Camp shoes and shower shoes

[The Kisco Kid]

I use Teva Mush II flip flops - 7.4 ounces per pair size 12. They will not break like the cheap flip-flops (I've made that mistake), they are light, inexpensive, and airy (unlike vivobarefoot). I've done lots of research looking for the right camp shoes and these are it for me.

re: river crossings--you don't need to worry about fording rivers on the AT until northern Maine. That's 2,000 miles of trail.

[Mountain Wildman]

1. Anyone know where these can be purchased now-a-days?... especially the 3rd generation of them.

2. How are they for hiking the trail?
I've been on trail sections where you keep having to cross the same creek over and over... like once every 1/4 mile. I've tried hiking those short distances in the water shoes I own, but you feel every little stick and twig (and some of the pointier ones can hurt).

3. For those who don't have the $$ to drop on Vivobarefoot (~$60-80 I think), for about the same weight, Bass Pro Shop has these for about $20 (found mine years ago at a WalMart for about $10).

I haven't hiked in mine so I don't know how they are for that, this place lists sizes 8, 10, 11 and 12 in limited colors: http://www.frontgate.com/mens-vivoba...110&CADEVICE=c
I've never ordered from them so I have no experiences there.
Amazon seems to list several versions as well.

[RuthN]

Thanks everyone.

[MtDoraDave]

I saw several options yesterday on Campmor.com
-footwear
-Men's (or Women's) Sandals & Water Shoes

[Storm27m]

These intrigue me. Haven't bought them yet. If what I've read is correct, they are about 9oz for a pair of mens as size 12. $14 price

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01NC...cDL&th=1&psc=1

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[TKE402]

I use Crocs. The water shoe version. It has a mesh upper and the Crocs bottom. works pretty good for water crossings too.

[LAF]

The original Vivobarefoot Ultra-Pure that Mountain Wildman referred to can no longer be found (a random pair might be floating around somewhere). I still have a pair and the weight for the pair is 200gm. Since then, the weights of the Ultra's have basically doubled; I just bought and returned a pair of the Ultra 3's: 190gm per shoe so basically twice the weight of the originals removing them from my list of camp/town/middle of the night shoes.

1. Anyone know where these can be purchased now-a-days?... especially the 3rd generation of them.

2. How are they for hiking the trail?
I've been on trail sections where you keep having to cross the same creek over and over... like once every 1/4 mile. I've tried hiking those short distances in the water shoes I own, but you feel every little stick and twig (and some of the pointier ones can hurt).

3. For those who don't have the $$ to drop on Vivobarefoot (~$60-80 I think), for about the same weight, Bass Pro Shop has these for about $20 (found mine years ago at a WalMart for about $10).

[murdocsboss]

I use the berkinstock Eva. They are very light. I even used them to hike ten miles with a full back along the Northville placid trail.

[RuthN]

I came across the Crocs Baya: http://www.crocs.com/p/crocs-baya/10...id=410#start=7

They look like they could work both as camp shoes, with socks, and as shower shoes. The Crocs website says the size 11 men's weighs .82 oz for a pair.

[Coffee]

IMO using "shower shoes" is more of an aesthetic move for less than attractive public showers. I've never bothered and never had any issues (so far). I don't think they will help all that much with water splashing around everywhere and, frequently, when water doesn't drain fast and starts pooling. That being said, I will be taking some very lightweight flip flops on my Camino walk next year but more because I've found that many European hostels prohibit hiking shoes in living quarters and make you put on gross communal house slippers if you don't have your own alternative footwear. I suppose I'll use those flip flops in the shower too. I'm going to get the absolutely lightest pair possible.

[HooKooDooKu]

Crocs can weigh as much as a pound.
I'm sure with that extra weight comes a level of comfort I don't get with the Bass Pro Show water shoes... but then all gear choices have various trade-offs.

Now that this thread has resurfaced, I can't find where I included a link to the Bass Pro Shop Water Shoes I was referencing... so here it is.
As one of the reviews points out, the "laces" are pretty much just decoration... so you could loose a few ounces from the pair of shoes if you cut out the laces and use something to carefully grind/sand down the "bumps" that hold it in place.

[Analog_Kidd]

These intrigue me. Haven't bought them yet. If what I've read is correct, they are about 9oz for a pair of mens as size 12. $14 price

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01NC...cDL&th=1&psc=1

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

I bought a pair of these. I've not had the opportunity to use them yet, but they seem ok. For $13 bucks i wasn't expecting a lot. They run big, I ordered a 10.5 and it feels like an 11 or 11.5. Thought about exchanging them, but then thought I'd keep them and just keep socks on around camp. The laces are decoration only, so I also thought about cutting them out and using real laces to tighten them up a bit.

[Martzy13]

Go to any Dollar General and grab a pair of their brand crocs. Lighter than Croc-brand, got mine for $3, and you can hike in them if need be. One pair lasted my whole thru hike.

[Francis Sawyer]

I have always been skeptical when it comes to the use of "shower shoes". Your feet still get wet . I can't imagine that whatever pathogens are present on the shower floor will stay on the floor or on the bottoms of the shoes. This sounds like a good one for Mythbusters.

[reppans]

Have a look at Xero huarache-style sandals made by barefoot runners. I like them for general travel since they're light, pack flat, and quite secure on your foot (unlike flip flops). Just bought another pair for $16 delivered on a 70% off sale.

[rocketsocks]

I use snow shoes

[RuthN]

I have always been skeptical when it comes to the use of "shower shoes". Your feet still get wet . I can't imagine that whatever pathogens are present on the shower floor will stay on the floor or on the bottoms of the shoes. This sounds like a good one for Mythbusters.

My understanding is that wearing sandals in the shower decreases your risk of infection but isn't meant to be give 100% prevention. You may still get an infection while wearing sandals but at least you're lowering your risk by not exposing your whole foot to the nasty shower floor.

[LAF]

Out of curiosity have you weighed them yet? For my purposes I got a lot of use out of the original Vivobarefoot Ultra's (200gm, ~7 oz for the pair). But can't find that verison any longer and new ones weigh twice as much/

[jjozgrunt]

I used these on whilst on the trail this year and I'm bringing them again next year. Lighter than crocs and I found them better fitting. Just for fun I started wearing them one day and actually walked about 12 miles in them. https://www.nothinz.com/men-3

[Highland Goat]

I currently have a pair of these:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/252116634005
A pair is about half of the weight of crocs, but I unstitched and discarded the strap to decrease the burden.
On my thru, when the sun came out after two straight weeks of rain, I wore a pair of crocs for thirty-three miles of hiking. I don’t know if the cushioning in the above pair would allow for that.