I was on a High Sierra run hiking back up to do another lap on a Tea Cup section shouldering my kayak when my foot slipped and I augured 100+ ft. down back into the river.  Sliding on the granite watching my kayak fly into the air and into the river, I swore that day to get a pair of shoes that would never slip.  Enter 5.10.  Using their shoes for rock climbing, I figured they had to have a sweet kayak shoe.  I picked up a pair of Savants and the rest as it’s known…is history.

The Savants are a beefy shoe with a mesh upper and a thick supportive sole.  They come wrapped in the famous 5.10 Stealth Rubber that sticks to anything…wet or dry.  The mesh upper drains immediately so the shoe never feels heavy from the water.  The toe piece is completely wrapped with Stealth Rubber allowing for a variety of foot placements when portaging, scouting, or just moving around on rock.  A unique feature of the shoe is the lacing system.  The top two lace holes are metal and allow you to cinch up the shoe tight again your ankle.  Makes you feel bombproof.

I’ve hiked into many overnighters with these on and they gave me comfort and confidence all the way.  Try that with another shoe carrying a 100lb. kayak on your back.