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Teva Cherry Bomb Water Shoes

Product Review by Hollis Luzecky
Edited by Ken Bigelow
Last updated on December 16, 2009

Review Status: Complete

Product Specifications

Manufacturer:	Teva
Website:	http://www.teva.com
MSRP:	$65.00
Weight:	14 oz / 395 g
Upper Material:	4.00 mm Neoprene
Midsole Material:	Die cut E.V.A., 40-45c durometer
Outsole material:	S2 Rubber, 45a durometer, 3.5 mm lugs
Colors available:	Walnut
Size tested:	9 (Men’s USA) / 42 (EU)
Sizes available:	4-14 (Men’s USA whole sizes)

Product Description

The Teva Cherry Bomb Shoes (“Cherry Bombs”) are a water sport shoe for canoeing, kayaking, and rafting in just about any condition. They are designed to provide stability, protection, and warmth. According to Teva, the S2 Rubber (“SSR”) outsole provides “unequaled traction on wet rocks.” On the Teva website, it describes the SSR as being “[a]kin to the rubber found on climbing shoes [and] developed specifically to perform in the extremely slippery and unpredictable environments encountered by river professionals.” The outsoles have a diamond pattern with a circular depression in the center of each diamond. On the inner edge of the outsoles are a spider symbol and the letters “SSR.” On the outer edge of the outsoles is the word “Teva.” On the bottom of the sole are also the words “Teva” and “SSR.”

The SSR rubber outsole wraps up around the toe and the perimeter of the shoes for additional protection. The perimeter comes up a bit higher in the forefoot area on both the inner and outer edges (near the ball of the foot). At the heel, and arch of the same SSR rubber comes up over the Achilles tendon. According to Teva, this toe protection and perimeter wrap are also supposed to keep your foot from sliding around on the shoe platform.

The upper is made of 4.00 mm stretch neoprene, which is reinforced with rubber (in addition to the SSR rubber perimeter wrap) around the sole, ankle, heel, and instep strap. The stitching and seams are reinforced. A hook and loop closure gusset above the ankle, makes it easier to slide the Cherry Bombs on and off and also creates a tight fit. There is a nylon-webbing pull loop above the heel to pull the shoes on. They feature a hook and loop instep strap, and a nylon-webbing strap and plastic buckle over the forefoot to adjust the fit and improve stability.

The color is described as walnut, but it appears to be more of an army-olive color with a camouflage motif on the inner and outer ankle areas.

Initial Impressions

Material and Design

The construction and design is similar to other kayaking boots I have worn in the past. The Cherry Bombs, however, have a much more rigid sole, and in general look much better built and able to withstand some rugged conditions. I think they will provide great foot protection on rocky portages or rocky swims. I can’t wait to wear these while rafting Class III-V rapids on the Upper Gauley River in West Virginia next month. The SSR sole seems sticky, so I hope it works as well as they say it does on wet rocks. I am pleased with all the toe and heel protection on these shoes. But, I’m not sure the shoes are flexible or low profile enough to fit in my smaller volume playboat (Wavesport Fuse 48).

The instep and forefoot straps are supposed to help with torsional stability, but I wish the Cherry Bombs came on a narrower platform (or in a woman’s version) because they are too wide for my feet (more below on the Fit), detracting from the intended stability feature. The toe and heel rubber look like they will offer better protection than boots I have worn in the past. The high-top style will protect my ankles both in and out of the boat. The seams look very well stitched and like they can handle some abuse.

The 4.0 mm neoprene is pretty warm and my feet were starting to sweat just trying them on. The Cherry Bombs will be a nice addition to my fall paddling gear collection. But, in the summer, if my feet sweat a lot in the humid Washington, DC weather, they may start to smell pretty quickly. I’ll report back on their warmth and odor retention. The Cherry Bombs do not drain. I will review how this affects their warmth, fit, and comfort in cooler weather.

I’m not crazy about the army-motif style and coloring. They definitely seem geared towards men, but if they perform well, I’m not all that worried about the color.

Fit

Since the Cherry Bombs are unisex shoes, the Teva website instructs that women should order two sizes down from their normal shoes size. I have another pair of Teva water shoes in a size 9 so I didn’t heed this advise. I typically wear an 8 or 9 in USA Women’s shoes. I ordered a size 9 in the Cherry Bombs and they fit well in the length of the shoe. Therefore, I am confused by the unisex sizing information.

