Review: One cool water shoe

With the Gnarkosi, Teva set out to make a shoe for wakeskating—basically skateboarding on water—and succeeded in building one the coolest water shoes on the block. Picture a skate shoe full of buckshot holes, and you’re not far off the Gnarkosi. Get a soaker and the base of the upper flushes water like a sieve, ideal for walking through creeks or hauling canoes through shallows.

The outsole grips even slippery rocks and logs—we wore them waterfall rappelling in a Costa Rican jungle and never slipped once. The flat soles surprised us on the hike back up, too, holding on in muddy terrain fairly well.

Worn sockless, the upper tended to rub most people’s ankle bones over time, but socks seemed to fix the problem. Sand and other debris does find its way into these shoes, but a quick dunk in water usually flushed it out more effectively than with most water shoes.

Overall, an excellent water shoe, best kept near the shore and off of longer walks. The Gnarkosi outperformed anything else we’ve seen—particularly in the style department.

$130; www.teva.com

This article was originally published on July 11, 2011