I needed some water shoes, and my feet aren't going to grow anymore (40yo and no more babies thank you very much) so I wanted to get a proper pair that will work for creeking and rafting/canoeing and swimming in the lake/ocean, but also for playing disc golf with my husband and light trail hiking, and will last for the next 5-10 years at least. I started off by heading to Cabela's (FYI, I have a local Cabela's, Field and Stream, and Duluth all within spitting distance of each other, and out of those three brick and mortars, Cabela's had the best water-hiking-shoes selection, BY FAR). In the store I tried on the KEEN Newport Hydro, the KEEN Whisper (mostly they had KEEN and their store brand, Worldwide Sportsman...or something like that), and a few of their Worldwide Sportsman brand. I did not find any Merrell water-hikers in-store (at any of the stores). Anyway, out of the ones I tried at Cabelas, I quickly decided against the Worldwide Sportsman as they did not fit well (loose on my very wide feet, but tight on top and jamming into my leg at the top of my foot). So that left the KEEN. Both the Whisper and the Newport fit well, but I wanted something sturdy and hefty, and the Newport fits the bill on that. If you are looking for cuter and lighter, the Whisper is that. I chose the KEEN Newport Hydro...but they didn't have any in my proper size (size 10 womens, with a wide foot). I bought a half-size down (still fit all right) and went home ($100). I really wanted to try something other than KEEN, so enter Amazon. I proceeded to order the exact same KEEN in my proper size (10) and a different color ($100), the Merrell All-Out Blaze Sieve in a 10 ($75), and the ATIKA All-Terrain Orbital in a 10 ($31). I made sure they all had free returns before purchasing, and waited patiently to try them all before returning the rest. Here are my thoughts on them all:
KEEN Newport Hydro
***PROS***
-Cute
-Very sturdy sole
-Fits firmly but still has lots of room in the toe box (excellent for wide feet)
-Seem to fit okay in my proper size and a half-size down. In fact, when forced to choose, I would choose the half-size down
-Larger cut-outs seem as though it would be easier for water to drain from shoe. Didn't try in water so just my assumption
-Excellent and substantial toe guard
***CONS***
-Expensive
-Back strap is less comfortable than other options
-Heavy
***OVERALL OPINION***
Great shoe. Comfortable. Heavy. Expensive.
Merrell All-Out Blaze Sieve
***PROS***
-Cute
-Fits like a dream
-Very sturdy sole
-Very comfortable to walk in
-Back strap has an extra layer of padding compared to others I tried and it makes a huge difference when walking. Much more pleasant than KEEN
-Cheaper than KEEN
-Neoprene webbing around foot has less gaps in tongue area compared to the others
***CONS***
-Not as cute as the KEEN (just my personal taste), but still very very cute
-Smaller cutouts compared to KEEN...not sure but my initial assumption is they would take longer to dry than the KEEN when creeking
-Not as substantial guard in toe area
***OVERALL OPINION***
Great shoe. Very comfortable. Pretty expensive.
ATIKA All-Terrain Orbital
***PROS***
-So inexpensive!
-Cute
-Very comfortable
***CONS***
-Fit is a bit weird. The bungee on top needed to be tightened a lot to fit on my wide foot, yet they were a touch short. Where the back of the sole comes up to hug your heel was jutting into my heel a bit and while not a big deal, it would likely be a big deal after wearing all day. Would prob need to size up half a size.
***OVERALL OPINION***
Surprisingly great shoe for the price. If price is your leading factor in deciding, or if your foot is still growing (hey girls your feet get bigger when you have a baby...I used to be a size 8 before my four kids), this would be a great shoe for you.
In the end, I'm going with the Merrell. I expected to like the KEEN best, but was surprised at the superior comfort and the sturdiness of the Merrell, and at a cheaper price tag, I'm sold.
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