The North Face Padda Amphibious Shoe - Men's - 2008 BCS

Love the shoe. The only thing that annoys me is that when I wear them without socks (as they should be worn) the sides of the tongue irritate my foot a little bit.

I bought these shoes because I can been using my northface trail shoes hiking on the coast. The jagged rocks and coral was shredding my trail shoes quickly and the grip was very bad. Finally decided I would buy a pair of shoes more purposed for the task. Was I ever happy.

The grip on wet surfaces is excellent, everything from jagged coral, smooth stone, slippery seaweed and sharp barnacle covered rocks. I've even done a hike up a creek bed and was also pleased. Grant it your feet do get soaked so only for warm conditions. I wear these barefoot as I believe they are intended but when water gets a little too cold for the toes I match them with a pair of NRS neoprene socks.

Excellent shoe from TNF.

As far as comfort these shoes give you that feeling like a pair of shoes that you've had for a couple of years that are completely dogged out and broken in but you keep them around for odd jobs such as cutting the grass, painting, etc. Now if you are looking at this shoe, it should be safe to say that you've owned a pair of Nike Aqua Socks. There is absolutely no comparison between the two. This shoe gives you superior ankle support and the sole is thick like a regular tennis shoe just incase you step on a piece of glass (try that in an Aqua Sock). And the drain holes are so cool. Just imagine you are leaving any theme park with water rides and walking to your car. By the time you get there your feet will be dry. With an Aqua Sock it'll feel just like that...a wet sock. And we all know how the Aqua Socks start to stink after a while especially when you walk around in them and your feet start sweating and you get in the pool then walk around some more with the chlorine and sweat and when they dry it's just awful. My last pair I had to leave on the balcony. The shoe has shoe string like a regular shoe so you have the ease of putting them on and taking them off unlike the Aqua Sock. Also the sole protects your toes so they won't get stumped. Even though Aqua Socks only cost $30 or $40 just keep in mind that you get what you pay for. This shoe allows your feet to breathe very well. And the drain holes have nets on the bottom so debris can not come up through the drain holes in the bottom of the shoe. And with that said I willnever buy another pair of Aqua Socks as long as I can get my hands on a pair of these. I wish they came in all black *hint*. I do not have anything against Nike. As a matter of fact, with the exception of these shoes and Timberland boots, all the shoes that I own are Nike. So if you area water lover, do yourself a favor and buy a pair. Do not worry about the price because you are going to love them. And if you should happen to wear an 11.5 and do not like them, look me up I might take them off of you hands if I should need another pair at the time. Oh yeah I almost forgot, they come in half sizes too!!!!

Shoes arrived on time and in great condition. Great water shoe.

Great for rafting but not river hikes. Paddas are light, drains and dries fast. But it doesnt have enough cushioning and support. My feet hurts when I did a long hike up the waterfalls in Malaysia. This place have ample wet slimy rocks and fallen tree trunks to test on. The shoes didnt give enough support when I waded thru the river filled with baby-head size rocks. Traction is good but not great and it can get quite unpredictable on wet rocks. You gotta pick your lines well in order to track thru stuffs like these.

After all the scrambling and jamming feet into the rocks for traction, the Paddas outsole received minimal wear and almost no scratches on the upper shoe. Buy if you do mostly kayak and very short wet hikes without carrying a pack. If you insist upon long hikes with 'em, Paddas are up to it.

PS.If it stinks dont blame it on the shoes, check your feet!

Great water shoes! I’ve had a pair of Salomon Amphibians for awhile and they really don’t compare to the quality of these shoes. While I’ve had bad luck with other North Face shoes in the past falling apart on me with 2 weeks these have held up great. I like how light they are along with the drainage through the sole of the shoe along with the sides. They’re a great shoe. The only plus to the Amphibians are that you can slip them on by flipping down the heel piece. Other than that I love these water shoes and would recommend them to one of my buds for sure. Spend some of that hard earned moolah on them cause they’re worth it.

