By this point you can see that these shoes are designed for light duty. In that regard, they excel…
Not that long ago, I received a pair of SEEKWAY Water Shoes.
Someone on their product team asked if I’d be willing to review them, in exchange for a free pair.
Normally, these offers are declined. Almost all of the product reviews on this site are for items I’ve purchased. This allows for complete honesty – it allows me to tell you if I would be willing to spend my own, hard-earned money on a product. This is valuable. It allows you, dear reader, to stock up on the items you need, not items that are paying for promotion.
Other sites are full of paid placements & purchased positive reviews. (Say that ten times fast.) Thirsty “content creators” offer glowing reviews of products that they’ve never actually used, hoping to make a few shillings and get more free stuff.
We don’t operate like that.
However, this time, it was different… this time, I was already in the market for some new water shoes…
As an avid creek fisherman, I’m always looking for products that can replace what I’m currently using. Naturally, as a minimalist – in order for a new product to be kept, it needs to be good enough to replace the old item.
“New” doesn’t always equal “better”, and by following this practice of “gear churning”, said gear is always maxed out… a handy skill, cultivated and mastered over years of playing RPGs.
When SEEKWAY contacted me, my creek fishing shoes were a tattered mess. I had switched to wearing bulky hiking boots for wading – which was not ideal… they’re heavy, and they rub against my ankles. Most trips I would return home with bloody, open sores. (Sorry for the gross visual, but it’s the truth… and it was something I just accepted as the cost of catching smallmouth bass.)
The SEEKWAY Water Shoes could (should?) eliminate these issues. They have a rubber sole and a spandex-elastic upper mesh. They fit snugly, breathe, dry fast and therefore stay light. The soles looked thicker than my previous pair of (tattered) water shoes, but not as thick as my hiking boots. The lower sides (mesh area) provide less ankle support, but also, produce less ankle blood.
In terms of color and size options, there are more than you can count, so I’m not going to try. Just click the link to review what’s available.
I chose the black & orange combo you see here in the main pictures.
Were they good enough to replace my water shoes?
Let’s get into the meat & potatoes!
SEEKWAY Water Shoes: Quality
My first day out with the SEEKWAY Water Shoes was light duty. Prior to this trip, my wife and I tried them on at home (she received a complimentary pair as well, in black & pink) and I was really surprised when she mentioned how comfortable they were. She actually wore them around the house… and continues to do so.
I had to agree, they felt surprisingly light and comfortable. The sides (elastic / spandex combo) wrap around your feet. It’s a snug fit, even before you cinch down the elastic drawstring.
The rubber soles were not too soft, not too hard – malleable, with a textured bottom for traction in and around water, and they moved freely as we walked about the kitchen. They felt “softer” then my hiking boots, which I’ll admit – made me a bit nervous.
The next morning, I took them out for a hike around one of my favorite ponds. There was dew on the grass, and my feet were soaked in short order. However, as soon as the sun came out, they dried faster than hiking boots or sneakers.
As I made my way around the pond I noticed it actually felt similar to fishing barefoot… but without the enjoyment of ramming old hooks and sticks into the bottom of my feet.
Nothing notable happened on day one, aside from an incident with a muddy shoreline that I’ll explain down below. It was a successful trip and I was comfortable most of the day. Next, we went to a local creek to test the durability of the SEEKWAY Water Shoes…
SEEKWAY Water Shoes Quality Rating
SEEKWAY Water Shoes: Durability
Plodding through light muck and sand was a breeze. We learned this on day 1 at the pond.
For our second trip, we went to a small stream with a rocky, slightly-jagged creekbed made up of a mix of sand, chunk rock, hagstones, all rounded out with prickly brush along the shoreline.
I’ll be honest, the rocks in the creek beat up the SEEKWAY soles more than the muck and mud did.
One of the tradeoffs you have to accept if you want a comfortable, softer rubber sole, is simply less durability. I would NOT recommend this shoe if you were fishing in a similar area where you needed to hike a significant portion of shallow, rocky riffles.
