divarani

I am going to Costa Rica in 3 weeks - wet season, and will be visiting Arenal, Monteverde, and the beach. At a loss what shoes are best - sneakers, Keen, Teva?
What were the best shoes you had, and what did you wish you had brought?
Thanks in advance!

volcanogirl

We use running shoes on the trails and Keen's for when it's muddy or if we're doing water activities.

qwovadis

GoreTex Hi Tech Hikers light my fav for muddy trails/trkking

Teva works will for beach usually if trekking a lot

bring several pairs of GoreTex socks to change so no

wet feet leads to blisters.

tully

I take a pair of Merrell low cut hiking shoes, flip-flops and a pair of croc's. I love my merrell's but I have to say the croc's are my fave just for their versatility and comfort, nice to be able to get them muddy, wet, sandy and just rinse them off.

Jaguarman

For hiking in the jungle, I suggest the rubber boots that the local farmers wear. Your nice <Keens, Teva's, etc> could get full of water and mud. These, together with flip flops / crocs are a good combo. You can buy the rubber boots in almost every hardware store / super market around the country.

If your not planning muddy hiking, then go with comfortable walking/hiking shoes for city streets and general exploring.

The flip flops are light weight and are comfortable around the hotel and on the beach where the sand can get very hot.

Pura Vida,
Ballardo Diaz

mlgb

I second Jaguarman, if you are hiking in jungle mud, rubber boots (not rubber boats!)

Flip flops were a disaster for mud hiking.

volcanogirl

Keen's rinse right off and dry pretty quickly so they're okay for mud too. I wore running shoes on a muddy hike once, and those shoes didn't get dry the entire trip. It's a good idea to pack a couple of plastic bags in your luggage for things like that.

costaricaguide

No one has mentioned Salomon water shoes so I will. We used to use sports sandals like keens, alps, chaco, and teva all the time, but we've found that the Salomon water shoes combine a lot of the benefits of trail shoes (better tread/traction, more support/cushioning) with the super light weight, rinseability and quick drying of sandals. A number of other companies have copied the design in the last couple of years and you can buy a few brands that are very similar to Salomon.

We've done the rubber boot thing a couple of times and they are great for short walks through deep mud, but they are really not appropriate for hiking. They don't have any tightening mechanism (straps/laces etc.) so they are never really secure on your foot. You sacrifice a lot of stability when scrambling and if you're covering any sort of distance you're guaranteed massive blisters until you build up callouses after a couple of weeks. The taller ones can fill up and become dangerous anchors if you fall in fast moving or deep water so be sure to take them off and carry them.

hipvirgochick

I have Salomon Tech's (the ones costaricaguide mentioned) and I like those a lot but on cleared trails and through water, even on rocks, I really like my Keen's best. I would wear boots on more intense hikes when needed.

ShellD

I wear my Keen's almost all the time. The only issue I have is when hiking (or walking) on a beach, the rocks and sand getting in them. I've seen many people wearing them with socks to avoid this.

I also have a pair similar to the Salomon water shoes, I think they're made by Land's End. I've worn them when I want a more closed shoe, but still one that will dry quickly

kelsey22

What kind of Keen's?

schmerl

I love my Keen Venice H2 sandals. They can get wet and give good support.

volcanogirl

If you have a store like REI near you, I'd recommend trying on different kinds to see which ones you like best.