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When it comes to shoes that are meant for the water, you’re either going to be looking at some flimsy thin-soled stuff that’s great for the water, and not so much for on land. Or, you can get something with a more robust sole (either shoe or sandal) that works on land or in the water, but then you’re dealing with materials that usually take forever to dry out. Enter a new option, the Kane Revive, that looks to bring the best of both words.
Now, to be fair, the brand is positioning the Kane Revive as an “active recovery” shoe, IE, something you’d be wearing after you’ve done your workout for the day, to help your body recover from those efforts. To that end, this is what they’ve designed in:
- Plenty of airflow through the uppers (not that unlike a pair of Crocs)
- Raised bumps in the footbed to hit pressure points and encourage blood flow
- Anatomical support for heel, arch, and instep
- A sole design that has dual-density cushioning, and smooth transitions from heel to toe
- A grippy sole design with large channels for flexibility and traction
In other words, a lot of things that you’d want for a pair of street shoes. But as I’m going to be spending time at a camp coordinating a creek walk activity, using these as water shoes is what’s on my mind. Given that it’s an injection molded shoe (using material made from Brazilian sugarcane, not petroleum) means that it’s not going to absorb water, and should dry off very quickly (thanks, evaporation!).
Combine that with the traction and the lightweight foam, and it looks like you’ve got a pair of shoes that would be great for trudging through the water, and then off and up the shore onto whatever your other activities are. Sure, you might “squish” for a little bit, but if you get the water out, they should dry quick enough and you’ll be good for whatever the next thing is without worry about a pair of wet shoes are doing to your feet. Or feeling each and every stick and stone under thin soles of a traditional water shoe.
The Kane Revive is available now for $70 in seven different colors, and both men’s and women’s sizing. Sure, if you consider these just as water shoes, that price feels steep. These are likely to be way more comfortable than any water shoe you’ve had, and also look to handle a bit more active things than your standard pair of Crocs, and be set for a variety of warm weather activity, or even lounging around the campfire with a pair of socks at the end of the day. We’re working on getting in a pair to test in the real world, and we’ll let you know how they are. kanefootware.com
