7 Best Water Hiking Sandals in 2026

How we test water hiking sandals

Water hiking sandals are a special category on their own. It’s not just about having a proper sandal that fits, it’s about one that will not let you down when you end up getting in and out of water over and over again. Here’s how we go about testing them: 

1. We buy the sandals depending on how important they are for the overall category and whether they are available in Men’s US 9 (read more about our shopping criteria here)
2. We test them on the trails doing different activities, in and out of the water
3. We get them to the lab where they are weighed, inspected, cut into pieces, and tested. This approach results in more than 30 data points on each hiking sandal
4. Given that our testing is standardized, all test results are comparable. 
5. We publish the reviews with no backsies. We publish what we find, however good or bad. 

3 features that make water hiking sandals special

There are many sandals on the market, even when it comes to those tagged as hiking sandals. However, water hiking is a niche category, and it asks for a set of specific features: 

1. Superb grip that excels on wet surfaces
2. Great drainage and quick-drying materials
3. Customizable closure system (buckles, Velcro, or bungee) that allows you to achieve a perfect lockdown

We could add protection here, as a separate feature, but that one depends on you and your needs. We will cover all of these further below. 

Which features should you look for NOW?

The most obvious visual comparison is below: light walking, almost urban use, with no serious hiking on your mind, vs. a protective sandal with a toe bumper and a thick, firm outsole, ready to tackle anything, dry trails, and water activities.

Water hiking sandals traction: lab test results

In hiking, we always say that traction is of the utmost importance. And our lab test measures exactly that, but what’s even better is that we perform the test in wet conditions. There’s no need to hypothesize “if you live in wet climates” or “if you love running when it’s raining”. No, straight to the point: let’s see how hiking sandals perform on wet surfaces. 

For this test, we follow SATRA TM144 methodology to measure the coefficient of friction. The higher it is, the better! For water hiking, we recommend sandals that score 0.45 or higher. As you can see in the video, we test sandals on wet concrete!

Traction is, of course, a priority when water hiking. One of the factors that plays a big role here is the lug depth. 

A general rule is: the thicker the lugs, the better the grip. But that’s only one piece of the puzzle. We should look at the tread pattern: are there channels that would minimize water pooling underfoot? Are the lugs thick and placed further apart for better mud shedding? Or are they moderately thick and dense, for versatility? 

2 levels of protection in water hiking sandals

This depends on what you plan to do wearing the sandals. There are 2 scenarios:

1. Light water activity, like stand-up paddling, kayaking, basically boating and floating, walking around the beach, or also using the sandals for the walk to the park and similar. These activities ask for a low level of protection, which means you don’t necessarily need closed-toe sandals and thick, robust outsoles. 
2. Intermediate to heavy usage, like hiking on moderate to somewhat technical terrain combined with some body of water, crossing rivers and creeks, whitewater rafting, hiking including mossy-rock passages or oyster reefs, and so on. These activities usually ask for closed-toe sandals with protective toe bumpers and thick protective bottoms. With one exception, see our note below. 

Note: Keep in mind that, if there are a lot of small pebbles, sand, and silt in the water you’re planning to cross or spend time in, closed-toe sandals can create issues (discomfort, blisters, bleeding). It’s best to consult with a tour guide covering the same area in that case: what do you need more, protection from rocks, or better debris shedding? 

When it comes to the protection from the bottom, we need to look at the thickness of the platform (stack height). 

Again, if you’re only paddling or walking to the park, you don't need beefy platforms. If you plan to hit the rocky trails or rocky river beds, suit up. Another thing to pay attention to here is the stiffness of the platform. This is to avoid toe flap roll: when you hit an obstacle with the tip of the sandal and the forefoot part of the platform curls downwards. It is when you would trip and hopefully not fall. 

To avoid toe flap rolls, do not use sandals made for urban settings on serious hikes, or even those that may be great for kayaking but are too flexible to be safe enough on the trail. 

Quick-drying materials are a must

The straps on the water-hiking sandals are usually made of synthetic materials which, unlike cotton and leather, have low water retention. They don’t swell and become heavier; they drain and dry more quickly. 

The straps might be shedding the water well, but you also want good drainage. This is where the water hiking sandal plays an important role because you don’t want only water to get out, but also silt and pebbles. Closed-toe sandals perform worse in that regard. 

All the aspects of secure lockdown in water hiking sandals

We need to talk about closure systems (buckles, Velcro straps, and bungee laces) and strap designs (toe thong/toe post, toe loop, full forefoot strap, and a closed-toe web-like design). The customization of the straps or the whole closure system is a priority at the beginning of the hike, but also later, because our feet swell after spending some time underwater, and you may want to adjust the system along the way. 