I have used these shoes all over from white water rafting to trekking in the New Mexico high desert to canoeing in Canada (and they run around town well, too). These shoes do it all. They feel like slippers with a tough sole, which is a welcome feeling after a long day in hiking boots.
Give these a try, I was skeptical at first, but they have exceeded my high expectations.

These are great shoes for wet-wading rivers. Of all the water shoes and wading sandals I have tried (except for the Simms felt-soled or cleated ones) the Paddas provide the best traction on submerged rocks (the HydroTrak sole is actually a little tacky). However, like with any shoe without cleats, it is still easy to slip on smooth or mossy rocks. The mesh on the sides keeps out most gravel, but sand easily accumulates in these shoes. They are very comfortable. Traction on dry land is decent, but the sole is thinner than regular land shoes (and most wading shoes) so that if you are walking on/scrambling over sharp rocks it can be somewhat uncomfortable. The soles are probably not thick enough for hard-core scrambling or trail running. They fit true-to-size, tending toward the narrow side.

I have had the earlier version of these for about three years. They have been terrific and durable. The new version seems to have a few more updates, a bit lighter, better grip and a bit less cushioning. The shoes are best worn with a light sock or liner sock. They dry quicker than most ( a few hours in the sun ) and will not get soggy. I have not found anything as nice as these to use in and around the water, light hiking and around town.

I love this shoe, it is perfect for the water, whether I'm sailing, hiking, crossing a stream, or just lounging. They are very comfortable and are pretty rugged. The water drains out quickly and the shoe gives great traction. Also the laces over a velcro strap or basic water sock are a welcome feature. When I want to lounge around the camp fire or the backyard I like my shoes lose and comfortable, but when pulling the kayak or sailboat on to a trailer I am glad I can tie my shoes tight and not worry about slipping out of them. The best part is these shoes look great!

great shoes! just took them on a cross country road trip stopping at Yellowstone and Yosemite National Parks. Held up great even on a few "strenuous" hikes at both places. Dry quickly and don't get smelly. My only con is that little rocks get into the shoes whilst in the water. But this would happen to any shoe. I'm also a little bit odd in that i get bothered by anything in my shoes easily, so it may not be a problem for you.

These shoes are great. They run a little big, so, order a half size small. Adequate support and a natural fit. I wore them in and out of the water.

They definitely dry extremely fast and your feet wont remain wet for very long. Also you wont step on anything bad that could pierce your foot.

However, if you are on a river, or perhaps the ocean, or anywhere with sandy beach shores, you will have plenty of sand in the bottom of the shoe no matter how hard you tie these and good luck getting it out. You will need to take them off to wash all of it out. Perhaps if they combined the ankle with an aqua sock type material to go further up the ankle and grip around the ankle, thus preventing and sand/small rocks from getting in, these would be the best water shoes ever made. That is my only real complaint.

to the point-these shoes are awsome.great traction,great comfort,they actually have real shoe strings so youcan really get a tight yet comfortable fit,they look great especially compared to some of those ugly *** sandals out now a days,they do take a couple of hours for all the material to dry-but they are still comfortable wet on land, may get some hot spots on soles of feet if doing a lot of water to land hiking-thin pair of socks would fix that problem,they do retain a little bit of sand but most comes out whith a couple kicks in the water,of course if noy kept clean they can get to stinkin-duh,anyway its my favorite of all the water shoes out and i'm so glad i found them before i bought some other ugly pair of watershoes or sandals-best water shoe out-order 1size bigger than i wear fit perfect.GREAT SHOE!

I bought these shoes new from footlocker for $30, I knew nothing about them and simply chose them based on their sweet look and lightweight feel (and price of course). They don't have the best support for walking distances but they are comfortable and breathable. Perfect shoes for being outdoors this summer. Definitely worth the $30 I paid!

These are the perfect alternative to those crocs you probably have in the closet. The shoes are light, durable and look really nice weather you are hiking or with a pair of jeans out in the city in a hot summer day. I'm definitely thinking about surprising my wife with a pair for her!

Love them - great water shoe for the photographer who has to travel through water and over land to get 'the shot'. Standing for long times in water or the cold, these shoes dry quickly and are very comfortable. They are accurately sized and feel great. I can not say enough good things about them!

