Yakking shoes

I thought I would share a bit of info on some funky new shoes I bought.
Here in Florida the water is generally warm enough not to have to worry about cold feet, but I like to have something between the bottom of my feet and the Mirage drive pedals just to keep my feet comfortable. I had heard about these new Vibram Five Fingers shoes and I bought a pair made for running. I haven't tried running in them yet, but they seemed like a good candidate for kayking. I have kayaked with them 3 times now and I really like them. Apart from being a bit of a chore to put on they are great. Super light weight and they dry quickly (in Florida anyway). The sole is very thin and durable (so far). I searched the forums and found that a couple of yakkers here like them as well.
And now for the action video...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EinwKgz6CPw[/youtube]

I have a pair Vibram barefoot shoes model Flow. They are great water shoes and my local kayak shop sells them. Like you said a little hard to get on until you get use to them.

I have had my Vibram five fingers KSO's for over 12 months now, great shoes dont seem to be showing any sign of wear yet. great for kayaking, walking, running etc. I even wear them when going shopping with my wife (she didnt like it at first ).

rafiki2cu I am thinking of getting a pair of flow's for the winter kayaking, have you used them in cold water do they keep your feet warm?

having said that the water here only gets down to about 15 c in winter.

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Hobie Adventure Island (Yellow Papaya)
Hobie Tandem Island (Yellow Papaya)

I can't help you on the cold part with the flow's but I have the KSO's also and love them.

ll bean vacationland sneakers. cheap and good..

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John

Anyone have any experience with these Oakley shoes for kayaking?

Oakley Bottlecap Shoes
http://www.oakley.com/products/bottlecap/10080-001

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2011 TI

I buy the cheapest aqua sock from any department store. They only last one season, but they are 1/10th of the price of high end stuff. I doubt a good pair would last 10 seasons, so I'm ahead.

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Marc...
1978 Hobie 16 Keoke, sail# 36 84

Usually, I'd be with you on the value for money spent equation that you laid out above, but I have to admit, I own a pair of these Vibram FiveFinger shoes, and they're AWESOME. Easily my favourite pair of shoes. They don't compare at all to the low end water shoes.

My wife won't let me wear them to the grocery store yet, but I run in them, and kayak in them, they're great. If you plan on running in them, and are moving from traditional shoes, take your time to adjust. You need to let your feet build up some muscle. Once that happens, you'll want to do everything in these shoes.

Yes, they're ugly, but they're great. If you want to hear why these are catching on for running shoes, check out this video below. It's VERY interesting, if you're a runner it's worth watching. You can agree, or disagree with this guy, he's the author of a book called "Born To Run" He talks about how you can get rid of shoes, and you won't get injured, and how our feet were designed to work without all the padding that we've been using just since the 1970's.

Start watching at the 11 minute, and 50 second mark, if you want to hear about just the shoes.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3XTHevPXDY[/youtube]

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Actually, I find the 5 finger shoes kind of cool. I'm sure my wife would not let me out in public either.

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Marc...
1978 Hobie 16 Keoke, sail# 36 84

I am on coral a lot so a real shoe is the way to go to keep scrapes and such off the ankles and protect me when hiking around at my destination. I have some cheap ocean shoes but they dont drain so if I am slogging around trying to launch or setup the boat I have to take them off to get the water out and I dont like that.

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2011 TI

I use these and really like them http://www.ems.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3651569 They wont come off when you sink in mud

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2011 Oasis with Sail and AMA's
2011 Necky Looksha 14

I use my five fingers for walking on coral no problem, and also bushwalking.

The rest of you guys toughen up will ya! tell your wife you will wear what you like on your feet when you go out









(just don't tell my wife I said so)

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Hobie Adventure Island (Yellow Papaya)
Hobie Tandem Island (Yellow Papaya)

Well... there is a PS to my original post (kind of long...)
Yesterday I was supposed to meet two other people to do some kayaking. They don't have kayaks, so I loaded all 3 of mine up. They were no shows, so I had to go back home and unload two of them (even with a locking cable I was not about to leave a Revo and an Outback in my truck while I was out on the water for several hours). Along with several other delays this day was shaping up to be "one of those days". Suffice it to say I got a very late start and consequently got home much later than I previously had planned for. I rinsed out my Five Fingers (I have the Bikila LS) and put them in the sun to dry. I wanted them to dry quickly so that I could use them today at the gym for their debut in running. Since it was late in the day the spot they were in turned to shade, so I put them on the roof of my truck to get better sun. I had no plans to go anywhere the rest of the day, so it should not have been a big deal. But as fate would have it I made a night trip to the grocery store. This morning as I was packing my gym bag I remembered that I would have to get my Five Fingers from the roof of my truck and that is when the reality of my situation hit me. Of course they were not on the roof of the truck, but I was hoping that they may have blown back into the bed of the truck. No such luck. Before going to work I retraced my route and managed to find one of them about a mile and a half away. It was right in the middle of the road unscathed. I did not see the other one though and I went on to work. It nagged at me all day, so I left work a little early and retraced my route again. I found the other shoe in the grass very near to where the first one was. It too was unscathed. Not only was I relieved from a price standpoint (since they are not cheap) I was relieved to know that I would not have to start over again getting a new pair to start contouring to my feet and toes.

Caddis Wading shoes:

http://www.caddiswaders.com/products.ph ... product=68

neo tops, thick rubber soles, ankle high.

Comfortable and great if you ever have to get out of the yak somewhere nasty.

Johnny