Cave tubing footwear

[9illi9an]

When cave tubing, which footwear is best: bearfoot, water shoes or old sneakers?

 

Thanks!

[ChrisGarcia]

You can not go barefoot as you have to walk roughly 45 minutes to even get the water. You can rent watershoes at the site for $3 US. If you do not do this take old sneakers as they will get wet.

 

Have fun!

[amandachit]

I just did this in late October and I still have the blisters on my heels. I wore old tennis shoes and just threw them away afterwards. My husband wore sandals and my kids wore water shoes. Everyone was fine but me. My problem came early on when we crossed a stream and then walked on a trail for a while. Well, it rubbed some blisters right on the back of my feet. After that long story, I would say, just make sure you wear something that you can walk comfortably in. Have fun!

[Nebr.cruiser]

I wore Teva water shoes and my husband another brand of water shoes. I did see people in sneakers, but I do think the water shoes they rent (the closed type) or water walking sandals would work better.

 

Don't go barefoot!

[Miata]

Our water shoes have a 'soft' heal and the walking was somewhat uncomfortable. Tennis shoes may have been a better choice although I could understand the blister issue. The trail is made out of smooth river rocks that give under your weight. Think of it like when you walk along the beach. By that I mean that it is a bit of a workout. I'm an avid walker (4-7 miles per day) and I was glad when the walk was over.

[hogtyde88]

As others have said you do need a decent sole on whatever type of footwear you choose, you will be walking on a path with gravel in places. I wore a teva type sandal and my wife wore water shoes with a tennis shoe type sole. We both did fine.

[DEL67]

I have gone cave tubing twice. The first time I wore old sneakers that I wasgoing to throw away, but the bus driver said that he knew someone who could use them. The second time I wore water shoes from Walmart which are like light sneakers. Basically anything with a sole that will cushion your feet a little will do fine.

[KandCsailing]

Don't go barefoot. Besides the fact that you have to walk through the jungle to the river, cross the river, and then walk some more, the inside of the cave and along the river is rough limestone you may need to use your feet to push your tube away from the side of the river. There are also logs and branches along the river that you don't want to get hung up on or the tube punchured. We went over a year ago and DH still has a 5-inch scar on his shoulder from hitting the limestone. Wasn't deep, just a really good scrape, that then scabbed over. We wore water shoes, but they were a little slippery on the path since it had rained the night before and was really muddy.

[driftwood]

. . . here is a website which offers quite a variety of "water shoes" for both men and women:

 

http://www.altrec.com/shop/detail/24938/

 

This particular page is of the pair I ordered for myself (Merrell brand), but if you click on "water shoes" they have a number of styles and brands.

 

Perhaps by the end of January 2008 I can tell you how wonderful they are. :D

[mattmanak]

For myself I used some Speedo watershoes, and I was very happy with the results. I think any kind of watershoe with a rugged sole will give you the results you want.

[lyssa13]

Any ideas on where to get water shoes in December? We will be sailing away December 15th,and I know Wal-Mart is usually great - but do they carry them in December?

 

Thanks!

[CruiseCrabs]

I have these water shoes (http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/) and they have been worth every penny as they are the most stable and comfortable water shoes... once you get used to the toe thing! LOL!

[driftwood]

Any ideas on where to get water shoes in December? We will be sailing away December 15th,and I know Wal-Mart is usually great - but do they carry them in December?

 

Thanks!

 

The very reason I provided the link above!--in December water shoes are thin on the ground. As I wear size 9.5 M men's shoes, the last "store stock" in my size was sold out months ago, and all that was left anywhere (it seemed) were the generous sizes 12 M and 13 M--sometimes even on the Web. So I was unable to purchase the EXACT style I wanted, although I did get the brand--but I think these may be more suitable after all.

 

I ordered ours last week (for our January 2008 trip), and they should be here on Monday of next week--they had to travel from the Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast. If I were you I would go ahead and order them--from someone--they will get to you in time if you order now.

 

If you would be satisfied with "Crocs," Dick's Sporting Goods stores seem still to have a fairly wide variety of sizes--at least here in Swampland, VA.

[logn84]

Any ideas on where to get water shoes in December? We will be sailing away December 15th,and I know Wal-Mart is usually great - but do they carry them in December?

 

Thanks!

 

 

I ordered my wife & two daughters water shoes from Sierra Trading Post (http://www.sierratradingpost.com/d/354_Womens-Shoes-and-Boots.html).

 

We received the order in under a week.

 

Hope this helps.

[wilson9112]

I not well balanced so walking might be a problem for me. Everyone is saying water shoes but the pair I have is thin. Is that what they all are? I think its too thin to walk on rocks. Am I better off with tennis sneakers, keep in mind we are also doing the ATV.

[driftwood]

. . . I suggest you take a critical look at the water shoes at this website:

 

http://www.altrec.com/shop/detail/24938/

 

The site is for a specific pair of shoes by a specific manufacturer, and the shoes are available in men's and women's sizes. If the soles and support on these shoes do not afford more than adequate support, I will be more surprised than you are.