Water flows out quickly, and shoe dries fast. Sturdy and comfortable. Due to the hydrophobic construction, wearing these barefoot and out of the water will result in slimy, stinky feet in a couple hours.

Very comfortable and lightweight. Great in or out of the water. I have used them kayaking, at the beach and deep sea fishing and I would not trade them for anything.

My wife and I both used a pair of these in Zion to hike the narrows. They did good, but not great. Grip was good, but not mind-blowing. The sole was much thinner than I expected, so you get to feel each and every rock you step on. By the end of 4 -5 miles of hiking in the water I ended up with a hot spot - and that's never happened with any shoe I've ever had (a few more miles and it would have been a blister)

On the plus side, they are light on your feet and keep the rocks out pretty well. Grip was good enough and they seem to dry pretty quick. For water shoes, they are good. If you're looking for a good all-around shoe, find something else and save these for the river.

I bought these because of how they looked, how comfortable they were, cause they were water friendly and cause they looked good for minor hikes. Well, I'm glad I chose them. I sail on a pretty regular basis and these are awesome for that, great traction on small fiberglass boats, and comfortable. I also took them on a hike up about a 4 mile hike up pretty steep switchbacks and ran down the opposite side in them and they worked great. I also used them for an intense game of ultimate Frisbee and they worked amazing! I was very surprised. A few things though about these. One) Do not wear them to the beach, sand gets in every hole and you have to scrub to get it out while rinsing. Two) Be careful with the pull strap on the back. I don't think it's meant to be used to get it on your foot as mine broke after less than a month of use. 3) For some reason the fabric around the ankle tore on mine... in less than a month. Nonetheless I exchanged them for another pair. Last but not least, they seem true to size. I usually wear a 10.5 and that's what I have in these, though I could fit into a 10 which surprised me.

I use this shoe for small stream fishing. Its only draw back for me, and I don't think theres anyway around it, but it lets in lots of sand, small rocks, and pebbles. Other than that little annoyance, a great shoe.

I love these shoes. I have two pairs of the Merrell Water Pros and I wish that I had found the Paddas first, I would have bought 2 or 3 pairs of them, however I bought them from another site and I have learned the hard way that you should buy from this site, they would have taken them back for me and got the North Face Paddas for me instead. These shoes are very light weight and dry very quickly. So far I have only had them 3 months but I plan on keeping them for many miles to come.

The pair I purchased has proven to be very comfortable for water walking in the 25 meter pool in which I get exercise. The tread gives me great traction and the arch support is very good and far superior to the cheap versions of watershoes that are available locally. The shoes are also very comfortable.

I searched everywhere for the best lightweight water shoe and luckily picked The North Face Padda. After an 8-day trek in Alaska's Wrangell-St. Eiias Nat'l Park, here are my initial impressions. 1. Lightweight. 2. Comfortable, no issues and minimal break in period. 3. dries extremely quickly 4. good traction and grip 5. Seem tough.
No negatives yet, they do smell a bit "unique". They were clearly the best water and camp shoes of the 5 guys I recently trekked with in Alaska.

These are extremely comfortable and functional shoes. They are also very durable, from what I can tell. They have performed amazingly. I like everything about them... besides the smell. They tend to make your feet smell worse than they probably ever have, however, this is only when you wear them without socks and out of the water for a long period of time (like walking around a college campus from 10am to 6pm). I blame the material that the midsole is made of. It seems to be made from the same stuff as Crocs, which are notoriously malodorous. I've taking to wearing socks with them if I plan on using them as tennis shoes to play ultimate frisbee or something else on a field. This is quite comfortable and eliminates the odor problem. These are awesome shoes all around. Just remember that if you plan on wearing them around town to wear socks or face one hell of a smell.

Love em. When they get wet and stinky after wearing outdoors all day, wash em in warm soapy water and let dry. Wala! Slip a cushion sole in and wear them out and about, they look great. Makes me look all outdoor-tech and leftist cool.