We say it all the time here at Practical Travel Gear: we dig items that can pull double duty. Certainly a lot of the shoes my colleagues and I have reviewed on this site can go from sightseeing to dinner or from water sports to land sports. The New Balance 820 falls into the latter category, for sure.

This hybrid is more shoe than sandal — which makes sense since the venerable New Balance company is known for its running shoes. It’s designed for the  boating, kayaking or canoeing enthusiast who might want more coverage than sandals can offer. (The marketing materials say the style might be used for “water running,” which I did not know was a sport.)

A few features that I think are cool: The H2Flow technology, that allows for quick water drainage through little holes (“ports) between the midsole and the upper; the quick-pull laces that have their own “garage” they tuck into so they don’t flop around; and a “hook and loop” (aka Velcro) tab on the heel for fast-and-easy hanging to dry.

I wore these shoes on my houseboating trip to Utah’s Lake Powell this summer, where I appreciated the excellent rubber grip on the soles, while I was hauling gear across pavement and over docks from our car to the houseboat. My feet sweated a bit in the heat, but it wasn’t an unusual amount of ick.

I also wore them once we parked our houseboat at our shoreline camping spot, but found that too much sand just got in the shoe for me to want to keep them on while hanging out at our campsite; when I’d rinse them out for a boat ride or a trip to the marina, I found them very comfortable and quick-drying.

Two concerns: I don’t feel as if there is a lot of arch support, so I certainly wouldn’t plan any big runs in them. And the inserts don’t seem to want to stay in — they keep popping out when I take off the shoes.

Get the women’s New Balance SW820 at Amazon

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