Best Water Shoes for Men of 2021

Best Overall Water Shoes

Astral TR1 Junction

Weight per pair: 1.6 lb | Drainage: Front/side holes, top mesh

The Astral TR1 Junction is a superb do-it-all shoe. We happily used it for more activities than any other shoe during testing. Its comfortable interior is highly adjustable, making it great whether you're going barefoot or stuffing in multiple socks under your drysuit. Their G15 outsoles balance traction on soft and hard surfaces better than any other water shoe we tested and the moderately stiff midsole provides excellent foot protection and support while also providing good proprioception on rough terrain.

While these shoes are great for most water activities you can throw at them, they aren't quite as warm as paddling booties, like the NRS Paddle Wetshoe, while their outsoles struggle to stick to the slickest rocks. If you need a purpose-built shoe for more narrow usage, look below. But for those looking for a single shoe that can perform great in any water sport, theTR1 Junction is our highest recommendation.

Read review: Astral TR1 Junction

Best Bang for Your Buck

Adidas Terrex Summer.RDY Voyager Speed

Weight per pair: 1.6 lbs | Drainage: Side holes, top mesh

In terms of performance to price ratio, we were blown away by the Adidas Terrex Summer.RDY Voyager. For a price much lower than most similar water shoes, you get some of the stickiest rubber in existence, stellar drainage, and lots of protection for your foot. These are very much a lighter, airier shoe that works quite well for when you need to be safe in the water but also want excellent drainage and comfort.

While we loved their drainage and fast-drying materials, the mostly mesh upper makes the Voyager prone to scrapes and tears. These shoes just aren't able to handle abrasive environments and, therefore, not suitable for canyoneering. That said, their airy uppers and supportive soles make them great for a whole host of activities, both in and out of the water. All in all, these are a screaming deal for a shoe that can nearly do it all.

Read review: Adidas Terrex Summer.RDY Voyager

Best on a Tight Budget

NRS Kicker Remix

Weight per pair: 1.8 lbs | Drainage: none

We acknowledge that some people are just looking for a great water shoe for boating on a shoestring budget. If that describes you, look no further than the NRS Kicker Remix. The thick neoprene uppers are comfortable and keep your feet toasty warm. The thin but very sticky outsole is excellent on wet rock and provides good proprioception to balance on rough terrain.

While they work well for kayaking, these booties are too thin-soled to do a lot of walking. They also tend to slip around unless your feet fit them well, as they lack laces to fine-tune the fit. Both of these things are not an issue if you only need a shoe to keep your feet warm in a boat, protect your drysuit socks, and keep your feet protected at the put-in and takeout. For the price, these make a very decent boating shoe.

Read review: NRS Kicker Remix

Best for Stylish Performance

Astral Loyak

Weight per pair: 1.1 lbs | Drainage: Front/back/side holes, top mesh

Don't be fooled by the casual, stylish looks of the Astral Loyak. These are high-performing water shoes with a well-designed, sock-like fit, superb drainage, and sticky, siped outsoles. They are super comfortable on foot, whether in the water or on land. Their thin, neutral soles have great ground-feel that helps maintain balance and make them fun to swim in.

While they perform well in the water, they are less durable than other shoes we tested and not entirely as adjustable as higher-performing models that allow for more insulation on cold days. That said, they offer excellent value for anyone looking for a paddling or river walking shoe that also works well as a shoe for hanging around camp, traveling, or going from water to watering hole.

Read review: Astral Loyak

Best for Paddling

NRS Paddle Wetshoe

Weight per pair: 1.9 lbs | Drainage: none

Specifically designed for paddling, the NRS Paddle Wetshoes offer a super stretchy neoprene upper and a fleece interior, providing superb fit and warmth even on super cold days. Their sticky rubber kept us stable when moving over slick, wet rock in the river. With a low-drag upper and excellent ankle flexion, these are fun to wear in the water.

However, that flexibility and warmth come at the expense of on-land performance. The thin, flexible soles don't provide enough support for lots of walking, and the lack of drainage that makes these so warm ends up retaining water on land, leading to soggy, uncomfortable feet. These booties are more or less a one-trick pony: for any activity in which you expect to be on the water most of the time, they will keep your feet happy and ready to go once you get back to shore.

Read review: NRS Paddle Wetshoe

Why You Should Trust Us

This review is led by Dan Scott, an avid packrafter and canyoneer. Dan has spent years paddling and rafting rivers across the Western United States, from the Grand Canyon to the Main Salmon. With a passion for rivers, Dan has descended canyons worldwide, from Spain and Austria to Utah and the Pacific Northwest, with multiple first and solo descents in both high and low flow canyons. Dan is also a Ph.D. river scientist who spends much of his work time collecting data on and around rivers.

