AKU Aguana Light Hiking Boot

Drainage

With 16 drainage ports and quick-drying mesh throughout the shoe, the Aguana is built to get wet. In Zion’s Narrows, our tester was in and out of the river the entire time, and the shoe never felt like it was soaking up any water. Even when it was wet, we never felt any hotspots or discomfort. They went from soaking to damp in 15 minutes and were completely dry in an hour.

Protection

The Aguanas are lightweight, but stiff enough to keep our feet happy on (and after) uneven, rocky terrain. One tester hiked 14 miles through The Narrows and gave the Aguana top marks: “We pretty much rock-hopped the entire time. In any other water shoes, my feet would have been sore as hell.”

Traction

“Spectacular,” says one tester. The shoes held their own on dirt, but the Vibram Mega-grip rubber shined on wet rocks and roots, even when bouldering on a riverside 15-footer. “I just hopped out of the water, and the shoes stuck like glue,” our tester says. If your itinerary includes climbing waterfalls, these are your shoes.

Caveat

Our testers’ one complaint was that the shoe’s low-cut profile allowed gravel to sneak in over the top. While the ports let water out, even small rocks were stuck in the shoes (a common problem in amphibious shoes, though).