While the ice is melting and the days are getting longer, I'm slowly starting to get my kayaking gear in order. I always spend a couple of weeks in May/June on Corsica, so I have two months to get ready. Most preparations take mere days (groceries, loading my battery, collecting books...) 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. Their sandals are true marvels - as long as you don't kayak. I've seen more than one kayaker stuck with his sandal behind a footbrace, and Teva's sandals do not give way. You'll drown before you slip out of a sandal. I guess Teva considers that a feature. I used to love their low-profile watershoes: The proton 1 and 2. Number 3 is a total disaster. Instead of molding the sole to the shape of a foot, they seem to have cut this one simply from an inner tube. To make it adapt to your foot, they used the thinnest rubber they could find. You might as well wear socks. You might _better_ wear socks actually. In its infinite wisdom, Teva has created the upper shoe from two layers of thin plastic. Only the top layer has some sort of drainage holes. The space between the layers is now a perfect trap for sand: It streams in but never streams out. The proton 3 has a lifetime of 1 day. Yet another shoe, the Gamma Professional, has run for a record time of _two_ years. The first series was perfect; on the second you just had to cut away a ton of nonsense to get the same perfect shoe. Not a bad effort, considering. Last years shoes (it might have been Sunkosi, but they've deteriorated beyond recogition now) took about 3 hours of sewing to prepare for use. I had to close several gravel-inlets and move the straps to a useful position. Teva should relearn that straps have an actual purpose apart from looking fancy. It seems they _have_ relearned their craft. I've laid my hands on a pair of Lava Falls that seem to be good watershoes once again. In my combination of delight and despair, I decided to stock up. I found one extra pair in my own country (Yeaj!) and then expanded my search to Europe, Canada, Australia and the United States before locating two more pairs. Not exactly the right color, and a little smaller than I'd hoped, but at least they're _shoes_, not pathetic excuses. I have effectively cornered the global market on Teva Lava Falls, size 10.5 and 11, and the global market on usable outdoor shoes in general. If anyone wants to buy a pair for 10 times the price, then know that they're NOT for sale. They're _mine_! Happy paddling, in whatever might be left in the stores. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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 *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Craig said (snip) in reply to Niels: >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.< Floppy booty sounds like a description, at your age, of your dating pool! As for Teva sandals, I think there are alternatives with no particular winners and losers - just differences that suit different paddlers. I do like the quick-pull style lace systems. However, even the best still allow sand in and that spells friction and skin abrasion if worn next to skin. New shoes do come out all the time. I'm sticking with zippered wetsuit booties for now (though many don't stay zippered properly) or my Chota Muckluk standbys for cold season. The newer Kokatat Nomad Mukluks look more warm-weather friendly with their non-neoprene uppers but all the retailers around here are too bloody afraid to actually order stock these days. I may need to go over to the mainland - again. Or shop the world as Niels does, from the privacy of my computer, though I have never done well at ordering footwear and having a satisfactory fit. Though in some instances, I like tight booty. DL *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I have been most happy with cheap watershoes that you get at low end department stores, similar to these: http://www.swimoutlet.com/product_p/1843.htm Usually less than $20 a pair I have often picked them up for $10 a pair and get several pair at a time. The side of the heal will wear out within a couple months but at the price you can get several pairs for the cost of Tevas. The only modification I make is removing the insole because it never stays in anyway. On Mar 11, 2010, at 7:44 PM, Niels Blaauw wrote: > > I have effectively cornered the global market on Teva Lava Falls, size 10.5 and 11, and the global market on usable outdoor shoes in general. If anyone wants to buy a pair for 10 times the price, then know that they're NOT for sale. They're _mine_! > Nick Schade Guillemot Kayaks 54 South Rd Groton, CT 06340 USA Ph/Fx: (860) 659-8847 http://www.guillemot-kayaks.com/ *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I found that after 3-4 days on the water and camping, the Tevas would eat my ankles and make them raw in places, which was painful. I switched to Keene's and they were totally comfortable. Both brands allow pebbles to lodge under the soles of your feet, which again is not pleasant. Also, both Tevas and Keenes are pretty expensive, compared to a zippered wet suit booty. There's something to be said for snug booty. Bradford R. Crain Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Teva shoes >I have been most happy with cheap watershoes that you get at low end >department stores, similar to these: >http://www.swimoutlet.com/product_p/1843.htm Usually less than $20 a pair >I have often picked them up for $10 a pair and get several pair at a time. >The side of the heal will wear out within a couple months but at the price >you can get several pairs for the cost of Tevas. The only modification I >make is removing the insole because it never stays in anyway. > > On Mar 11, 2010, at 7:44 PM, Niels Blaauw wrote: >> >> I have effectively cornered the global market on Teva Lava Falls, size >> 10.5 and 11, and the global market on usable outdoor shoes in general. If >> anyone wants to buy a pair for 10 times the price, then know that they're >> NOT for sale. They're _mine_! >> > > Nick Schade > > Guillemot Kayaks > 54 South Rd > Groton, CT 06340 > USA > Ph/Fx: (860) 659-8847 > http://www.guillemot-kayaks.com/ *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I've been wearing Tevas since they first came out, when I wore them for canoeing and portaging, and still prefer the earliest styles. My feet are short, unusually wide across the ball, and have high insteps, so adjustable sandals fit me better than most shoes. My wife likes Keens, but I find them too warm and not as comfortable in a kayak, and I can't remove the inevitable sand and pebbles from them as easily as I can from the classic Tevas. Another reason I prefer sandals, especially Tevas, is that my feet can dry out between landings, compared to wet boots. I do wear the latter when I am wearing my dry suit, however, as they protect the dry suit's latex booties. Chuck Holst __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 4940 (20100312) __________ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I am always down for some snug booty. GaryJ On 12/03/2010 12:19 PM, Bradford R. Crain wrote: > There's something to be said for snug booty. > > Bradford R. Crain *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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