If you wedge your feet into ski boots or a kayak 100-plus times a year, chances are your toes are not sandal worthy. Brittle or missing nails on the battered big toe, gnarled lumps of callous and twisted phalanges are never good for public display. The folks at Keen, an Oregon shoe company bent on shodding the entire outdoor world, probably weren’t thinking about hiding skiers’ terrible toes when they crafted the comfy Antigua flip-flop. They likely saw the Antigua’s patented toe-protecting bumper as a good tool for keeping pebbles and such out from underfoot and preventing painful stubbing. The bumper certainly protects. But more important, it hides, providing grisly-toed skiers options beyond sneakers in the summertime. Antigua’s are all over, with prices ranging from $35 to $60.
Get it — Check out REI, keenfootwear.com or backcountry.com.
