Astral Men's Loyak Shoes - Barefoot, Quick-Drying, Minimalist Sneaker for Casual Wear, Water Sports, Travel, & Hiking

I believe this is my first review. These shoes are incredible and I'll tell you why. I am a whitewater paddleboarder. I go through class 2-3 rapids standing on a paddleboard. I bought these shoes to paddle a section of the Colorado River in Moab, Utah. These shoes were incredible! They were comfy, but also super grippy. If a wave hits me, I am fairly stable at a 30 degree pitch left or right. Greater than 30 degrees and my feet slip off my board. Well, my limit extended to almot 45 degrees. I felt so connected to my board. I've never felt like that. Wearing these shoes allowed me to run rapids I normally would fall in. They were incredible in Moab. Then we get back to Arizona and the rains charged our river and creeks. So we started hitting up our local rivers and creeks. Well I got myself into a sticky situation. My feet got entrapped and I had to kick off my brand new Astral shoes to free my feet. I got to safety but lost my shoes. I was way less confident the rest of the river because I did not have my Astrals on. We eventually finished our expedition and immediately ordered another pair of Astrals once I had cellphone reception. Turns out I would not receive the shoes in time for my next paddle adventure. So I drove to REI and bought another pair. I used that pair yesterday on another paddleboarding adventure. So far these shoes have held up very well to the abuse of trecking through a river. These are FANTASTIC when it comes to being grippy. Mossy, slippery rocks are very doable with this shoe. I hiked out of a canyon yesterday wearing these shoes. I have to say, I will only rock Astrals from now on. These shoes make me a better whitewater paddleboarder. Come tomorrow I'll now have 2 pairs of Astrals. These things take a beating, workd very well around water and look good too.

This is my second product review ever, and this shoe deserves it. I bought the navy ones before a trip to NZ in 2019. I walked for hours across sharp lava rock on Rangitoto, the volcanic island in Auckland, wore them on many 25 mile days of trekking across South Island. I walked in them in rain, across streams, over pastures, sliding on scree, on hot pavement, and while kayaking. When the time came to have a nice dinner in town, these shoes did not look out of place with a pair of jeans and a sports jacket. When I came back home to Hawaii I found every other shoe felt heavy and clunky. So when I wasn't wearing our state footwear, aka Da Slippah, I wore these: across our dense red soil, on my weed-choked 5 acre "farm," on many of our 125 O'ahu beaches, and on bicycle rides with pedals that shred soles for breakfast. That original NZ pair is still kicking, only slightly worse for the wear. But the vagaries of fashion and supply chains being what they are, I've had to buy a second pair to make sure I have a back-up pair. What's so great about these? Key words: - Comfortable AF - Lightweight - Versatile (outdoor adventure or urban wear) - Resilient (The lack of wear given the abuse I've put them through is stunning) - Water-friendly - Easy to clean (I throw them in the washer) - Packable (they squish down flat) - Value Should you buy a pair of your own even though you don't plan to walk across sharp lava? Yes...yes you should.

Like others have said before... just buy them! This review is long past due. If you like minimalist shoes without paying an arm and a leg like for Vivobarefoot (although they are quality). Other reviewers have taken off points because they make their feet hurt...well duh! these are minimalist shoes and have no super thick padding or arch support. So when you are new to walking more natural your feet will be sore, but will eventually get stronger from really using your foot muscles and soon foot, leg and even back pains while walking start to get better. Please look up all the info about the barefoot/minimalist movement and its benefits. Size is spot on. Ordered a size 10 and they fit just right.It has that nice wide toebox just like Vivobarefoot. The grip is other worldly. I thought they were exaggerating, but these shoes have to be tried to believe them. I use them for the city/urban areas and they just grip in such a nice way without getting stuck/tripping up, if you know what I mean. Oh and they are made of hemp. Look up all the great qualities of hemp for yourselves. You will be amazed. Hemp is many times stronger than steel. It keeps odor down. Also helps the environment by cleaning up toxins from the earth(even radiation) and is super sustainable. Ok so the only down side, which, isn't even so bad is the opening. It does not have a tongue. It just had an elastic type opening, which, frustrated me at first, but soon it loosens up or you could use a shoe horn. Tip* you want to grab the front part of the opening with one hand and the back, slide your foot in and gently bring up the back over your heel. Something like that. Also the quality is superb. You know when you open a new product and you can just tell its gonna be good. There are no loose threads, everything is clean, the cuts are precise...its just quality. PS the website fake spot has ratings for product reviews like this shoe on amazon. This shoes gets an A! (they rejected my first review of this product for referring that site...I wonder why? In summary try the shoe its a great quality, fits great, has a great grip and has a better price value than other more expensive minimalist brands. Enjoy!

I bought these for a three day kayak river run I had planned and they couldn't have performed better. I had to walk the kayak through several rapids where water was too low to paddle and they were great. No slipping and no sharp rocks digging into the soles of my feet. Great for portages too. Excellent drainage and they don't allow pebbles to get in. They will let sand in but hard to avoid that with any shoe. They look so good my grandson wanted to borrow them to wear out around town.