For this review, we spent a ton of time splashing around in the drink. To evaluate how these shoes measured up, we spent over two months in the super-wet Pacific Northwest paddling, river walking, running, hiking, and canyoneering. We also waded up and down frigid, snowmelt streams in the Colorado Rockies. We often used a tried-and-true method of shoe testing in which we wore different shoes on each foot, making it easy to figure out which foot was happier and which shoe was higher performing. Throughout this testing, we kept in mind what paddlers, canyoneers, and water-loving folks like about their shoes, often asking friends for their take on things. Rigorous testing, a variety of testing environments and activities, and thoughtful evaluation allow us to make detailed and dependable recommendations for which products will work best for you.

Related: How We Tested Water Shoes

Analysis and Test Results

We tested these shoes in various environments and activities, determining which shoes work best on and off the water and for a variety of purposes. Below, we delve into the six key metrics that we used to define water shoe performance. As you read through, think about how you use water shoes and which metrics are most important to you.

Value

The value proposition (what you get for the price) depends on the activity. For paddlers, you can get a stellar bootie like the NRS Kicker Remix for half the price of most other water shoes, but don't expect it to perform well for much else. For a little more, you can get a more versatile kayaking shoe like the Adidas Voyager or Astral Loyak, but that only makes sense if you need that versatility. For canyoneers, the higher cost gets you durability and really sticky rubber. While many moderately priced shoes like the NRS Vibe will work alright for canyoneering, it's probably cheaper to get a burlier model in the long run, as it will likely last 2-3 times as long.

For more general water sports use, price often buys comfort, effective drainage, and a leg up in durability compared to other shoes, as exemplified by the Astral TR1 Junction. For a fair bit less, you can snag a shoe like the Astral Loyak, which sacrifices some versatility and durability while still providing an excellent shoe. In general, you need to know what you'll use a water shoe for in order to get a good value.

Comfort

Comfort is often the most essential aspect of a water shoe. In wet environments, you're subjecting your feet to harsh conditions, and uncomfortable shoes only compound that harshness. Unlike many other shoes, though, water shoes need to keep you comfortable both on and off the water.

We spent long days walking over various surfaces both in and out of the water to see how well these shoes supported and protected our feet over rough terrain. We definitely preferred the protection and stability of burlier shoes like the Astral TR1 Junction for long walks over river cobbles or scrambles through boulder fields while carrying our boat. Soft booties like the NRS Paddle or NRS Kicker Remix didn't support our feet as well, and as a result, got uncomfortable after long walks. That said, the NRS Paddle is hands down the comfiest shoes we tested on the water, with a soft fleece lining that made them feel like slippers.

A water shoe needs to drain properly to perform well during longer periods off the water. While drainage negatively impacts warmth, it's essential to manage moisture and avoid immersion-related injuries on longer trips. Shoes with lots of drainage, like the Astral Loyak, Adidas Voyager, or NRS Vibe, ejected water quickly once we stepped on land, then dried out fast. Surprisingly, we found that mostly mesh, airy-feeling shoes like the Salomon Crossamphibian Swift 2 or Teva Terra Float Churn It Up only drained marginally faster than more protective shoes like the Astral TR1 Junction.

Whether you're swimming a rapid, stubbing your feet in murky shallows, or jamming them between boulders while wading, flowing water can do a number on your feet. To evaluate the protection each shoe provided, we looked at the stiffness of uppers and midsoles. While not super burly, the Astral TR1 Junction provided a good balance of all-around comfort and foot protection, especially stepping over uneven terrain.

Traction

Traction can mean the difference between an uneventful trip and a major injury. In whitewater, shoes need to be able to grip confidently to wet rocks during portages or rescues. In canyons, traction can mean the difference between a controlled downclimb and an unintended slide. On wet hikes and runs, traction keeps your feet on the ground and your face off it.

An excellent all-around performer, the Astral TR1 Junction balanced hard and soft surface traction better than any other shoe in our review.

Hard Surfaces

On hard surfaces, like the logs and rocks you might encounter on the banks of a river, soft, sticky rubber is key. The Adidas Voyager, with its Stealth rubber outsoles, and the Astral Hiyak, with its G.ss rubber, stick equally well to wet, slick rock. In fact, these shoes stick better than any other shoes we tested. This stickiest rubber tends to be a bit less durable than harder, less sticky rubbers, but we tend to find that uppers wear out faster than lugs wear down in wet environments.

Close behind, the NRS Paddle, NRS Kicker Remix, and Astral Loyak all stuck just as well to wet rock and logs. A more flexible sole allows feet to wrap around logs, maintaining a bit more balance.

The Astral TR1 Junctions lagged slightly behind these super sticky shoes, but not enough to make them a liability for canyoneering or boating.

Soft Surfaces

With their super deep, aggressive, and widely spaced lugs, the Merrell Choprocks dug deep into mud and dirt, although their hard surface traction was relatively poor due to having low surface area contact. Additionally, the TR1 Junction also had deep, aggressive lugs that kept us upright on muddy trails, better than most shoes we tested.

Close behind, we liked the Salomon Crossamphibian Swift 2 as a trail running shoe, where it performed well on dirt and sand. However, it's worth noting that the Crossamphibian performed worse than all other shoes in this review for grip on hard surfaces, like wet rocks or logs.

