i'm headed up with 2 recent kindergarten graduates on monday.

the last K-grad trip the boys wore their crocs all day every day. i thought it was great. they don't retain water and they provide decent protection and good traction.

so i'm tempted to just bring the crocs. but that feels risky. so what if we throw in their rainboots just in case?

would you feel secure with nothing but crocs for the kids?
would you feel secure with crocs + rainboots?

regular sneakers just get wet and stay wet. i loathe them on canoe trips.

thoughts? someone qualm my pre-trip anxieties, please!

Remember no jumping while wearing crocs - huge puncture wound last trip for one of my kids.

I make sure to have TWO sets footwear. Crocs and boots? Crocs and Teva-type sandals? Whatever you have around...

Enjoy - love that age!!

We did crocs for all camp wear (including mom and dad). Easy to remove when entering tent. But I made them wear old tennis shoes during all travel and then set them in the sun or by the fire to dry.

back safe and sound. boy 1 wore crocs all week without incident. his rainboots were untouched. boy 2 wore keens all week without incident. his sneakers were untouched. as my sons get bigger, heavier, and carry more weight, i'm sure that crocs won't cut it on the trail. but when they are light and unloaded, crocs have done the trick, even on pretty rugged terrain.

Great!

Just out myself with 10yo. She split time between crocs and keens and seemed to do OK with either. No more jumping on logs though :)

Glad your footwear worked out!

We bring crocs on most trips for camp wear. Love that they are easy to clean and lightweight. We make sure to bring zip ties and duct tape in our general repair kit in case one of the Croc straps break.

We wear hiking boots on the trail as the boys carry heavy loads and I don't trust the crocs to protect their feet under those conditions. Rain boots have been our fall foot gear to keep our socks warm and dry, but still looking for a more comfortable option.

Whole family - incl 13 yr old and 17 yr old - brings keens(or similar hiking sandals), hiking boots and something for camp.

Depending on day/weather the hiking boots or sandals are portage shoes.

Daughter and I tend to wear our keens on portages. Husband always wears hiking boots (after spraining an ankle while portaging in sandals a few years ago) and son does a bit of both.

We usually have flip flops for camp. We've thought about bringing crocs but they don't pack as flat as flip flops for around camp shoes and none of us want to portage in crocs as we all carry heavy loads.

Sounds like kids footwear worked out great for you this year.

Good to hear. My 8 and 9 year old wore crocks and keens. I made them use Keens on tril and swimming. Crocs were their dry shoes around camp. Worked great, light and not bulky!

Take the rain boots.

We got caught in that huge storm that flooded Duluth last year. I was so thankful for the rain boots. His feet were dry the whole time (along with the rest of him)