Well, Here we go again. I usually travel late August and am a complete wetfooter.
I wear my shoes/sandals all day. Canoeing, portaging and all the transition stages.

My footwear of choice for the last three years has been Teva Omnium 2 Sport Sandal. My ankles are in good shape so I'm fine with the low rise, and I wear a thin wool sock up above the ankle. They are great except they let in a lot of debris like small rocks and twigs. They also work well on my wide feet. Keens just don't fit me.

I saw the Hoka Hopara 2 and they look more shoe-ish. The sole looks much more hiking oriented and would still drain well out the back.

Has anyone tried these yet?

Of course you can always throw in your " I've been using blank for blank many years and it's the best thing out there" but remember above, wide feet and no Keens.

Well, can't help you with the Hoka Hopara, but I will be tripping in August this year as well and decided, in order to keep pack weight down, to ditch my usual Dryshod boots and get a proper wetfooting shoe.

After looking around I went with the Astral Rassler 2.0. Marketed to kayakers, what sold me was the claim on how well it drains, full protection against small debris, and the rubbery grip. I haven't had a chance to test a full immersion of the shoes to test the draining, however I just wore them as my primary footwear (to break them in a bit) for a solid week and I found them to be comfortable and live up to the grippyness of the tread.

If you are concerned about keeping debris out I’d look more at a shoe than a sport sandal. The Hoka Hop 2 still has openings. Hoka’s are comfortable so I am sure it would work well.


Columbia, Merrel, Salomon all make some good enclosed water shoes. Good traction, good drain, more enclosed. There are way more options. Just naming a few we’ve tried in the family. Basically purchase when we find one (as needed) that’s on sale/clearance.

I put some links in below as examples.

I’m with you can’t stand high tops or boots. I’ve posted this before but studies are mixed on using higher/more ankle support on whether they cause more harm than any benefit…other than perceived. That’s why you see professional sports teams going away from requiring high tops now and leaving it up to personal preference.

Merrel

Salomon

Columbia

Yeah I think the main reason to go with high tops today is for abrasion and impact protection. I've never felt a need for that, but I'm guessing one injury could change my mind.

I got the Astral TR1 Mesh. Haven't really had a real test yet, but so far, I like them. They are not Astral's grippiest soles but still a lot grippier than most shoes and sandals. Compared to the TR1, the Rassler sole is grippier but not as durable, while the upper on the Rassler is more durable but less breathable. One is not necessarily better than the other, it simply depends on what your priorities are.

Astral Shoes

My reason for wearing high-tops is that they don't get sucked off your foot in deep mud.

I was led to these by BWCA YouTuber Jodi Middendorf and I absolutly love them.

Seekway

My Astral Brewers finally need to be retired after something approaching 100 days of tripping over 4 years; used them from May to October.

Just ordered the Rasslers. We'll see how they do.

bottomtothetap: "I was led to these by BWCA YouTuber Jodi Middendorf and I absolutly love them.


Seekway "

the holes in the soles of these would worry me about possible puncture wounds.

plmn: "Yeah I think the main reason to go with high tops today is for abrasion and impact protection. I've never felt a need for that, but I'm guessing one injury could change my mind.


I got the Astral TR1 Mesh. Haven't really had a real test yet, but so far, I like them. They are not Astral's grippiest soles but still a lot grippier than most shoes and sandals. Compared to the TR1, the Rassler sole is grippier but not as durable, while the upper on the Rassler is more durable but less breathable. One is not necessarily better than the other, it simply depends on what your priorities are.


Astral Shoes "

Yep!

They're not a well-known brand, but TropicFeel makes shoes well-suited for wilderness canoeing. I've used the Lava on some trips and decided to give the AT-X a try this year. They drain and dry quickly, grip really well on all surfaces, and provide enough support while portaging.

Durability isn't as great as something like a hiking shoe, but it's not terrible. The other factors make up for it for me.

-Peter

Fellow wide-footer here. In the BW I almost exclusively wear Chaco Z1 sandals with wool socks. Years ago I had a sandal similar to your current shoe and the grit drove me nuts because it was so difficult to remove. With the Chacos if the grit gets in, it's so much easier to get back out. Tighten down the strap and have no fear of losing them in the muck. I'd say the biggest annoyance would be sticks sliding in between the sole and my socks. That happens occasionally but usually only on the really overgrown/non-existent portages.

Also, if you're looking for great tennis shoes for wide feet check out Topo Athletic. I just recently bought the Magnifly5 and love them. Altras used to be my go-to but they've sold out to the skinny-footed masses.

I'm a long time Chaco Z2 sandal wearer. They are robust enough for backpacking or hiking rough terrain. I spent 80 percent of my time on last year's BWCA trip in August in Chacos, then the other 20% in trail running shoes. The trail shoes were used on a BRT day hike and Stairway Portage.