booties / water shoes for kiteboard with pads and straps?

[Erlend M B]

I don't know if the rest of the world have these:



They are called sockiplast in Sweden, we call them gymnastic socks. It's basically a sock with a thin rubber sole. So if you just want it for protection not heat retention, they might work.

[kooshball]

I need some protection from oyster beds and assorted nonsense lurking below the water ...

THX

Oyster beds probably won't bother me much , any more.

Bille

from : paullangphotography.com

That is just fantastic! I really dig the fact that you are out there on the water regardless of any hardships that would stop most people from getting to their own mailbox!

[davesails7]

I don't know if the rest of the world have these:



They are called sockiplast in Sweden, we call them gymnastic socks. It's basically a sock with a thin rubber sole. So if you just want it for protection not heat retention, they might work.

I have no idea if this is true but made sense to me. Somebody had posted on here that you will get a more severe injury stepping on something sharp with a thin sock or thin rubber shoe than you would going barefoot.

The (completely unsubstantiated ) theory goes: When you're barefoot you feel the sharp thing and you react by stopping putting weight on that foot. When you're wearing a thin sock though, you don' react and put all your weight down on the sharp object and it's already too late by the time it hits your foot. So (the theory goes) either have a really thick shoe that stops the sharp thing altogether or go completely barefoot.

Again, I couldn't find and proof of this being true, but made sense to me.

[bc-sf]

I found the xcel reef bootie is good - thin but tough rubber on the bottom lets you feel the board (and every bump in the ground), and has prevented lots of sliced feet on the odd rock/stick. 1mm neoprene on top doesn't get in the way of straps and adds some warmth. Sizes run a bit small.

[FreddyKite]

+1 for the Vibram Five Finger barefoot sport shoes. I've been using them for 2 years now in rocky and oyster bays, they do not interfere with the foot-board connection.

Make sure they are snug though, my first pair was a little too big and the backs (heel) would slip down.

[PVITfrumBYRAM]

The blueish rubber on the xcel booties is similar to what my old pryde bootie had. If anything like them, avoid them unless you want something that stretches, unglues, falls apart. I went with the fcs reef shoes second time around partially because the sole looked more durable. Mine are split toe but thats because i forgot i cut the rubber attaching the big toe at the end of the bootie.

[jsquid]

Another vote here on the vibram minimalist shoes. I use the KSO model because its the thinnest sole option I could find. I've had no problems with the strap interfering. The KSO doesn't provide any insulation either.

Its still not the same as bare feet, but I don't know how much closer you can get.

[KYLakeKiter]

I have had great luck with Fila Skeletoes. They slide into straps fine and even feel pretty natural strapless on my surfboard. The only downside is the toes debond from the neoprene after a few months of hard use, but I do abuse them significantly, so I am still happy with the durability.

I am guessing that you use the neoprene ones and not the ones with the strap on them?

Yes, the neoprene ones. They do have one Velcro strap over the top and one behind the heal to tighten them up though. I really like the toes in the shoes because it keeps my feet from sliding around in the shoes which seems to happen with most neoprene boots.

[KYLakeKiter]

They have pretty good grip even without a traction pad and even though the soles are hard enough to protect your feet from sharp rocks, they still feel kind of natural.

Wake surfing.jpg (20.07 KiB) Viewed 3457 times

These are camouflage for true Redneck surfing

[kooshball]

Thanks folks, I am going to give the excel split toe a try!