Astral Loyak Men's Water Shoes, Lightweight, Breathable, and Grippy Footwear for Water Sports and Casual Wear

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)- ValueShould you buy a pair of your own even though you don't plan to walk across sharp lava? Yes...yes you should.

These are my go to everyday shoes. They are just awesome. I had the previous version of the Loyak and they were good too, but the redesign in this version is even better! The toe box is wide, not the widest, has zero-drop and just the right sole thickness (I don't know how many mm). What I really love about these shoes is they are very versatile and good for travel. You can where socks or go without socks due to the fantastic breathable design and inner material. Also these can get wet and dry quickly. A phenomenal shoe

These are fantastic. Zero rise, minimal shoes but not so minimal that you can't walk on gravel. I've had New Balance Minimus and Merrell Trail Glove 5s. The NB were great except if you stepped on a stone over hard ground, it felt like stepping on it barefoot. The Trail Glove 5s had a good sole, but an annoyingly large arch support for a minimal shoe.I have used these for jogging, walking, flat pedal mountain biking, and wearing around like a normal shoe. I'm curious to try them for kayaking when the weather warms up. I think they'll be great for backpacking. There's plenty of ground feel and room for my forefoot to spread out.They seem very well made.I normally wear size 9 in athletic shoes, and 8.5 in dress shoes (US mens sizes). I had to get size 8 in these. I tried the size 9, but they were too big.My only slight complaint is that the tongue is not separate from the rest of the shoe, so it makes it difficult to get the shoes on. There are helpful loops for putting them on though.Edit: After about a month the upper material stretched enough so that they are much easier to put on.

I like the green option, next time I'll probably pick up the black color, I wear about a size 9.5 - 10M in Vans, and I chose the size 10 option. There is a slight few millimeters of wiggle room, and I can wear Thick wool socks comfortably. There is superior grip with the gum of the shoe (bottom). I've been wearing these every single day and they have been holding up great. I recommend cleaning them if they get a bit of stains as soon as you can and to let them sun/air dry before tossing them in the dryer for an hour, remember to remove the insoles, they have a good pattern. Wish they fit wider on the toe-box area a couple of millimeters more. But a marginal improvement over vans/converse/SB Nike's with their abysmal slim toe-box design like many other mainstream brands. I was a skater kid growing up so flat shoes are where its at, makes your feet muscles get to work to have proper 3 points of contact on your soles. My left foot in particular has been 'popping' noticeably more since I switched to these shoes. Good for the lake or ocean/waterfronts.

Got these near the end of the summer for use while boating and in/near the water. My experience so far:Fit/wearing: The shoes run small. I sent the originals back and then got the next size up. They are designed without a tongue and so are tricky to put on especially at first. Slide your foot all the way in, then use your finger to work the back of the shoe over your heel. This operation gets easier and takes less time within a few wearings as the material relaxes, but it isn't like most casual shoes.Feel: When wearing the shoes without socks, the textured insole produces a sensation of walking on coarse sand. I found that this takes some getting used to, but in the end is OK. The shoe and sole are lightweight and consistent with the barefoot genre.Water: The shoes take more than 24 hours to dry out at room temperature. So far they have been fully soaked and dried twice with no signs of damage. They protect from pebbles and rocks in the water, but if I were going to spend the day going in and out I would choose a dedicated water shoe that could be replaced at a lower cost.Style: The toe box is wide so the shoes have a kind of planted, vaguely orthotic appearance that again is consistent with the genre. The blue-brown color combination helped sell me on the shoe. However contrast of the brown laces called too much attention so I changed over to the included blue laces.