ProView – Astral Pusha Review

I wasn’t totally sold on the Astral Pusha at first.

For swiftwater rescue classes, I usually want something burlier. For multi-day river trips, I often want something lighter and faster drying. The Pusha seemed to sit awkwardly between those two ends of the spectrum.

For high-top river shoes, the light end for me is something like a pair of Chuck Taylors or an Astral Hiyak: flexible, easy to fit in a kayak, and relatively low bulk. In the middle are shoes like the Astral TR1 Merge, with more support and protection. On the heavy end are boots like the Adidas Hydrolace and La Sportiva TX Canyon, which are more protective and supportive but bulkier, slower to dry, and harder to fit into a kayak.

The Pusha lands right in the middle. And the more I used it, the more I kept coming back to it.

I’ve worn them on a Gates of Lodore private trip, through a Swiftwater Rescue Instructor Course in Colorado, and on a number of normal paddling days with wading and short portages. I teach kayaking and swiftwater rescue professionally, so my river shoes spend a lot of time swimming, scrambling, wading, carrying boats, and getting jammed into kayaks.

Grip

The Pusha has better grip than any other Astral shoe I’ve used and feels stickier than the Adidas Hydrolace, though the La Sportiva TX Canyon still wins on slick rock.

They’ve done well on granite, basalt, sandy river bottoms, and slabby rock. I especially like the flatter, approach-shoe-style rubber under the toe, which gives them good contact on rock instead of relying entirely on lugs.

During the rescue course we did a lot of wading. I was a little more conservative than I would be in the TX Canyons, but I never felt under-equipped.

Fit and Protection

I normally wear a size 12 in Astral street shoes, but I went with a 13 in the Pusha so I could fit a sock, drysuit bootie, and neoprene sock. That setup has worked well with no heel lift or blister issues.

The real advantage is how they fit in a kayak. I can comfortably wear them in my Antix, where Hydrolaces start to feel too bulky. I’m probably not getting them into a playboat, but they’re much easier to live with in a kayak than the heavier boots.

Protection has also been solid. I almost always wear high-tops on the river, and so far the Pusha has given me the ankle and foot protection I want without feeling overly stiff.

Walking and Drying

I wore them on the roughly four-mile round-trip hike to Ely Falls in Lodore. On the way up, while they were dry, I noticed the oversized fit a little. On the way back with them wet, I basically forgot about them.

They also drain and dry surprisingly well. They feel much lighter while swimming than most full river boots I’ve used, and in Colorado they usually dry completely in about a day if I pull the insoles.

Laces and Durability

My biggest complaint is the lace system.

The keeper does a decent job containing the laces, but the knot itself still loosens inside it. Mine have come untied more often than I’d like. What makes that more confusing is that Astral already uses a Velcro lace cover on the Highyak, and I wish they had done the same thing here. For river use, that feels simpler and more secure.

Durability has been good so far, but one month isn’t enough for me to make a strong claim. I’ve had other river shoes start falling apart surprisingly quickly in the past, so I’m cautious here. The Pusha feels better built so far, and hopefully that continues.

Who It’s For

The Pusha makes the most sense for paddlers who want more protection and grip than a lightweight water shoe, but don’t want to deal with the bulk of a heavy river or canyoneering boot.

That balance is what sets it apart.

If I know I’m going to spend all day on really slick rock, I may still grab the TX Canyons. If I’m doing heavy-duty canyoneering, I’d probably grab the Hydrolaces. If I just want a lightweight rafting shoe, I might grab a pair of Brewers.

But for a normal kayak day trip, where I want grip, protection, decent walking comfort, quick drying, and something that still fits well in the boat, the Pusha is probably going to be my default for as long as they last.

The Final Word

I started out unsure where the Pusha fit in my gear pile. After a month, I think that middle ground is exactly why I keep reaching for it.

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