Body Glove Riptide III Men’s Water Shoes Review

For most of my hikes that involve getting wet or walking over very slippery areas, I’ve often relied on the Body Glove Riptide III Men’s Water Shoes to get me through those areas. In this review, I’m going to share why these shoes are highly recommended for such hikes.

Basic Information on the Body Glove Riptide III Men’s Water Shoes:

Company:

Body Glove.

Price:

Usually $10-$30.

Colors:

There’s at least 5 different ones I know of and I’ve used 5-10 different pairs, all of which are the Body Glove Riptide III Men’s Water Shoes.

If you’re looking for women’s colors and shoes, they are also available from this company. Click here to see the women’s options.

Do I recommend them?

For any sort of hike that involves walking over wet rocks, wet wood, algae and similar areas that are wet and very slippery, these shoes will do a great job in keeping you safe in most cases.

They aren’t always going to keep you from slipping, but compared to wearing regular trail hiking footwear like the Ozark Trail Shoes (great for regular hiking) and even serious ones like the Salomon Speedcross 5 (great for trail running), I’ve found that they are too risky to use in those wet situations, whereas the Body Glove Riptide III Water Shoes are much more reliable in such circumstances.

What are the reviews on the Body Glove Riptide III water shoes saying?

Like my review, they are quite positive. Here are real reviews on the Body Glove Riptide III that I recommend you check out for further reference.

My history with the Body Glove Riptide III Water Shoes:

I must have bought and worn at least 5-10 brands of these shoes over the years. The reason why is because whenever I travel on hikes, I literally forget to bring them with me, and then on the way to the hike, I’ll stop at a Target, Walmart or other superstore and get them there.

Or if I travel with someone and they are don’t have these shoes, knowing in advance that they’ll need them, we also make the same stop to get them a pair.

They aren’t expensive at all, but their uses outweigh their price easily as I’ll explain in the pros section.

And over the years that I’ve bought them again and again, I’ve accumulated quite a few pairs and while the hikes I take them on are pretty serious and do wear them out quickly and I do end up replacing them, I have to say that using the Body Glove Riptide III Men Water Shoes has almost been an insurance policy in off itself because of how reliable they’ve been for me and anyone I know whose used them.

Some of the areas where I’ve tested the Body Glove Riptide III Men Water Shoes:

1) The Catskill Mountains:

This is the area I most frequently used and continue to use the Body Glove Water Shoes in.

There’s a few gorge areas where I go when I visit the Catskill Mountains and when I do, I am often submerged knee deep.

In those particular spots, I’m constantly stepping over wet rocks, slippery areas and overall, I must have used the Body Glove Riptide III Men Water Shoes dozens of times in the Catskills over the years.

I’ve also lent these shoes to people who have come with me on these trips when they wore regular sneakers or trail shoes, warning them that in the gorge areas where we would end up going into, they’d need them.

The people who said they didn’t need them quickly regretted that decision, while the ones who took my advice were amazed at how reliable the Body Glove Riptide III Water Shoes were for them.

Trust me, in these spots, they make a significant difference in preventing slips.

2) Vermont:

There’s a number of places I’ve tried these shoes out in Vermont:

Smugglers Notch. I’ve dove into more gorges there and had to cross many waterfalls with slippery surfaces to do it. Without these shoes on, I wouldn’t be able to do it.

Green Mountain National Forest. There’s a lot of swimming holes here which means you need shoes like these to help you jump into the water, navigate through the slippery areas, climb back out and repeat the process.

These shoes do that job very well.

3) My road trip through California:

I purchased a pair of the Body Glove Riptide III Water Shoes at a gas station because I knew I’d need them to help me on my watery hikes, especially many of the hiking spots I’ve visited in northern California.

4) My Pacific Northwest Road trip:

I traveled a lot through the Pacific Northwest in 2019 and these shoes helped me in many circumstances where I had to get into the water.

5) Florida:

Florida doesn’t have the most serious terrain for these types of shoes, but in my case, I used them because I was kayaking near Coquina Beach in Sarasota.

And often had to get out of my kayak and step in some questionable water spots with seaweed and stuff that frankly I wasn’t comfortable stepping in with my bear feet.

This photo was taken on a Sandbar I was exploring on this beach:

There’s also many other places I’ve worn these shoes but overall, I’d say I must have gotten at least 100 miles of hiking done in the Body Glove Riptide III Water Shoes.

Granted, these weren’t the same pair (they were often just different colors but the same exact brand), but I’ve experienced using these water shoes enough times to know they work and are very reliable.

I know it’s hard to see them in most of these pictures, but I’ve used these water shoes for years and they are the main brand sold in the major stores I’ve bought them in.

I have also tried other pairs of water shoes as well, but generally, the Body Glove brand has been the main one I use on my adventures.

Body Glove Riptide III Men Water Shoes Pros:

• Very reliable grip in slippery spots (wet rocks, wet wood, algae).
• Very easy and comfortable to wear.
• They insulate your foot heat and keep them warm (good for cold water).
• Very cheap for each pair.
• Great for water hiking trips.

Cons:

• If you wear them for tough hikes over and over, they could wear off quickly.
• If you don’t wash them, they can start smelling overtime.

Conclusions on the Body Glove Riptide III Men Water Shoes:

These water shoes can be used for more than just hiking. They can be used for:

• Jet skiing.
• Beach walks.
• Lake walks.
• Kayaking.
• Ect…

I just use them for more serious hikes and being that I’ve tested them in some serious environments, I can tell you they are very reliable there. Get them here.

I’ve personally seen the difference in wearing these shoes vs not wearing them on wet rocks, wet wood and algae like environments. Trust me when I say that if you plan on hiking in spots that have this or you plan on hiking in the mountain and getting into the water, these shoes will definitely come in handy and I do highly recommend them for these kinds of hikes.