IMAGE add what we have, ideally all 4 but i think we have only 3

Achieving the best lockdown is a must given that you will be hiking or walking on slick surfaces. Sliding back and forth within the sandal, or side to side, is out of the question. Because of this, the straps or the laces are customizable. In some cases, there are 3 straps, out of which only 2 are customizable. This may work if you have average-volume feet. Other hikers, be it with narrower or wider foot parts, often prefer as many customization options as possible. 

It’s also worth noting that sandals with a toe thong/toe post often ask for a break-in period. This is especially true in cases where hikers haven’t worn such sandals before. The separator feels odd at first, sometimes even bordering on pain. 

When it comes to the closure systems, buckles keep the straps locked in. Bungee laces may feel slightly less secure because they can wiggle or be elastic. Finally, Velcro is super easy to use; it’s secure, but may lose its bond strength with heavy use, especially if you keep adjusting in areas with a lot of silt/sand that could get into the Velcro patches. 

How to care more about water and Earth and what does it have to do with your water hiking sandals

Water hiking means getting in and out of the water. With this, we hope we all agree that what nature is offering us should be unharmed, and we should protect the landscapes and ecosystems we wade through, and leave them undisturbed. Unfortunately, forever chemicals are there to ruin our plans, with us not even knowing about it. So, let’s learn more about them.

PFAS are the forever chemicals. They do not dissolve or break down. They accumulate in our waters, ground, food, wildlife, human bodies, and blood. They are everywhere. We’re talking non-stick cookware, microwave popcorn bags, many types of takeout containers, baking paper, waterproof and water-repellent apparel, rain gear, materials treated for stain resistance, water-repellent picnic blankets, backpacks, dental floss, some cosmetic products... And they are extremely harmful. 

• In 2023, a working group of 30 international scientists classified PFA as carcinogenic to humans and PFS ans possibly carcinogenic to humans (Volume 135, WHO)
• CDC data found PFAS in the blood of 97% of Americans after tracking PFAS in blood serum since 1999 across tens of thousands of participants (see more on the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences website). 
• PFAS exposure has been associated with kidney, ovarian, testicular, thyroid, and endometrial cancers (Li et. al, 2025). 
• PFAS exposure is significantly associated with reproductive hormone disruption, as shown in a systematic review and meta-analysis across 11 studies involving 7,714 participants (Li et. al, 2024). There are more studies available proving the association between PFAS exposure and reproductive aging.

In 2023, a sustainability manager from KEEN stated that (back in 2014) hundreds of components that don’t even need to be waterproof (by design or because they are meant to go underwater) were being treated with PFAS. Even laces and eyelets! This applies to hiking sandals, too! They eliminated nearly 70% of those chemicals simply by not using them where they did not need them. Since 2018, KEEN has been PFC-free. Looking at other brands in the hiking realm, these are also PFAS/PFC-free: Deuter, Ortovox, and Patagonia. 

Key terms to understand

PFAS per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, what a mouthful. This is the umbrella term for thousands of synthetic chemicals, so-called forever chemicals. They do not break down in the environment or in the human body. 

PFC perflourinated compounds or perfluorocarbons; this is an old term but still found in some brand specifications saying PFC-free. PFC is a subset of PFAS, so in the context of hiking sandals, these 2 may be used interchangeably.

DWR stands for durable water repellent. This is obviously not a compound, but a treatment of the material which makes it repel water rather than soaking it in. Most of these were PFAS-based, and right now there’s a transition to better alternatives happening. 

C6 and C8 are used for the 6-carbon chain and 8-carbon chain, the length of the carbon chain in fluorinated DWRs. C8 was the original problem, then C6 was what the industry presented as a solution (which it was not). You may have also heard about C4 or short-chain PFAS. The issue with short-chain PFAS is that they are still accumulating and not breaking down, only somewhat less aggressively. Right now, C0 is the way to go: no fluorinated chemistry at all. Brands are doing this voluntarily or by regulatory mandate. That is why we also have so-called C0 DWR, which is, as the name suggests, a DWR treatment with zero fluorinated chemistry. 

PFOA/PFOS, short for perfluorooctanoic acid, which is used in Teflon manufacturing, and perfluorooctane sulfonate, which is found in military firefighting foam. Both banned. You may have heard about these if you’ve watched Dark Waters. If you haven’t, we highly recommend doing so.