Salomon Alhama Water Shoes

[Gary C.]

I saw somewhere else where Jon was asking about a pair of water shoes and decided to post my own review. I have tried the Crocs and frankly I couldn't stand them. I really hated trying to hike around on the rocks with them. I tried cheap tennis shoes with a little better result but couldn't find a good weight to sole protection ratio. Either they were too heavy or to flimsy and the rocks would bruise my feet. Then a friend of mine showed me his Saloman water shoes about 5yrs ago and I had to have a pair. They were light, strong, comfortable w/socks or without, and protected the bottoms of my feet. I've carried them everyplace we hike and for wet wading places like the Kern. I'm still wearing them but they are showing there miles and are no longer available.

This year before our week long backpack/fishing trip to the Emigrant Wilderness (still owe you a TR) I saw the Saloman Alhama shoe on sale at Sierra for $39 and ordered a pair. I wore them the entire week except for when I had my backpack on and was very satisfied. For some reason they do not seem as comfortable as my old pair. That might just be because they are new and just getting broke in? But they are just as light. Dry out supper fast and do a decent job of keeping debris out for vented open side water shoes. They use a pull cord lacing system that stays in place and doesn't slip. The best thing about them is the soles. They grip like crazy on the rocks and have enough support that I can wear them all day hiking the trails from lake to lake without bruising my heels or the underside of my feet. I just weighed them on our postal scale and they weigh 24oz for the pair.

My buddy that has been carrying a pair of the rubber surf shoes picked them and was amazed that they were lighter than his water/camp shoes. They may not be as light as Crocs but well worth carrying a few more ounces. I hate having to wear my hiking boots on our many day hikes to nearby lakes and these are well worth the price and weight to me.

https://www.sierra.com/s~saloman-water-shoes/