Water shoe recommendation

[aknguyen]

My husband, elementary-age son, and I are going to do a cave tubing excursion in Belize. It has some hiking before the tubing. Flip flops are prohibited (for good reason). I'm thinking water shoes or even hiking sandals with a closed toe would be a good choice. I've heard mixed things about the regular type water shoes because the hike can be rocky and they don't typically offer a lot of support. However, I don't particularly want to spend $400+ on Merrells, Keens, etc. for the whole family when we won't get much use out of them. My son is growing so fast right now I can guarantee you he'll only be able to wear them for a couple of months at most. Do you have any recommendations on something priced moderately that would work for this? TIA.

[awhfy]

Look at Sierra Trading Post. They’re having a huge sale. Just bought DH new pair of Keens for $30 (he’ll wear them for years). Kohl’s had a similar water sandal (closed toe) for about same price. The youth sizes are much less $$

[aknguyen]

Thank you. I'll do that.

[BND]

DH and I have Keens and while they can be expensive, I know we spent less than $100 on each pair.  The great thing is how long they last.    Look on Amazon for them also.

[Hoyaheel]

Check your local warehouse stores too. Costco often has water shoes (it's a little early in the season for them in my warehouse). I personally prefer a water sandal with thick sole (though Keen sandals don't fit my feet, I've had much better luck with Tevas though as far as I know they don't have a closed toe option at the moment - I had a pair in the past and adored until they fell apart 😉

 

Also - check consignment stores for your son - as you note, kids grow fast, might be an option?

[GlennaRoseGoes]

I love my Seastar espadrilles! They are the only “real shoes” I took to the Bahamas. Wore them on the plane each way, with a suitcase full of sandals. They are neoprene, like a wetsuit. 

Edited March 31, 2019 by GlennaRoseGoes

[scubagal44]

I have a pair of Keen Whisper sandals that I swear by.  In fact, the very first activity I wore them for was cave tubing in Belize and they're still perfect 5 years later. 

 

I don't know what size you are, but in my size they are currently $84 or less (different prices for different colors) on Amazon.

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003Z4JWFC/

 

As for your DH and son, I would first check Amazon to see what they have in Keens or Merrills.  You might be surprised at some prices.

[TwinMamainMN]

I was looking at many styles on amazon for our Hawaii cruise next year. I would prefer tennis shoe looking type of watershoe over Keen or Merrell styles. It's an aesthetic thing for me. If I don't like how they look, I won't wear them. This is one I am considering: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MFWX4BW/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_9?smid=A14P8JCL9ZGE12&psc=1 the price is right and they come in lots of colors.

Edited March 31, 2019 by TwinMamainMN

[TwinMamainMN]

18 hours ago, GlennaRoseGoes said:

I love my Seastar espadrilles! They are the only “real shoes” I took to the Bahamas. Wore them on the plane each way, with a suitcase full of sandals. They are neoprene, like a wetsuit. 

 

Super cute! Did you get sweaty feet in them?

[Hoyaheel]

58 minutes ago, TwinMamainMN said:

I was looking at many styles on amazon for our Hawaii cruise next year. I would prefer tennis shoe looking type of watershoe over Keen or Merrell styles. It's an aesthetic thing for me. If I don't like how they look, I won't wear them. This is one I am considering: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MFWX4BW/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_9?smid=A14P8JCL9ZGE12&psc=1 the price is right and they come in lots of colors.

FYI, Keen and Merrell both make LOTS of different styles of shoes. You specifically don't like the sandal style? Because I have some more "sneaker" looking Merrell water shoes 😉 I prefer a sandal for most of my uses but the Merrells were on deep discount and they work in some scenarios (mainly, when I want to wear socks and have a water shoe....)

[GlennaRoseGoes]

4 hours ago, TwinMamainMN said:

 

Super cute! Did you get sweaty feet in them?

Yes, but not as bad as I’d expected!

[aknguyen]

I do have a Costco membership and I think I remember seeing some last year! I forgot about that until now. I'm going to wait a few more weeks and see if I can get something there. If not, I'll definitely take the other suggestions as well. Thank you!

[sydbarrett]

I'm in a similar situation and I'm not sure what to do - if I should lug my hiking shoes along, which are waterproof but I wouldn't want to wear them IN the water. I feel like water shoes won't fully cut it, and I hate when they fill up with sand and scratch up my feet. So hard to walk in. There are some pretty interesting water shoes that are more like a sneaker...I know adidas makes a pair and there are others. If you search for amphibian sneakers I think that should bring some other options up. There are lots under 100

[sydbarrett]

On 3/31/2019 at 6:51 PM, TwinMamainMN said:

I was looking at many styles on amazon for our Hawaii cruise next year. I would prefer tennis shoe looking type of watershoe over Keen or Merrell styles. It's an aesthetic thing for me. If I don't like how they look, I won't wear them. This is one I am considering: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MFWX4BW/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_9?smid=A14P8JCL9ZGE12&psc=1 the price is right and they come in lots of colors.

Those look perfect! I notice they are $85 in Canada but I might be able to find something similar on Ali Express. 

