Durability
At this point, I have approximately 150 days in the 5.10 Water Tennie. Although it looks a little worse for the wear at this point, it has served me well for the last two seasons.
For the most part, I’d call these shoes durable since many of the features that wear down quickly are purely cosmetic. For instance, the colors fade quickly and the upper material has started to fray. But the rubber and the tread pattern last a long time on the Water Tennie. The tread pattern on the shoe is still visible, and only a few points on the toes have rubbed down significantly.
The one thing that is not simply cosmetic and seems to wear faster than it should is the small flap of rubber on the instep of the shoe, just above the sole. I’ve heard a lot of reports of this piece separating early on from the mesh upper of the shoe.
I believe that this piece of the shoe is meant to connect the upper and the lower more securely to each other. On my pair, it only took about 15 days of use for this rubber flap to fall off. This can initially be fixed easily with some glue; after about 90 days, however, the sole separated completely from the upper in the place where the rubber flap had first come apart.
I’ve superglued the sole and the upper back together several times, and the shoe has held up for an additional 60 days. But I’m now at the point where I think I’ll have to replace the Water Tennies because of this extensive wear.
Overall, I think that getting 90 days out of the shoe before there was any sort of major failure is pretty good, compared to most amphibious shoes. That, combined with the amazing lifespan of the Stealth Rubber, makes this shoe pretty darn durable, I think.
Smell
With kayaking shoes, it’s always worth talking about the smell factor; we all know how rank these things can get.
My experience with the Water Tennie has been that it dries fairly quickly, which helps mitigate the odors.
You can also prevent odors in this shoe by removing its insoles to dry them out more effectively, and thus prevent mold from growing underneath your foot.
Following a pro tip from local Colorado hero, Ian Foley, I’ve recently started using a carabiner to attach my tennies to the boat’s grab loop by their heel-pull-tabs during the drive home. The wind on the highway dries them out very fast!
Bottom Line
The 5.10 Water Tennie is popular among paddlers for good reason; it is a solid compromise between a full-on hiking shoe and a low-profile bootie.
The Stealth Rubber sole really is super sticky, and the Tennie drains well, as a water shoe should.
If I could change anything about this shoe, I would ask 5.10 for a slightly stiffer sole, and I’d love to see a bit more durability in the upper material and the glue used to connect it to the sole.
So while there is a little room for potential improvement, I will most likely end up getting another pair of Water Tennies soon.
Have you tried the http://www.coloradokayak.com/Astral-Rassler.html , looking for a comparison of the two. I have low volume feet so the heel hold in the 5-10 worries me for one thing.
Michael- I have not had the chance to try out the Rassler yet but I have worn its little brother, the Brewer.
I also have a fairly low volume heel and have found in the past that 5.10 climbing shoes like the Anasazi do not fit me because of the space in the heel. I have not had this problem with the Water Tennie though. Most of the time I am wearing socks and/or drysuit booties inside of the shoes, which I think helps to fill up the heel space. Even when I am just “barefoot” inside of the shoes, I haven’t had any problem with heel slippage. Apart from the heel, the laces on the Water Tennie go pretty far up the shoes so that you can really adjust the fit to be pretty tight around your forefoot.
The brewer fit my foot as well and my only real problem with the shoe was its low profile around the ankle, which I felt let a lot of rocks and sand in while walking. I am assuming the the higher top on the Rassler will fix this problem. I can’t comment on the long term comfort or durability of the Astral shoes since I haven’t tried the Rassler and only had a few days with a pair of Brewers.
Over all, the 5.10 is my favorite paddling shoe of all time for now. If you are on the fence but worried about fit, I would suggest wearing them around the house with the tags on for a couple of days before clipping the tags and getting them wet.