Did we catch fish?
Of course!
However, when it came time to hoof it upstream, the shoes would pull and slide off my feet when stepping on a rock at a steep angle. This was especially exaggerated when I had to carry the kayak over the long, extremely shallow portions of the creek. The added weight made the shoes more likely to slip off.
This made me wonder if the sides of the shoes were not as durable as they seemed – but no, it’s simply another tradeoff. Soft comfortable sides don’t stay put under heavy duress.
When I got home, a quick rinse was all I needed to clean up – although I did completely remove the interior soles (which come out easily) and deep clean the shoes before setting them aside to dry.
SEEKWAY Water Shoes Durability Rating
SEEKWAY Water Shoes: Performance
By this point you can see that these shoes are designed for light duty. In that regard, they excel.
During my day at the pond I went into the shallow mucky water to release a fish, and was surprised when the heavy suction of the mud actually pulled one of the SEEKWAY Water Shoes clean off.
During my day at the creek, they were very comfortable and functional on the shore, in the shallow water and amongst the smaller gravel and sand. However, once I got into the big chunk rock they started to slip off – especially when I was carrying my kayak.
So what’s an example of “light duty” where these shoes are… wait for it… “a great fit”?
(Sorry, bad shoe joke…)
Small lakes – especially those with small, hard to access boat ramps.
I can think of one lake particular that I spent many, many hours at last summer. It’s an old strip pit, gin-clear, and the ramp is so small and tight that you have to get in the water to launch.
No way around it.
Well… some anglers tackle this problem by wearing full blown waders or large boots, like my new friend Greg here:
However, this is the perfect situation for the SEEKWAY Water Shoes.
Go ahead, get in the water. Quarry lakes are often sandy, so you don’t have to worry about sinking into the mud and losing your footwear. Hop in the boat, as the sun comes up over the horizon, those shoes will dry off quickly. As an added bonus, it is way more comfortable to fish in these, instead of hot, cumbersome waders.
Light duty – situations like this – it’s where these shoes excel.
Oh, and don’t skip over these types of lakes… they can be challenging, and that makes the victories so much more rewarding.
If you use these shoes in the proper situations, you won’t be disappointed.
SEEKWAY Water Shoes Performance Rating
SEEKWAY Water Shoes: Unique Features
There is nothing truly revolutionary about these shoes. As we’ve covered already, they excel in certain situations – and fall short in others.
Use them in the proper scenarios and you won’t be disappointed.
SEEKWAY Water Shoes Unique Features Rating
SEEKWAY Water Shoes: Cost
These shoes are currently priced UNDER $30. You’ll get your money’s worth and then some within the first few trips – as long as you use them for light duty situations.
Very affordable.
If you’re looking for a comfortable water shoe that dries quickly, grab a pair – or better yet – do what I did and replace some old cruddy ones!
SEEKWAY Water Shoes Cost Rating
SEEKWAY Water Shoes: Final Thoughts
The SEEKWAY Water Shoes are a solid option for light duty and leisure activities, both in or near water. They are comfortable enough for all-day wear around the house or in the field, and durable enough to last many trips. They’re easy to clean, they dry fast – and come in a ton of colors.
Pleasantly surprised. Will wear again (and again).
SEEKWAY Water Shoes: Final Rating
Quality
Durability
Performance
Uniqueness
Cost
How our rating system works:
Our 5-star rating system gives you a quick overview of the product. Please read the in-depth details as well – products with lower ratings can have value in certain situations!
Quality: Rates features like salt, scent, material(s), paint, finish, consistency, look & feel and/or flashing.
Durability: Rates the product backbone: components, hooks, finish and overall build.
Performance: Rates how the product looks & works in & out of the water.
Unique Features: Rates anything different that makes this item stand out.
Cost: Rates the overall value vs. the MSRP, not just the price.
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