[aknguyen]

So my husband decided to buy a cheap pair of the tennis-shoe looking water shoes off Amazon because they had a lightning deal for $10. They broke the first time he put them on. Needless to say, he shouldn't have gone for the cheapest possible thing. I'm still going to hold out a bit longer for Costco.

[angie7911922]

Look on Backcountry.com. They always have sales, and your $100 Keens can usually be bought for $40.

[aknguyen]

I struggled to find much in our sizes that fit the bill (specifically closed toed) but I ended up getting some Magellan brand for $25 a piece at Academy, which I think is a just a regional chain. If they only last a couple of seasons, no big deal. I'll still keep my eye out for good deals at the places recommended here for future use. Thanks again!

[crystalspin]

On 3/31/2019 at 2:51 PM, TwinMamainMN said:

I was looking at many styles on amazon for our Hawaii cruise next year. I would prefer tennis shoe looking type of watershoe over Keen or Merrell styles. It's an aesthetic thing for me. If I don't like how they look, I won't wear them. This is one I am considering: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MFWX4BW/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_9?smid=A14P8JCL9ZGE12&psc=1 the price is right and they come in lots of colors.

I ❤️ you!!!

[Brownie54]

I just received these, and they look like they will be perfect for my Carribean cruise next April! Thanks for your post!

[MHF]

I bought cheap ones at WalMart for Atlantis waterpark near Nassau.  They did fine on the 2 lazy rivers.  Still going strong too.  May take them this year.

[suzannecruisecritic]

Lands End sometimes has good sales prices on water shoes, and lots of sizes/widths/colors for kids. But if you need traction and arch support for a hike I still prefer Merrell or Keen and try to get them on sale. 

[crystalspin]

On 3/31/2019 at 2:51 PM, TwinMamainMN said:

It's an aesthetic thing for me. If I don't like how they look, I won't wear them. This is one I am considering: 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MFWX4BW/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_9?smid=A14P8JCL9ZGE12&psc=1 the price is right

The reviews are also great! Good for moderate walking and doesn't pull off walking in water (as my previous slip-on ones did). I ordered a pair each for DH and myself and a pair each of the Alibress ones (I like the styling better but weren't available in the half-sizes we need). We have Prime so returning the ones that don't fit is free.

 

ETA: you are correct about the aesthetics -- DH would never wear rugged looking Keens or even Tevas. I have some hope of him wearing these! Also I saw reviews of wearing them walking around the ship, etc. where they would look like any fabric sneaker that are quite popular now.

Edited May 21, 2019 by crystalspin

[crystalspin]

@TwinMamainMN and @agibeault

I presented the DOUSSPRT in 9.5's (men's 43 and women's 41) (which are the sizes we wear in street shoes) and the Alibress in 10's (men's 44 and women's 42) to my DH for his birthday today (well, I gave him the men's!) and we just tried them on. We both settled on the Alibress, which have a bit more fabric in the upper. I have high arches and although he has flat feet, they are wide and the roominess felt better to him. I thought the DOUSSPRT felt better on the bottom of my feet, standing on a hard floor, but it didn't make up for feeling like I needed a shoehorn to get my arches into them! That is a lot of information, but I thought it might help someone trying to decide for themselves.

DOUSSPRT Women's and Men's

Alibress Women's and Men's -- agibeault, Alibress sounds like it might be related to your Ali Express???

 

I got the black-with-black-soles for myself, and light-gray-w/white-soles for him. They are quite nice looking!

[TwinMamainMN]

17 hours ago, crystalspin said:

@TwinMamainMN and @agibeault

I presented the DOUSSPRT in 9.5's (men's 43 and women's 41) (which are the sizes we wear in street shoes) and the Alibress in 10's (men's 44 and women's 42) to my DH for his birthday today (well, I gave him the men's!) and we just tried them on. We both settled on the Alibress, which have a bit more fabric in the upper. I have high arches and although he has flat feet, they are wide and the roominess felt better to him. I thought the DOUSSPRT felt better on the bottom of my feet, standing on a hard floor, but it didn't make up for feeling like I needed a shoehorn to get my arches into them! That is a lot of information, but I thought it might help someone trying to decide for themselves.

DOUSSPRT Women's and Men's

Alibress Women's and Men's -- agibeault, Alibress sounds like it might be related to your Ali Express???

 

I got the black-with-black-soles for myself, and light-gray-w/white-soles for him. They are quite nice looking!

 

My husband has wide feet, and I have pretty flat feet, so this is super helpful! Thanks for posting back with a review.

[crystalspin]

2 minutes ago, TwinMamainMN said:

 

My husband has wide feet, and I have pretty flat feet, so this is super helpful! Thanks for posting back with a review.

Oddly enough, the Alibress catalog entries, both mens and womens have two models of shoes each. The ones with the "extra fabric" for width or height are the ones with the pointed stripes on the sides. In the mens Alibress listing they are named with "-073" like "All Black-073", but in the womens listing they have no number in the name, but the OTHER (flatter models) have "-101" stuck on their color names. The color choices in both are:
All Black
Black White sole
Grey Black trim, white sole
Grey White sole
Navy White sole

 

You order in US sizes but the shoes that come are marked in Euro sizes which it turns out are no more consistent than US.

 

Good luck finding the right ones for your feets!