After forgetting my Chaco river sandals sitting on our wood stove at home, I was stoked to have a new pair of Oboz Campster sandals stashed in the bottom of my dry bag for the four-day float ahead. For jumping on and off the raft and wading in the river while rigging gear, I started off in a pair of old trail running shoes that never dried out and soon smelled like a rotting steelhead carcass. I had intended to wear my Campster sandals Euro style with wool socks around camp, which I did in complete comfort, but I couldn’t bear putting those cold, clammy running shoes back on for the second day on the river and the Campster sandals became my all-day-and-night footwear workhorse, in and out of the water. They provided plenty of traction sloshing around on slimy river rocks and dried in time for happy hour camp chair lounging each evening. Its pivoting heel strap makes slipping them on and off a breeze, and provided enough support for short hikes and upstream fishing missions. And they are plenty light enough to justify packing along on any backpack or bikepacking trip. Your feet will thank you. MSRP: $90. Obozfootwear.com. //
