Body Glove 3T Barefoot Cinch - Women's Review

An excellent shoe for swimming while insulating your feet, the BodyGlove 3T Barefoot Cinch Water Shoe has a three-toed design for a barefoot-like feel and a thin outsole for maximum sensitivity and flexibility. Due to the neoprene uppers, your feet will use their own body heat against the fabric to ensure insulation. The neoprene is thinner than other bootie-type shoes we tested, so it's less durable, but it's less expensive too. The three-toed design can be a bit difficult to get your toes sorted out in the right places, but after you do, the shoe is very unlikely to come off while swimming. We found it too sensitive for extended walking on sharp surfaces and the lugs too shallow for soft surfaces, but for a short hike up to a waterfall, they showed great traction on hard, wet rocks, and we were able to dig our toes into footholds to climb a boulder for a better view.

Performance Comparison

Comfort

The Body Gloves were right in the middle of our scoring when it came to comfort. While the neoprene uppers are soft, we found the three-toed design to be a little uncomfortable at times. The outsole is quite thin, so walking across sharp rocks became dicey pretty quickly.

Once we got the Body Gloves on, they were low-volume enough to slip into a kayak and walk confidently across a canoe floor. But they were a bit too thin to jam under a raft thwart, causing us to slip all the way under.

Traction

The Body Gloves performed excellently on hard, wet rocks on our hike to a waterfall, but due to the shallow lugs, we couldn't get quite enough bite into the sand to help us power down the shoreline.

We found the traction was nice when walking up a cold creek where we needed to navigate slippery rocks both in and out of the water. That being said, the outsole was so thin that by the end of the walk, the bottoms of our feet were quite sore.

Warmth

The neoprene construction of the Body Gloves is supposed to ensure adequate warmth in cold water, but the opening for the foot does let a lot of water in, as it was a bit large for our lead tester's foot, even with the cinch mechanism.

Our feet warmed up after the body heat kicked in on dry land, but as soon as we got in the water, the cold stream water poured back in again, and our feet got cold once more. For this reason, the Body Gloves didn't score highly in warmth despite their neoprene construction.

Versatility

The Body Gloves scored low in versatility, but a river bootie isn't supposed to be versatile anyway. We think they'd be great for swimming or river boarding or SUPing, given the flexibility and proprioception allowed by the thin outsole.

They don't have the versatility to wear on the town, nor would they have a thick enough outsole for something like running in wet conditions.

Sensitivity

Scoring high in sensitivity, the Body Gloves water shoes have a super thin outsole to make it easy for the shoe to wrap around logs, boats, and rocks. The upper is also quite thin, so watch out for pokey sticks.

These shoes were great on a waterfall hike where we hopped from slick rock to slick rock and really needed to trust our feet. Yet, for a longer hike or more time on your bootie-clad feet, they'd be too sensitive.

Durability

Of the neoprene booties we tested, the Body Gloves are less durable due to a thin upper and outsole. The neoprene is prone to abrasion and separation from the outsole.

But they are less expensive than other river booties on the market, so if you are looking for an introductory SUPing or kayaking shoe and aren't ready to commit, they may be durable enough for you.

Should You Buy the Body Glove 3T Barefoot Cinch Water Shoe?

For people who like to have a little extra protection on their feet while swimming or someone looking for an introductory neoprene river bootie, go for the Body Glove 3Ts.

What other Women's Water Shoe Should You Consider?

If you like to layer or plan on wearing your river shoes with socks or a dry suit, you may want to look for a shoe with a burlier design or a stretchy mesh that can accommodate those layers, like the Xtratuf Riptide or Astral Brewess 2.0.