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Our top picks will keep your feet comfortable and dry no matter where your travels take you. Mens Leisure Shoes
Whether you’re backpacking, sightseeing on a rainy day, or just commuting to work, a great pair of waterproof walking shoes should be on your feet whenever the clouds open up. Nobody wants to walk around with soggy socks!
Walking around with wet feet can lead to health issues like cellulitis, a bacterial skin infection that can enter through a crack or break in your skin, according to Dr. Suzanne Levine, a podiatric foot surgeon and author. Levine also recommends prioritizing comfort, as she’s seen a plethora of health issues relating to poor footwear choices throughout her career, including fungus, dermatitis, blisters, fissures, and corns.
For this story, we chose our favorite waterproof walking shoes from a total of 119 pairs of shoes that we’ve tried out through a variety of real-world tests. We looked for options that kept our feet dry in wet situations while also being comfortable enough to walk long distances in, paying special attention to comfort, fit, value, quality, performance, and durability. These are our favorite waterproof walking shoes for men.
These are comfortable and versatile enough to wear in different situations around a city, to work, to the bar, and out on the trail.
They’re not built for intense hiking.
The Forsake Wild Sky Mid Boots don’t look like they’re waterproof. Rather, they look like a stylish pair of high-top sneakers — just way more functional. They can fend off any water that’s thrown at them (as long as the water doesn’t get in above the ankle), yet they manage to stay breathable. These boots are comfortable straight out of the box and got even more comfy as we wore them. They fit true to size and we liked the mid-cut for ankle support. We also found the sole to be of excellent quality and firm enough to provide long-lasting support.
During our tests, these boots were just as great for walking around the city as they were on short hikes that included hills, steep embankments, and downed logs. We could also see ourselves wearing them to work without feeling like we’re being too casual. This versatility makes the Forsake Wild Sky Mid Book ideal for travel. Granted, if you plan to spend most of your trip doing more intense hiking of 5 miles or more, we’d opt for a more rugged boot with thicker tread.
The Details: Sizes 7-14 | Leather upper, Bloom algae-footbed, EVA midsole, rubber outsole | 2.2 pounds
These are the most comfortable men's sandals we've tested.
They only come in whole sizes.
If you're wondering whether or not these flip-flops are worth the price tag, we're here to tell you that they are. These are the most comfortable men's sandals we've ever tested, impressing us with comfort and support from the very first wear. The Olukai Tuahine flip-flops are made with waterproof, full-grain leather that feels soft to the touch without any rubbing or chafing. They're also built with plenty of arch support, allowing us to wear these for hours at a time with no discomfort or pain. While some flip-flops can slide around on the feet, we found that these were easy to walk in and felt sturdy beneath us, also providing great traction on various surfaces. We also like that the sleek leather design makes these easy to dress up or down, so you can wear them to the beach and dinner afterward.
The Details: Sizes 7-15 | Leather, EVA midsole, mesh lining | 1.72 pounds
These sandals are compact for packing and come in a variety of colors.
They don’t come in half sizes.
Tevas are pretty much a must when it comes to travel — and for good reason. We loved the squishy yet strong soles and found walking around in them for five or six hours to be a breeze (certainly the wind on our toes was part of that feeling, but they’re also very comfortable). We wore them in a pool and they didn’t absorb water, as promised. And we loved the style, especially the options with color blocking and patterns. One thing we found tricky was figuring out how to tighten the straps, so make sure you try them on at home before going on your trip.
The Details: Sizes 4-14 | Polyester/nylon PET webbing, EVA footbed, rubber sole | 1.28 pounds
These are like light and grippy sandals, but with wraparound foot protection.
They fit big, so order a half size down.
Long known for its thong sandals, Olukai has made some mighty fine shoes that are perfect for travel. We tested Moku Pae Boat Shoes while kayaking and walking around, and we were thoroughly impressed. They offered excellent grip on land and dried quickly despite being soaking wet. However, one thing we found frustrating is that it took an annoyingly long time to clean the sand out of the bottom, so bring a shoe bag to pack them in. The best part about these water shoes is that they fully cover your feet, which adds extra protection as well as support.
The Details: Sizes 7-15 | Mesh upper, rubber sole
These are a worthy investment in comfortable, high-quality boots.
They aren’t very breathable, so they’re not ideal for hot destinations.
Lots of waterproof boots are flashy, but Danner keeps things classy with its hiking boots, and they also happen to be supercomfy. We found them very easy to slip into, and they conformed to our feet pretty quickly considering they’re a pair of high-quality leather boots, especially after our first time wearing them. The leather is coated with Gore-tex to keep water out, and we loved the midankle support. They felt very sturdy and like they’ll last for years. Danner really makes that possible with its recrafting program, which refurbishes your boots using the same equipment and materials they were originally made with. One thing to note is that these shoes aren’t very breathable, so they are probably best worn in cooler, wetter places.
The Details: Sizes 7-14 | Leather, Gore-tex, Vibram Outsole with Megagrip | 2.3 pounds
They couldn’t be easier to slip right on and face the rain without having to spend time lacing up.
They don’t have much sole traction.
