Simms River Sandal by Keen - Simms claims: The heaviest-duty fishing sandal on the market today. Great toe protection, plus a unique felt and rubber sole for traction. Heavy-duty rubber toe guard Nylon webbing/neoprene construction Textured rubber footbed Side-release buckle with adjustable strap Felt/rubber sole combination Imported msrp:  $89.95

I've only worn these sandals one day but I think you will agree I can speak about them.  A couple days ago, on that day, we explored a stream (trip report link) and covered 17+ miles, 10 of which were in the river or boulder hopping as there was no bank available due to canyon walls and impassable bush, 3 of those river miles were at fast pace.  I exited the canyon up 1200ft of 50 degree slope soft crap and 300 yards of rock climbing.  Then it was another 7 miles of field crossing 4 draws between 500 and 800ft deep.  It was a hell of a day.

The construction is solid with the three straps you see, all velcro, the one in the middle with a buckle.  The straps nylon thickness was chosen well and added to the neoprene they cushion well while holding solid.  The design allows full access to get in / out quick.  The easy in / out along with the size and position of the side opening which you can get a finger in makes cleaning out rocks under your feet quick either way.  I would prefer they added a similar buckle up front as well to speed up slightly getting them on / off, but more importantly limiting the usage of velcro to extend it's life.  In fairness you can get in / out without touching the forward strap but I prefer to use both.  Also, even though the middle strap is tight enough it's adjusted as tight as the design will allow.  With any luck the straps won't stretch, otherwise I'll have an issue there.

As for it's performance on the river, traction was solid and not just due to newer felt.  The felt is only in the middle while rubber on the outside grips well too, especially when jumping boulders.  I've found other rubber soles with standard traction lugs to suck pretty bad but it wasn't the case with these.  It's small slits are similar to siping a tire for usage in snow and ice, an application of optimal traction, not durability or mud traction. 

I know it's not fair to judge them on how they performed exiting the canyon, or the 7 miles of fields and draw crossings, but what the hell.  The funny thing is, they didn't do that bad at all.  Sure, they were packed in dirt coming up the first slope of soft dirt, but they held secure enough that it wasn't an issue.  The toe was solid enough to use as you would with a regular shoe / boot, which came in handy on the rocks and walking through sage.  A couple times the front velcro strap came loose again, but oh well.  I should have tightened them up better before hitting the dirt so they could have been left alone.  In the fields, down and up the draws, the rubber performed well when my buddy was slipping in his wading boots due to dry felt.  I guess my only real bitch there was the grass lashings in the open window on top of my feet which were sun burn throughout the day, but I don't think the sandals can be held responsible.  ;-)  Lastely, after all of this, I came away without any rub blisters.

Good sandal if you're in need.  I'd recommend it and plan on putting my wife into a pair.

This last photo is just here for the comedy of it.  It was taken a couple days later after the hike.

 

Article	109
Created	7-3-2007
Modified	9-17-2007
Author	Chris Scoones
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