Warmth

Water saps energy away from your body rapidly, and much of the water people like to play in is much colder than normal body temperature. Water shoes need to either have plenty of insulation to work without thick socks or be adjustable enough to accommodate lots of added insulation without feeling cramped.

In our testing, we immediately loved shoes that had lots of built-in warmth for extremely cold days. The fleece-lined NRS Paddle packs on lots of insulation and has no drainage, so they limit water movement through the shoe to keep feet warm even in frigid water.

On the other hand, it can be nice to have a comfortable water shoe on warm days or on land (i.e., drains well) and allows you to stay warm on cold days. For that to happen effectively, shoes need to have a roomy toebox, adjustable midfoot, and, ideally, a removable insole. Due to its well-designed lacing and roomy fit, we found the Astral TR1 Junction to be remarkably comfortable with both bare feet and three layers of socks. The NRS Vibe and Adidas Voyager are close seconds in this regard, with nicely adjustable lacing. However, the Vibe does not have an easily removable insole, making stuffing in lots of insulation somewhat tricky.

Versatility

Shoes provide much more value when they can work for several different activities, instead of being overly specialized. While we like super-specialized shoes for the most demanding adventures, most of the time, we just want a shoe that will keep up regardless of what we decide to do.

A significant reason we awarded the Astral TR1 Junction the top honors is due to its versatility. Through our testing, it became our go-to shoe for water sports as well as things like running and mountain biking, which speaks to its superb design and performance. Another high-performing paddling shoe, the Astral Loyak, also did well in this metric due to its comfort and super low weight, making it easy to bring it along on trips.

For water shoes, versatility means performing well both on land and on the water. Good drainage, found on shoes like the NRS Vibe or Adidas Voyager makes this easy. Those shoes are comfortable and adjustable enough for paddling but also work great on land, drying quickly and keeping feet happy with plenty of support.

We valued shoes that we could use for multiple sports. With plenty of support and cushioning, the Salomon Crossamphibian Swift 2 turned out to be a great cross between a water shoe and a running shoe. While its poor hard surface traction would make us hesitate to use it for paddling, it would work well on a rafting trip, especially when spending a lot of time doing side hikes or hanging around at camp. We also liked the Astral TR1 Junction for running and hiking, although it has a more flat-soled, minimal drop-height feel more reminiscent of minimalist running shoes.

Sensitivity

Sensitivity is key when walking over rough terrain. Because water shoes often have to get over terrains like river cobbles, sandy beaches, and logs, it's key that they provide good ground feel. Feeling the ground beneath your feet translates to better awareness of body position and balance and can mean the difference between being upright and being flat on your back. High sensitivity, though, generally translates to lower comfort when hiking longer distances.

To evaluate how well we could feel the ground and react to uneven terrain, we walked over varied surfaces during our testing. Neoprene booties like the NRS Paddle and NRS Kicker Remix feature thin but stiff soles that provide excellent ground feel - perfect for short jaunts over boulders to scout rapids or get to a put-in. Due to their low drag and uninhibited ankle flexion, these shoes, along with the super low-profile Astral Loyak, also felt great while swimming.

For more amphibious activities, where walking is as important as being in or on the water, we found that multiple shoes offered decent sensitivity while also providing adequate foot protection, unlike more flexible shoes. The Adidas Voyager and Astral TR1 Junction have moderate stiffness, but with enough cushioning, they give decent ground feel and still maintain a relatively low profile underwater.

Durability

Swimming rapids, running along beaches, and canyoneering all do a number on your shoes. Durable materials and smart construction keep your shoes going on long trips and, in the case of canyoneering, can be essential if you like shoes that last more than a day or two.

While we couldn't test these shoes to failure during our test period, we looked for materials and construction that indicated either durability or the lack thereof. The Astral Hiyak scores well for durability, with minimal mesh and lots of extra reinforcement. Our lead tester has tortured these shoes in canyons that would eat flimsier shoes in a matter of hours. However, if you don't need high performance in canyons, shoes like the Astral TR1 Junction and NRS Vibe held up well during our testing due to their durable upper materials and quality construction.

For boating-focused shoes, we were impressed by the reinforcements that made the NRS Paddle more than just a neoprene sock bonded to an outsole. Like its little sibling, the NRS Kicker Remix, it held up well during our testing. We subjected the Astral TR1 Junction to a lot of hard use, only to find mainly cosmetic damage at the end of our test period.

While it didn't do well in most respects, we found the Merrell Choprock Shandal to be surprisingly durable throughout our testing. Although it's mostly a sandal, it has the burly outsole of a hiking boot, and its thick, stiff upper material seems to take a lot of abuse, although it doesn't really keep that abuse from reaching your feet.

Conclusion

Water shoes make time spent on rivers, lakes, and wet places much more fun. We bought and rigorously tested top models to see how well they kept feet happy, performed in various environments, and held up to both demanding water sports and the lounging around that usually follows. Water shoes can make or break your experience paddling or canyoneering. We hope this independent review can steer you towards a shoe that will fit your watery adventures' style and needs.