Water Footwear Guide
Water Sandals
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Water Footwear Guide
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Water Footwear
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Water Sandals
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| A typical Water Sandal- Good but Not Great for Active Watersports |
Water Sandals, as you now know If you've read the Water Sandals article, are far better to wear than your typical "lifestyle" sandal when engaging in active watersports. While a water sandal is generally not as good as a water shoe in terms of foot protection and traction, some sandals (Keen's in particular), do come pretty close.
So let's start looking at what brand/style of water sandal you might want to get, what features to look for and where to get them.
There are three solid brands of water sandals I've come across in my search for good sandals for watersports. My recommended place to buy these them is at Zappos, which is where I buy the bulk of my footwear anymore.(Why buy Footwear at Zappos?).
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Keen Water Sandals - If you really want to get a water sandal - and not a water shoe - but are worried about foot protection, then have no fear. Keen is here. Keen water sandals, while maybe not the most stylish, without question provide the MOST foot protection of any water sandal on the market. Keen sandals provide both solid top-foot protection as well as a toe guard. Read Review of the Keen Newport H2 Water Sandal - My recommendation if you are looking for a top-notch sandal for active watersports. |
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Teva Water Shoes - Teva water sandals, especially some of their newer, rather odd, looking sandals come a very close second to Keen in terms of foot protection. Teva's newer creatioons provide a toe guard and good top-foot protection, along with Teva's legendary durability. |
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Salomon Water Sandals - Salomon makes some great water shoes. They are my favorite. But I'm less impressed with their water sandal line, since they do not provide much top-foot protection. And some of their styles of water sandals also lack a crucial toe-guard. Salomon only has 2 styles of water sandals last time I checked. |
In addition to the three brands and styles of sandals I suggest above, Zappos does carry a few other brands. If you wish to scroll through the full selection of water sandals at Zappos, just follow these two links :
The following features should be found on any water sandal you get, no matter who makes it and where you get it from.
Toe Guard - This should be standard on any water sandal and is what seperates a true water sandal from your run-of-the-mill sandal for city/backyard use. Why do you want a toe guard? Once you smash your toe into an underwater obstruction (like a rock) or into the side of a canoe, you'll understand.
Top Foot Protection - Very few sandals, beyond those designed for limited hiking and water use, provide top of the foot protection. Protection for the top of the foot isn't as crucial as a toe guard. However, the next time you drop a paddle or something relatively sharp onto the top of your foot, you'll understand why having at least some foot protection on the top of the sandal can be a handy thing to have.
THICK Sole - Similar to a water shoe, any water sandal you get should have a thick sole. If you stick with water sandals made by Teva or Keen, you'll have no worries. The thick sole serves two functions - better traction on slippery surfaces and protection of the bottom of your foot from sharp, protuding things (such as sharp, underwater rocks).
If you haven't figured it out by now, I really like Zappos, due to both their superb support, excellent prices and truly massive selection. However, there are other places where you can buy water shoes online, too. Listed below are some places you may wish to check out.
Teva
Teve, the manufacturer of Teva Sandals, as their own online shopping site. They carry the full line of current Teva Sandals, which is nice. However, they do tend to charge "full price."
Shoe Buy.com
I've never ordered anything through ShoeBuy, however they do have an excellent rating. They also have very similar return policies to Zappos as well, so I suspect they are a trusted and respected merchant.
Shoes.Com
Shoes.Com is another major retailer of shoes on the net. They seem to focus more on shoes, but they do have a small selection of water shoes/sandals available.
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