The Cherry Bombs are wide for my narrow foot and my feet slide around quit a bit in them. I expected them to be a bit wide since they are a unisex fit, but I was hoping to be able to adjust them enough with the two straps. Unfortunately, I can’t adjust the instep strap and forefoot strap tight enough to fit my foot correctly. Therefore, my foot is less stable on the platform. I’ll report how this is affected by water being in the shoe.

Even though they are wide, I don’t picture them coming off in a rapid. The straps and the hook and loop gusset above the ankle keep them on well overall, even if the are a bit wide. I can’t pull them off without undoing the instep strap. They are narrow enough in the heel box to prevent my foot from sliding out, but not narrow enough to keep my foot from sliding left to right.

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Field Review

Sea Kayaking Use

I have worn the Cherry Bombs on several sea kayaking trips. Most notably, I wore them on a paddling trip to St. Clement’s Island State Park in Southern Maryland on the Potomac River. It is about a 3-mile paddle out around the island and back. There is a hiking trail around the island and a picnic area. The island shore is rocky with two, small sandy beaches. It was sunny and 78-degrees F (26 C) on the paddle out and cloudy on the way back (looking like it could rain). The water, which is brackish, was about 70-75 degrees F (21-24 C).

At the put in, we climbed down the rocky embankment to launch. The submerged rocks were very slimy. The Cherry Bombs Shoes have good traction on wet rocks, but not slimy rocks. I was slipping and sliding at the put in, which was covered with green slimy stuff. They provide excellent protection, and saved my toes and ankles from scraps as I was sliding around. However, I found that I feel unstable in them since they are so wide on my feet. My feet were submerged as I slipped on the rocks. The seal at the gusset is tight and I got very little water in them while putting in.

My sea kayak is roomy, and as we paddled over the island, my feet were comfortable in the shoes. My heels and ankles were padded in the shoes and not resting on the hard plastic kayak bottom. We got out at the first beach we saw and scouted around the perimeter of the island, which had mostly a rocky shore (to prevent further erosion), and grassy trails. We walked on the grassy trail around half the island and on the rocky shore the rest of the way back to our boats. The Cherry Bombs were comfortable on the hike, which took about an hour. As we were walking along the rocky shore of the island my feet were very comfortable and protected from the rough rocks. My one complaint, again, though is that they are too wide. My feet slide around a lot in them. On the rocky shore I had watch my step because if my foot was planted a little crooked, my foot would slide around inside the shoe and cause me to be unstable.

On the way back, the water was up over my ankle putting in. Again, I got very little water in my shoes and no sand. As we paddled back, I did notice that my right foot was starting to fall asleep. I don’t know if I was sitting a little different than on the way out to the island or if the gusset was too tight. I adjusted my shoe, loosening it, and my sitting position. I didn’t notice a problem after making these adjustments.

Whitewater Rafting Use

September is Gauley season, so I headed to Summersville, WV with my Cherry Bombs to go whitewater rafting on the Upper Gauley River. It started out very chilly and overcast that morning and got warmer and sunnier as the day went on (65-75F / 18-24C). By the time we got on the water it was roughly 10am and partly cloudy. I tightened down the ankle gusset before heading out. We had to wade into the river to get into the raft. Very little water got in my shoes, but the water that did kept my feet warm. I wedged my feet in the raft and off we went. The thickness/bulk of the shoe kept my feet wedged in the raft very well. Only on the largest, Class V rapids did my feet slide out of their position. The trip was about 4 hours long, and about half way through, my left foot, which was wedged against the side of the raft, started to hurt because the sole was pressing hard against the outside of the ball of my foot. The shoes were just a bit too wide to wedge comfortably between the raft tube and floor. A brief break and relaxed position between rapids usually gave me some relief. The day ended up being very sunny, but the water was still very chilly. I never was tossed from the raft, but the raft did take on quite a bit of water through many of the rapids. My feet stayed warm and the shoes never filled up with water.

The Cherry Bombs were for the most part comfortable and I was very happy to have them on our lunch break as I scrambled over rocks to find a “bathroom,” and on the take out as we hauled the heavy raft up a rocky road. The shoes gripped well on the wet rocks and sandy banks. I had them on the entire ride back to the rafting company (about 40 minutes) and was wishing I had drained them before boarding because my feet became cold with the water sloshing around. Since I wasn’t exerting energy I guess my feet, and subsequently the water in the shoes, cooled off.