[wilson9112]

. . . I suggest you take a critical look at the water shoes at this website:

 

http://www.altrec.com/shop/detail/24938/

 

The site is for a specific pair of shoes by a specific manufacturer, and the shoes are available in men's and women's sizes. If the soles and support on these shoes do not afford more than adequate support, I will be more surprised than you are.

 

Wow, some variety. Guess that beats my cheap $10 pair from Walmart LOL. They do offer to rent them for $3 on excursion but Im not too happy about putting my foot in them (never know what I can get)! I dont think a thin pair would be good enough. How thick of a sole do you recommend?

[driftwood]

Only you can determine your own needs. Most people wear shoes that aren't very good for them most of the time, and then they wonder why their feet hurt. For a few hours' use rental shoes shouldn't be a problem, and knowledgeable people have said that the path to the caverns is relatively well-beaten.

 

I think over time I will be able to get my money's worth out of the shoes I bought, but on the other hand Time's Wingéd Chariot may overtake me at any time. My survivors will be able to take comfort in the knowledge that at least it wasn't my feet that were killing me. ;)

[wilson9112]

Only you can determine your own needs. Most people wear shoes that aren't very good for them most of the time, and then they wonder why their feet hurt. For a few hours' use rental shoes shouldn't be a problem, and knowledgeable people have said that the path to the caverns is relatively well-beaten.

 

I think over time I will be able to get my money's worth out of the shoes I bought, but on the other hand Time's Wingéd Chariot may overtake me at any time. My survivors will be able to take comfort in the knowledge that at least it wasn't my feet that were killing me. ;)

 

LOL, your funny. Thanks for the help. Just have to decide if they are good enough. I dont feel like walking on rocks and hurting my feet. Maybe I should rent them as you say. Thanks again:D

[Hockey19]

Love the discussion on the best shoe. Could not care less until I see the advice on the best repellant for fire ants, DW had one and not the other (guees which). The hike is about 45 minutes over a varied trail. Sneaker, Teva, sandel, water shoe all are adequate for the trip. All are fine and don't spend to much to figure out which is best. It is not like you are going through unchartered sections of the Amazon. However, invest in bug repellant- specifially one that counters fire ants. Spend $100 on Tevas and $0 on spray vs. $5 on a Wal-Mart water shoe and $8 on a powerful spray and I bet the Wal-Mart shopper has the best time.

[wilson9112]

Love the discussion on the best shoe. Could not care less until I see the advice on the best repellant for fire ants, DW had one and not the other (guees which). The hike is about 45 minutes over a varied trail. Sneaker, Teva, sandel, water shoe all are adequate for the trip. All are fine and don't spend to much to figure out which is best. It is not like you are going through unchartered sections of the Amazon. However, invest in bug repellant- specifially one that counters fire ants. Spend $100 on Tevas and $0 on spray vs. $5 on a Wal-Mart water shoe and $8 on a powerful spray and I bet the Wal-Mart shopper has the best time.

 

LOL, another character..I am getting bug spray, any brand you recommend? Only kidding lol..By the way, when the cave tubing ends, can you take off your sneakers:D

[Hockey19]

Trust me- I recommend Agent Orange.:)

[driftwood]

. . . what fire ants can do to you is nothing to a good case of malaria or dengue, available from native mosquitoes.

 

Agent Orange is NOT recommended for assistance in taking wet sneakers off swollen feet. It is a DEFOLIANT and carcinogen, but not an insect repellant. Perhaps the poster was thinking of napalm, which might discourage fire ants in a sort of homeopathic way . . . .

 

And YOU thought this was the FOOTWEAR thread!

 

Hipboots would probably be good for getting you past the fer-de-lances and tarantulas, incidentally, but might not coordinate attractively with your bikini . . . . :eek:

[marysb]

What about crocs?

[driftwood]

Hipboots, admittedly, afford little protection against crocodiles. But thus far no one has survived to complain on the Cruise Critic boards about crocodiles in the caves. While this might have been an oversight on the part of survivors (if any), we prefer to believe that Belizean crocodiles, at least, have discovered that the tubes used in cave tubing are not so toothsome as perhaps they were once led to believe, and that the "lamanai" or "submerged crocodile" of the ancient Maya gave up dining on tubes--and their hapless contents--at some point nearly prior to recorded history.

 

There was probably some point in history where people went to the caves completely barefoot! No, I kid you not! While civilized people can hardly scrape such an imagining from the inner walls of their skulls, it must be remembered that the Chinese manufacture of footwear for the mass market is of fairly recent date--and even so there were millions of Chinese lined up to purchase the first few million pairs I am sure. While the Maya waited patiently in the jungles of Belize and Guatemala and the savannahs of Mexico, steamships had to be invented, contracts had to be reviewed by lawyers, and money had to change hands. These things took centuries to accomplish. Is it any wonder that the young and heedless among the Mayan children began the latex industry and made inner tubes with which to amuse themselves while they were waiting?

 

So if we are going to stand around worrying about our feet rather than considering the magnitude of the impending adventure with, for example, the magical Major Tom, alas and alack! Last one in is . . . perhaps dinner for the crocodile! ;)