O'Neill Reactor Reef Boot (Black/Coal)

I needed some water shoes for my daily bike ride on the Falling Water bike trail that runs between Jackson and Concord , Michigan. I like to stop half way at Lime Lake (6 miles from Jackson) to swim and fish. The shore line is covered with small to large rocks and the lake bed is marl (clay and sand - quite slippery).I bought these shoes more on the O'Neill name than anything else. I'm finding that they are pricey, but they look good and certainly do the job as far as protecting my feet from the rocks, etc. However, I find them somewhat difficult to put on - the upper part of the shoe has a tendency to "roll-under" when I put them on which is a hassle, particularly given the lack of flexibility I have in my left leg (hard to reach down to get the shoe on correctly).Oh yeah, I wear a 12.5 street shoe and ordered a size 13 and they fit quite well - once I get them on. So the half size up recommendation from previous reviews certainly applies, at least in my case.Bottom line - nice looking water shoe...good protection...pricey...somewhat hard for me to get on, but getting the drill down. I'd probably look at other brands/styles before I ordered these again.

I wear shoe size 9.5. I tried on size 9 and it fit just perfect everywhere around my foot with the right width and spacing to the front toes, but I just couldn't figure out why it didn't "feel right" compared with the size 10 reef boots. Looking closer I noticed that the ankle rise in the back is a little bit higher for size 10 than with size 9. So that's why size 10 felt more secure on my foot - there was more rise to keep it from slipping off. I ended up going with size 10 even though it has a little gap in the front. Felt better overall. Mystery solved!

I've been running totally barefoot for 3 yrs. now in the summer and bought these last year based on reviews to run in snow. We average 110+" per year here. I found they were too thin for me to wear in cold weather, 28F, with snow on the ground. The cold went right through the bottom, but I tend to have cold extremities in winter anyway. Not everyone may have the same problem. I wear Merrell's Pace Glove in winter now.The thin sole was great as far as ground feel but my feet were freezing even with a wool sock or a swim sock,(thin neoprene). They got wet and if I wore a swim sock underneath the sweat stayed inside and my feet got colder. Despite that, I found them great for warmer weather when it was still too cold to go without shoes totally. This summer I stubbed my pinky really bad on a root (I run on trails) and to protect it I ran nearly the whole summer with these, 25 miles a week. Yes, I sweated, but still stayed cooler than conventional running shoes. They have great grip. There is some wet boardwalk that I have to cross and these work great on that. I can't get my toes into VFF's so I think these are a great alternative. They seem very tough as I have snagged them on tree roots and haven't seen any holes. The sizes are mens so I researched and based on reviews bought a 7. Normally I wear an 8 in a woman's shoe. I like to wear a thin sock so these give me enough room but are snug enough to feel the ground, not too snug to spread my toes. I gave up on the neoprene sock, too much sweat. I plan to wear these in the spring again. They are well worth the money. You could buy 3 pairs of these for every one pair of any "barefoot" shoe.

There are no half sizes. I thought that rounding down was better then up (didn't want a loose fit). However, the toe jams into the plastic toe front when rounding down. I guess I will have to reorder and round up. It would be nice if they gave some sizing indicators for online ordering.Second ordered pair was an 11. It fist more like an 10.5 which is my size. Be warned to go larger on you orders.

In a nutshell, this shoe is great for nearshore wading save one small item. It holds onto sand. I have been using this shoe now for about 6 months (about 4 times a week) and thats my only complaint....other than the fact that I have super white feet. :P It's solidly made and looks much better than the dive booties. I'll check back at the end of the year with a follow up for any failures.

After reading the reviews and seeing that one needs to order a size smaller and then another saying to order a size larger, I took a gamble and ordered a size smaller. For my situation, it was the right decision. I normally wear a 9 but ordered a size 8 and it's the perfect fit. Tight around the ankle and comfortable around the 'box.'The fit and finish is very good, especially considering the price. Basically I was looking for some water shoes for a kayaking trip I have coming up. I'm tired of wearing old tennis shoes only to have them smell for months afterwards. These shoes will solve the problem. They breathe well, comfortable, good traction and etc. I saw that someone was running with these during the winter and I don't know if I want to go running with them on. They are comfortable but not that comfortable.....I don't think. I will let you know in the future with some updates.Well worth the cheap $25!