of watersport from Class IV rapids to mile-long upper

Oakley Big Smoke sandal

Teva Rodium slip-on

39Spring 2002

Rubber for River Rafting

38 Spring 2002

WORLD SPORTS ACTIVEWEAR

of watersport from Class IV rapids to mile-longportages. Amongst the numerous shoerequirements for safe, successful seafaring arepadding under the foot, a low outsole profile,drainage, easy closure (and more importantlywet-exit) systems, wet traction, good heelsupport and anti-microbial and mildewmaterials. From this set of criteria severalcompanies have developed the watershoe.Rockport has the DMX Crustacean incorporatingparent company Reebok’s underfoot cushioningsystem, a neoprene and silicone treated leatherupper with adjustable back strap and minimalslip outsole. FiveTen offers its Nemo shoe withlightweight flexible waterproof materials and asecure fit buckle closure system. The shoe has anAquaStealth non-marking outsole for stability.

Teva offers several models of advancedwatershoe including its Rodium, Rodium S.O.and Ricochet N.V. The Rodium S.O. has a Spiderrubber DSR outsole which is a dual-densityrubber outsole with a strategically-placed pod ofS2 rubber in the arch for improved traction onwet, slippery surfaces such as those found onrubber rafts and rocks. This model also features aShoc Pad, a blended polyurethane/EVA unit inthe heel cup that evenly transfers the energy ofimpact throughout the footbed and away fromthe heel. This energy return actually providesgreater spring with each forefoot push-off.Rodium S.O. has a slip-on-and-off VentilatorScreen Mesh upper with all-weather leather cradle.

This specially tanned and treated leatherrequires an extra step during the tanning processto make the leather stain resistant and easy tocare for while protecting its look and feel. Thewaterproofing is accomplished by closing theareas between the grain in the leather, yetmaintaining breathability, much like waterproofbreathable fabrics.

On the Ricochet N.V. shoe, Teva incorporatesAgION anti-microbial treatment, a process thatuses ionized silver, a naturally occurring microbeinhibitor, in the topsole (footliner) to help reduceodour-causing bacteria. Another innovativetechnology from Teva comes in the form of an

upper treatment called Liquid Frame Technology,a patented 360 degree closure system thatsecures the entire shoe around the foot. Asingle, continuous strap envelopes the forefootto form a supportive, lightweight and quickdrying cradle.

Oakley, that is the same Oakley as the sunglasses, has developed a range of visuallystartling sports footwear that includes three‘wet’ sandals based on its Net Shape CAD/CAMtechnology. The Smoke series, as it’s known, iscrafted around some very specialised lasting thatincludes a markedly obvious metatarsal risematched to a wide forefoot. This is said to allowthe correct positioning of the toes during thewalking action.

The Smoke outso le assembl ies fu l l yencapsulate the midsoles as an aid to durability,and the company uses layered vulcanisationto place a high-grip surface onthe underside as a stabilisingfactor. Tread patterns areunsurprisingly describedas ‘water shedding’.

Of the three models available, Smoke Ring andBig Smoke offer full sandal uppers, reinforced inthe heel area for additional comfort – while thebasic Smoke has a clog-style rear entry that usesa low-hysteresis top surface to minimise slippageduring wear. External materials are urethane-coated synthetic nubuc for Smoke and BigSmoke; Smoke Ring uses an abrasion-resistantmicrofibre version of the same material.

So what next? Inflatable canoe-sizedovershoes for walking on water? Prototypeshave already been made for the movie industry– I suppose anything is possible.

Mel Cheskin

he “R” word that comes to mind whenexposing the feet to cold water for longperiods of time, as in rafting and rocks,is “Raw”. The man-made solution isappropriately also an “R” word -Rubber. As distinct from insulation andwaterproofing that is necessary fortota l submers ion, footwear for

kayaking and white water rafting has developedalong different lines. Participants in these sports,which are both competitive and recreational,expect to get wet and dry and wet again.

The earliest form of foot covering preferred bythe white water boating crew were called“waterdogs”, and they are still around today.One can think of these as foot gloves or undiesfor the feet. Made of neoprene rubber,waterdogs are 2-5mm neoprene booties with athin sheet rubber wrap-around outsole. Teva’sversion called “Chameleon” has what is called aSpider Rubber outsole that is a super sticky, non-slip SBR rubber material for use across wet anddry terrain. The Chameleon bootie can be wornalone or inside a sandal. Palm Profile producesits kayak versions in both shoe and bootieprofiles with adjustable hook and loop strapsand drawstring pulls. Neoprene is the mostpopular garment material used in the diveindustry, mainly for wetsuits of course. Like thewetsuit, neoprene shoes and booties are madefrom gas blown, closed-cell neoprene filled withmillions of tiny bubbles that act as both aninsulator and water barrier.

Neoprene comes in different forms - unlined,lined on one side or lined on both sides. Inaddition to added strength, the lining, whichcan be nylon, brushed raschel or lightweightfleece, aids in slipping the boots on and off.Another popular upper material used in thiscategory of aqua sock is Power Mesh or

Ve n t i l a t o rScreen Mesh. Thiselasticated porous uppermaterial is both durable and flexible allowingwater to pass through without collecting. Itimproves drying time and prevents damage andweight gain from water-logging.

The next form of popular kayak footwear wasthe water or sport sandal. Originally developedby Mark Thatcher in 1982, his company Teva(from the Hebrew word for Nature) hascontinued to refine and define sandals usedspecifically for water sports. The original Tevasandal featured a neoprene midsole, a speciallycompounded ‘River Rubber’ outsole that wasdesigned for use in and around water andadjustable nylon webbing straps. Manyinnovative improvements have been added overthe years. Today’s latest Ultimate Thong, forexample, features non-marking, ultra-stickySpider rubber, an innovative instep strap toeliminate flip-flop and an encapsulated midsolewith heel shock pad. Other sandal models fromTeva feature a patent-pending 360 degreecontinuous strapping system it calls WraptorTechnology that simultaneously secures theinstep and arch shank to the foot. This creates anoticeable ‘at-oneness’ between shoe and footthat provides heel-to-forefoot stability andmotion support. Since the introduction of thesandal in the 1980s many niche companies suchas Chaco, FiveTen, Harmony, Reef Brazil andPalm Profile have concentrated their shoe designin the water sports market. Larger brands, too,such as Nike and Rockport have helped topopularise the sport sandal in the past 20 years.

The latest development in footwearspecifically for kayaking and sea or white waterrafting is the water shoe. There are differentclasses and degrees of difficulty in this category

T

Oakley Smoke slip-on

Teva Ladies Rodium