I truly loved my 5-10 Savant boating shoes. The soles had such wonderful grip that you could leap from rock to rock with no fear. They were comfortable, you could run a several miles in them, and they stayed on. Unfortunately, they are no longer available.
Today, I gave a potential replacement for the Savants, the Astral Brewers, a chance to live up to the Savants. I hiked in to the Linville Gorge at Babel Tower, ran the river down to Conley Cove, and hiked out on a cold, misty day. I was impressed with the performance of the Brewers. They are so light weight that it is hard to take them seriously, but they were rock steady on the steep slippery trails, tough portages, and scouting missions. Their grip on the rock was amazing and I was confident jumping from rock to rock on the river. In addition, the shoe is comfortable and has a nice boxy toe that allowed me to spread my toes out for maximum balance on the sketchy trail. It is the kind of toe box that you yoginis out there will appreciate.
While I like these shoes immensely, they are not Savants. The soles are thin and do not offer much support. I would not recommend doing a shuttle run in them. Also, the uppers are already showing signs of wear and I am sure that these will not last as long as the Savants.
Pros: light weight, super grippy, comfortable, great drainage, quick drying, available
Cons: not much support or cushion, may have durability issues, you might be mistaken for an Asheville hipster, not cheap
Full disclosure: I am not sponsored nor connected in any way with any kayaking industry businesses.
