C-Forum

Has anyone had a chance to paddle with a pair of these yet? I know they're relatively new (and originally designed for kayakers), but they look really nice and comfy. Any first hand reviews would be helpful. Thanks!

they're awesome. I can't fit them in my C1's, but they're great for open boating and raft guiding (and yes they fit in a kayak too). very sticky sole. built well and look great. they dry faster than other water shoes I've owned (surprisingly fast). in cold water I wear neoprene socks and I'm plenty warm (I'm ure wool socks would suffice. and I'm sure they would be awesome to wear over some drysuit socks, but I don't own a drysuit so I can't fully speak on that aspect. hope this helps:) btw astral is a great company with great customer service. my rescue belt needed to be replaced on my green jacket cause the buckle broke, I dropped it by the warehouse in Asheville and they replaced the buckle and repaired the vest, no charge and no questions asked. I picked it up from the warehouse the next day

I have a high arch and could not fit in the shoe. If they had fit I would have bought a pair.

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For those of us c-boaters and OC-boaters who kneel with the tops of our feet on the bottom of the boat, the Astrals share a fault seen in many other "paddling" shoes...... a tipped up toe. This feature is quite exaggerated in the Astrals. I know I could not kneel in them, and besides, there's too much shoe to get in and out of most c-1s.

Tipping the toe up makes them a little easier to walk in, but not good for some kneelers. Those who like to kneel with their feet pointed downward instead of sternward might like them.

those look like ellens' sneakers ....

I'll be curious to see/try a pair in person. I have spent years trying to find water shoes that actually work ok with my insanely narrow heels and which don't smash my toes (I'm one of those folks who kneels with the foot flexed rather than with toes pointing sternward). I thought I'd found that in the Water Tennie, but the pair that felt perfect when I bought them now smash the $%^& out of the ends of my toes. Don't know if my feet got longer, the shoe shrank, or I just bought the wrong size to start with...

Not too keen on the styling of the Brewers, though. I'm afraid I'd have to convert my bike to a fixie and start drinking nothing but PBR if I bought a pair...

5-10 rubber makes them 60% better than the rest. This last year with the Sperry booties sucked. I nearly killed myself slipping around boulders several times and I have balance like a cat. water tennies or these astrals are in my future for 2013. I've had that 5-10 tred on aproach shoes for climbing and I've climbed 5.6 multi pitch climbs in them just to prove how good they are.

Yeah Wayne, I too am now a believer in Stealth Rubber. I have paddled 3 years in Keen Newport's and just got a pair of 5.10 Water Tennies and MAN what a difference! They are sleeker and have unparalleled wet rock grip.

I'm getting a shipment of them in today, so I'll let you know what I think about them. Ref Creekers comment about the Sperry's, I had great traction with mine until about two weeks ago when I was scrambling in a canyon scouting a drop. Not sure if it was the difference in rock type or whatnot but they were so slippery on the rocks I was actually pissed about it. Hope these Astrals will be ok, not too hopeful with the design but a pair of Tevas that are similer worked good in the open boat.

Well... just got a box of them in the mail. I normally wear a 8.5 - 9 and the 9 and 10 were too narrow through the arch area for me.

ohioboater wrote:I'll be curious to see/try a pair in person. I have spent years trying to find water shoes that actually work ok with my insanely narrow heels and which don't smash my toes (I'm one of those folks who kneels with the foot flexed rather than with toes pointing sternward). I thought I'd found that in the Water Tennie, but the pair that felt perfect when I bought them now smash the $%^& out of the ends of my toes. Don't know if my feet got longer, the shoe shrank, or I just bought the wrong size to start with...

Not too keen on the styling of the Brewers, though. I'm afraid I'd have to convert my bike to a fixie and start drinking nothing but PBR if I bought a pair...

Fixies and pbr?! both those things are pretty fun, especially when done together. (I do not own a fixie, but I do sport a mustache every once in awhile, I hope we can still be friends)

hankrankin wrote:Fixies and pbr?! both those things are pretty fun, especially when done together. (I do not own a fixie, but I do sport a mustache every once in awhile, I hope we can still be friends)

Actually, there are two 16oz PBRs sitting in my fridge right now, and a fixed gear bike in my shop building. Of course, the PBRs are yard beers, and I haven't ridden the fixie since I quit track racing in the late 90s, so I'm basically just terminally un-hip.

But yeah, the hipster joke was a cheap shot. I do think I'd feel a little goofy in those shoes, though - definitely not fashionable on a 45 year old.

well that sounds bad smurf. do you have a real wide foot that makes fitting shoes normally problematic. these shoes might be the ones I get extra big to fit my drysuit in the winter.

Creeker- nope, normal shoes fit me. They are great looking shoes and look well built, its a shame they are so narrow in the arch area.