Other Uses

I can’t fit into my whitewater kayaks wearing the Cherry Bombs. They are too bulky for my lower volume kayaks. This is unfortunate, since they would provide superior protection in the event of a swim.

I have also worn the Cherry Bombs on a tubing trip down the Potomac River in Harper’s Ferry, WV. The weather was not ideal for a tubing trip – overcast, rainy, and only 70F/21C. The water was a cool 75F/24C. The shoes kept my feet nice and warm, despite the chilly air and water. Since my feet were submerged much of the time, quite a bit of water got in them. While the gusset and seal keep water out on launch or take-out, it doesn’t keep it out when submerged constantly. Once I made the mistake of emptying some of the water out and then realized how warm it was actually keeping my feet.

The Cherry Bombs had good traction on the wet rocks and I was able to push easily off of the rocks I didn’t want to get beached on, but they were slippery on slimy or muddy rocks. They proved to have good traction on the steep rocky/dirt/grassy/weedy bank on one of our portages. After the 7-hour trip, my feet did resemble prunes, but they were warm.

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Final Thoughts on Product

I have worn the Cherry Bombs on several more sea kayak and whitewater outings. The conditions have ranged from about 55-75 F (13-24 C) with water temperatures almost matching the air temperatures. The Cherry Bombs continue to be comfortable, but I do wish they came in a narrower (or woman’s) size. I appreciate their warmth as the days get colder and I am very happy with the amount of cushion they offer. A pair of neoprene socks fits nicely inside them and does help fill some of the extra space and make me feel more stable in them. I also find that the Cherry Bombs fit nicely over my dry pants integrated socks. While I don’t like the wideness of the shoes for summer wear (when I’m not wearing socks), the additional room makes them perfect for my bulky dry pants socks. The ankle loop does help to pull them over my dry pants socks. The ankle gusset allows me to tighten them around the dry socks, and then pull the dry pants cuff over the top of them, for additional protection against intruding water. To test them, I waded into the shallow water at the put-in and noticed very, very little water enter the shoes. I am pleased with their fit in combination with my dry pants.

I am able to comfortably wear the Cherry Bombs while paddling my new newly purchased Dagger Crossfire longboat, which is a pretty high volume boat. I am still disappointed in their grip as I expected them to cling to just about anything based on the product information. They grip well on wet rocks, but continue to be slippery on muddy, slimy, or mossy rocks.

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Summary

The Cherry Bombs are very comfortable. They provide an excellent amount of cushion and protection. They are too bulky for my lower volume whitewater kayaks, but fit nicely in my sea kayak. They are great for whitewater rafting, but become uncomfortable for me after sitting wedged into the raft after a while.

The Cherry Bombs keep my feet warm in chilly conditions. So far the Cherry Bombs do not smell, but I haven’t had them out on steamy days yet, mostly because they don’t fit in my whitewater playboat (of which I spend the most time in). They show little sign of wear even though they have been worn on and scraped over rough rocks.

Pros

• Comfortable
• Great foot protection
• Warm
• Grip well on wet rocks

Cons

• Bulky
• Unisex size too wide for my feet
• Slippery on muddy, slimy, or mossy rocks

This completes my review of the Cherry Bombs. I would like to thank Teva and KayakGearReviews for the opportunity to review the Cherry Bombs.

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Reviewer Bio

Name:	Hollis Luzecky
Gender:	Female
Age:	32
Height:	5′ 9″ (1.5 m)
Weight:	145 lb (66 kg)
Location	Washington, DC metro area
Email	greengirlhollis “at” gmail “dot” com

I have spent a majority of my life on the water. I grew up canoeing and water skiing. I started flatwater kayaking when I was about 16 and jumped into sea kayaking at age 22. I paddle a Perception Carolina 13.5. I began whitewater kayaking in 2006, learning on the Potomac River in the Washington, DC Metro Area, and have paddled Class I-IV rapids. I navigate rapids in a Dagger RPM and surf waves in a Wavesport Fuse 48. I have done a bit of whitewater rafting, but prefer the security of being in a kayak. They say everyone is between swims, but I prefer them to be few and far between.

Read more posts by Hollis.

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 29th, 2009 and is filed under Water Shoes.