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The 10 Best Shoes to Wear to the Beach

Flip-flops are great, sure, but some of us like the stability standard shoes offer. These are healthy hybrids.

collage of merrell hydro moc shoes, sperry shoes, and original croc shoes Courtesy

By Evan Malachosky

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Like travelers, there are several types of beach-goers: the well-prepared, the overpacked, the beach bum. And each archetype approaches the activity a little differently.

The first may bring games, snacks, a cooler full of drinks, an umbrella and several chairs. The overpacked do that and then some. The beach bum tows little more than some sunscreen and a towel in their tote bag. For the latter, shoes might even be too much. If they live close by, they could maneuver their way to the water without ever touching pavement.

For the vast majority of beach-goers, however, shoes are required. Here’s everything you need to know before your next trip.

How to Pick Shoes for the Beach

Which shoes you wear to the beach depends on what time of year you’re going, what the weather is like, what you plan on doing and how far you’ll have to walk back to wherever it is you’re staying or parked before walking to the water.

Rubber shoes might seem like the obvious choice, but they don’t make much sense if you’re planning to go straight to dinner after your day in the sun. They also are not the most comfortable when sand gets inside them. The combination of wet feet and sticky sand can cause quite the rash in rubber shoes.

On the other hand, you can’t just wear your canvas sneakers. You have to wear shoes that can both get wet — you know how waves are — and then be machine washed once home to remove the sand from within them. Leather shoes are a tricky call, too, because they aren’t technically waterproof. Shoes like Sperry Topsiders, however, can totally get wet. In fact, they were made to withstand exposure to water. You just have to let them dry.

How to Wash Your Shoes

Rubber Shoes

To clean these, you simply run them under a faucet or spray them off with a hose. You can even carry them into the shower with you, washing off the sand from inside them while you wash the sand off you. They can air dry or be wiped down while still wet.

Canvas Shoes

It’s not smart to wear shoes to the beach that can’t be washed in a machine. Truthfully, washing machines are the best at getting fine sand granules out of footwear. You should of course shake them first, but a hard rinse will remove most of the remaining sand.

Leather Shoes

Leather shoes aren’t hard to wash, but they’re definitely more difficult to clean than canvas or rubber shoes. Follow our guide to cleaning leather sneakers for full instructions — and what to avoid.

More Shoes You Can Wear to the Beach

Pros

  • Comfortable and breathable
  • Easy to wash

Cons

  • Sand can rub at the heel

A clear derivative of the Croc Clog, Merrell’s Hydro Moc is a sporty rubber shoe with a raised heel and an additional heel strap. It can be worn into the water, because the heel and high tongue keep the shoe on, or on the sand when it’s too hot to walk on. Best of all? It’s super easy to wash, even with its closed toe.

Pros

  • Comfortable
  • Easy to clean
  • Can pass for formal

Cons

  • Aren't open-toed

Sneakers and the beach might not sound like a perfect match on paper. However, Rothy’s aptly named The Sneaker in a color called Sand can be washed. You simply remove the insole and stick them in the washing machine. The upper, which is knit from recycled bottles, is soft and breathable, making them okay for hot days. The hard sole helps the wearer manage even the softest sand, too.

Pros

  • Open-toed
  • Easy to clean

Cons

  • Not a shoe

Are sandals shoes? Is a hotdog a sandwich? Is cereal soup? Technically speaking, it’s a firm no to all of these, but you must be practical when you’re going to the beach. Sandals with serious traps, like these, count according to this list. These from Teva, a style called the Hurricane Drift, are made from injection-molded EVA, which is comfortable and durable. You can get these wet, bury them in the sand and then wash them off and wear ’em again.

Pros

  • Convertible heel
  • Machine washable

Cons

  • Kind of an odd shape

Sanuk’s hemp-based slip-ons are the ideal beach shoe. First, these are machine washable. Second, the heel is convertible, meaning you can slide right into these without reaching down and getting your hand sandy or wet. Plus, these are pretty flexible, making them easy to stuff into a bag when they’re not on.

Pros

  • An icon
  • Easy to clean

Cons

  • Your feet can get sweaty in here

Crocs are everywhere. Seriously — people are playing basketball in them, wearing them to fashion week, and, of course, taking them to the beach and pool. Why? Well, they’re pretty breathable, comfortable and cheap, meaning you won’t have to stress much if high tide takes them away. But you should do your best to keep them on (and close by), and the adjustable strap should help with that.

Pros

  • Feels like a sneaker, looks like a clog
  • Easy to clean

Cons

  • Sand rubs on the top of the foot

The Kane Revive is similar in concept but it’s shaped much more like a traditional sneaker. There’s a high tongue, a wraparound collar and a raised heel, plus a separate outsole. All of it is rubber, though, making it easy to clean once sandy. Pick from white or over a dozen other colors.

Pros

  • Beachy-looking
  • Stylish

Cons

  • Shouldn't get wet

The best beach shoes can’t all be rubber. Case in point? Seavees’ Cardiff Espadrille, which can’t be machine washed but is actually named after a beach town, Cardiff-by-the-Sea. They have a three-eyelet lacing system, a stretch canvas upper and a natural rubber outsole. You’re best taking these off before you hit the water, but they should be good on sand.

Pros

  • Formal

Cons

  • Shouldn't get wet

These are probably best for drinking or dining on the beach — or attending a beach wedding. They’re made from a leather upper and a rubber sole, which can be resoled for as long as the leather lasts. That being said, I wouldn’t get these wet. They will dry, but water exposure will shorten their lifespan.

Pros

  • The original beach shoe

Cons

  • Hard to clean
  • Too hot for, well, hot beaches

You might get some sideways looks if you wore these to the New Jersey shore nowadays, but UGG boots originated on the beach. Despite their omnipresence today, UGG boots were original to surf circles. They offered surfers respite after long, cold sessions catching waves, courtesy of their high rise capable of covering the toes, feet and shins and sheepskin liners that lock in heat. This was the ’70s along the coast in California, long before they became the footwear of choice for teens and cozy adults.

They can certainly withstand sand and salty water, but they prove hard to clean — and hot if you’re not surfing on a cold shore.

Learn more about UGG here.

Pros

  • Can get wet

Cons

  • Harder to clean — especially if they're salt-stained

The Sperry Authentic Original — aka the A/O — is an iconic silhouette that’s as capable on land as it is water. In fact, they were made be to worn on boats, where, well, water could make the deck slippery. They’ve since expanded landside, where they are worn everywhere from frat parties to formal dinners. You can definitely wear yours to the beach, though. A/Os are easy to shake out, totally okay to get wet and comfortable even when walking on hot sand.

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