net
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