To quote a sage philosopher of the early to mid-2000s: oh my god… shoes.
I recently wanted to go kayaking, but I ran into a problem. I hate wearing flip-flops to the lake because they don’t stay on my feet. If I have to get out of the kayak to get unstuck from some rocks or push off from the doc, I don’t want my feet sliding all over the place.
And I’m sure as heck not going to wear my tennis shoes to the lake. Very little is less comfortable than soaked trainers.
You may think being barefoot is a good option, especially since I’m a Kentuckian, and some people don’t even think we’ve discovered shoes yet. But you’d be wrong. I’m not a fan of standing in ambiguous-probably-goose-poop slime or cutting my feet on sharp rocks.
Thankfully– as you probably gleaned from the title– I didn’t have to go with any of those options. I can spend my afternoons paddling across lakes and rivers without giving my feet a second thought because I now own a pair of waterproof sneakers by Loom Footwear.
They’re not perfect, but they’re pretty great. Here’s what I like and dislike about them.
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Pros– What Loom Footwear Does Well
I’ll start with the positives.
My favorite thing about my Loom Footwear sneakers is that they don’t look like waterproof shoes. Growing up, the only shoes I ever wore that were made for water were, frankly, hideous. The sneakers I got from Loom look like any other sneaker I would wear. They’re almost identical to the gym shoes that I wear daily.
Not only do they look good, but they also have thick soles. As someone with flat feet, that makes me feel comfortable about walking around in them outside of the water and gives me a sense of security that they’re not going to be punctured if I step on something sharp in the water, like a discarded fishing hook or broken glass.
They also repel water well. My feet didn’t feel drenched the last time I wore them to go kayaking. To be fair, I didn’t step fully into the water. There was quite a bit of water in the footwell of the kayak already, and I dripped water all over myself with the paddle. Throughout it all, my feet stayed dry and comfortable.
Cons– What Loom Could Do Better
There are very few cons with these shoes. Overall, I was super happy with them. That said, I did want to flag a couple things that may be helpful to know if you’re considering a pair.
First, they run a little small. I wear a size 12, and my Loom sneakers were barely big enough for my feet. My toes came up to almost the end of the toe box. I also have very narrow feet, and these sneakers were the perfect width for me. The fabric these shoes are made from is fairly stretchy, so I wasn’t uncomfortable at all, but I recognized that they were fairly snug.
If you have wide feet or are normally at the top of your shoe size, you may want to order half a size up from what you usually wear.
Additionally, for waterproof shoes, once they’re drenched, they’re going to take a few hours to dry out. I recommend having a change of shoes with you if you’re going to be doing things after your water activities so that you don’t have to keep your feet inside wet shoes for extended periods. Because these shoes are made for water, they’re not uncomfortable when wet like most sneakers. Still, I’d recommend giving them a chance to dry out from a sanitary standpoint. It will probably take 1-2 hours for them to dry completely, which is still much better than a regular sneaker.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I’m super happy with these shoes. They’re comfortable, and they continue to feel comfortable when they’re drenched. I wish they dried slightly quicker, but that doesn’t make them any less viable option when heading to the lake.
I think Loom is going to become my go-to shoe when I head to the water. They’re leagues more practical and comfortable for the water than flip-flops.