Canadian footwear brand Vessi changed the waterproof shoe game when it invented its Dyma-tex upper technology. By weaving thousands of nano-sized pores together, this material keeps out water but allows sweat to come out from inside, making them breathable. We found this tech to be just as promised in our tests and were surprised at how light they really are. We wore them around the city without socks and found them both comfortable and durable — there were no notable signs of wear after wearing them for five days. The fact that they’re slip-ons makes them a practical pair we could see ourselves getting a lot of use out of, perhaps for the drive home after snowboarding or on a city trip. However, if you plan to go out of the city and do some trail walking, we wouldn’t recommend these as the grip on the bottom is quite flat and slippery.
The Details: Sizes 6-14 | Dyma-tex upper, VZero2 midsole
These are high-quality boots that’ll last for years.
They’re pretty heavy at nearly 4 pounds per pair, double the weight of some similar boots on this list.
We wore these boots for up to 10 hours a day through big, deep puddles, and they held up spectacularly. They’re surprisingly stylish for a work boot and comfortable right out of the box. Leather boots usually take a long time to break in, but these didn’t take much time to adjust to. We did notice some excess rubbing on the calf, but that could be remedied by wearing longer socks. These boots are supportive, have great traction and will last you years, but they are on the heavy side, so you may want to wear them instead of packing them en route to your destination.
The Details: Sizes 7-15 | Tanned leather upper, PU insole, rubber outsole | 3.98 pounds
These slip-ons have a timeless style.
They’re best for cold weather.
Blundstones are popular for a reason, and the Australian company’s Thermal Chelsea Boots prove why. The style is iconic — we’d definitely wear them out to a nice dinner — and they’re truly waterproof, even on the elastic. We loved wearing them straight out of the box, and it’s so easy to simply slip into them and go. Our feet never got too sweaty, but we didn’t wear them doing anything too strenuous because we wouldn’t trust them for hiking (though some people do). This model has Thinsulate insulation as well as a removable sheepskin footbed, so they’re ideal for cooler climates. That said, you can take out the footbed and continue wearing them as long as it’s not too hot.
The Details: Sizes 4-13 | Waterproof leather, Thinsulate insulation, removable sheepskin footbed, TPU outsole
The padded inserts make them very comfortable.
Wear them before you travel to break them in.
These Chukka-style boots are made with high-quality leather, so it took a little bit to break them in, but they became comfortable after about a week. They also felt a bit heavy, which speaks to the quality, but they didn’t feel cumbersome. In terms of waterproofing, they were excellent and managed to keep our socks dry despite a lot of water being dropped on them. One thing we found awkward was the thick sole, but that could be a personal preference. An added bonus with these boots is that they come with well-padded, comfortable inserts, which turned out to be one of our favorite aspects of the boot.
The Details: Sizes 7-13 | Leather upper, thermoplastic rubber sole | 2.5 pounds
The picks in this article came from five different Travel + Leisure tests in which we tested 119 pairs of shoes across the U.S. and assessed each one in the real world. We tested hiking shoes, water shoes, waterproof boots, slip-on shoes, sandals, and shoes for travel, and sorted through the results to find the best waterproof walking shoes for this article. During testing, we rated the shoes for breathability, comfort, support, traction, waterproofing, and durability. After the initial tests, we continued to test the shoes that rated well for another six months to make sure they held up over time.
There are actually three levels of water rankings. Water-resistant materials, like leather, will be able to resist the penetration of water, but they won’t do too well if soaked through. Water-repellent products are treated with a coating that will cause water to drip off. Waterproof is the most impermeable to water, and Gore-tex is the most reliable standard for this category, though there are other materials that also do the trick.
According to podiatric foot surgeon Dr. Levine, comfort is non-negotiable for any men's travel shoe, and you shouldn’t need to break them in first. “It's important because you don’t want any skin breakdown or exacerbation of any existing biomechanical difficulties in the foot,” she says. So make sure the shoes you pick feel good by trying them on at home before going outside. If you do have to break them in, make sure they’re comfortable before you set off on your travels.
If you’re going to spend money on a good pair of waterproof walking shoes, make sure you get some good-quality socks to match. The right materials should enhance not just your comfort, but also whether or not your feet sweat in them. Look for socks made from Merino wool or cotton, and be sure to make sure they’re tall enough to go above the shoe so there’s no friction on your skin.
Dr. Levine says to always keep the inside of your waterproof shoes as dry as possible. If they do get wet, aerate them well before wearing them again. She also says to check the creases of your shoes for any fungus and wipe it away. If you take good care of them, they’ll last longer.
If you want to make your regular shoes waterproof, you can buy a water-based, waterproof spray or rub on a waterproof cream. Before you do that, make sure you really want your shoes to be waterproof. Remember that by waterproofing them, you’re reducing their breathability and drying time if water gets inside.
According to Havard Health, experts recommend wearing your shoes for a maximum of 300 to 500 miles, which translates to a year if wearing them five days a week for 30 minutes a day. If you’re wearing them less often, they will last longer.
For this story, Joel Balsam, a freelance journalist and nomad who has traveled to nearly 60 countries, summarized the results of multiple T+L tests and used quotes from Dr. Suzanne Levine, podiatric foot surgeon and author.
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