Take to the Water with Mens Water Shoes

If you love water sports, it is well worth investing in a high quality pair of mens water shoes. Water shoes offer the maximum protection for the feet to prevent spikes, stone bruises and stubbed toes from spoiling your fun. Water presents many challenges for shoe designers, who have to design their shoes in lightweight materials which do not get waterlogged, yet offer a robust design to cope with the increased forces experienced when walking through water. Water is denser than air, and when water pressure acts on seams, they need to hold fast, requiring a high quality design to prevent tearing.

Water makes terrain highly slippery, and water shoe outsoles need to provide exceptional traction, not just in the wet and dry, but also when totally immersed in water. Under the foot, water needs to be dispelled for a firm contact, preventing aquaplaning, yet they still need to provide excellent grip in mud and on slippery rocks to help you get out of the water safely.

Mens water shoes also need to function perfectly well on dry land to get you to and from the water in comfort. On dry land, they need to perform like hiking shoes, giving the maximum support and cushioning, with soft linings to prevent abrasions and blistering. Since much of their life will be spent in the water, the shoes need to feature water resistant or waterproof uppers, and anti-microbial treatments are a must to prevent mildew, mould and bacteria from taking hold, whilst preventing odour and discolouration. And as if that was not enough, they also need to cope with the corrosive effects of salt to make them suitable for marine wear.

With such a wide range of challenges, it is no surprise that most men’s summer sandals do not last long in such conditions. To get the best performance purpose designed mens water shoes are required, and leading outdoor performance footwear manufacturers such as Merrell, Columbia, North Face, Salomon, Teva and Patagonia all offer excellent footwear for amphibious adventures. Whilst this is not an exhaustive list, each of these brands offers the full range of technologies developed from their performance walking shoes, to ensure the maximum comfort and support, with added grip for extreme action in the wet.

However there is a growing trend for hybrid shoes, which combining the robustness, support and cushioning of hiking shoes, with the lightweight design of a sandal. The trend was started by a legend in water sports footwear, Keen. The Keen Newport was the first lightweight hybrid shoe which gave extra protection for the toes. Whilst water shoes are an excellent choice, the open toe design on many models leaves the toes exposed and at risk of injury. For coping with underwater hazards and light hiking, an enclosed toe box with a chunky toe bumper was developed, which features throughout the Keen range. The shoes proved to be an instant success, and have seen many brands copy the design. Merrell produce the Merrell Chameleon Cargo, North Face have the HedgeFrog, and Columbia have the Outpost. However, the extra protection does come at a cost, with these shoes being heavier than the typical performance water sports shoes, making them less suitable if you are looking for a shoe to predominantly wear in the water.

However stick to any of these brands, and you will be assured of the highest quality construction, with excellent comfort, shock absorption and protection, and most of all, a long lifespan to give many months of wear and excellent value for money.