ProView – Astral Tinker

Astral wins my heart again and again, this time with their Tinker multi-sport shoes. Expanding away from just river shoes, the Tinker nails the multi-use category. I have taken these shoes down desert rivers, mountain hikes, and out for a beer with no disappointment.

Fit and Comfort

If you have ever owned the Astral Brewess or Brewer then you know how comfy these Tinkers are. Astral essentially took their killer low profile, low ankle, balanced, biomechanically natural boat shoes and gave them a little more tread and changed up the fabrics to create an equally killer multi-use shoe.

These shoes are extremely comfortable and fit to size perfectly. Their simple design allows you to have the umph of a stable shoe but not be overwhelmed by bulkiness. The thought of, “Oh, I need to change my shoes before we get a drink or food” never crossed my mind after a trek proving the simple comfort they provide.

Durability and Structure

The Tinkers were my primary land/hiking shoes for the side canyon and ridge hikes on my last multi-day river course. I was impressed by their performance! The soles with G.15 high friction AGRO G Rubber were so sticky and non-slip that on anything from very loose crumbley desert sandstone to slickrock they held their own.

Their hydrophobic canvas, although not completely water resistant, just water repellent, dries quickly keeping your feet from being soggy for a prolonged period of time. The canvas is also reinforced in high used areas like the toe and heel, adding lifetime to the shoes.

The heel cup is semi rigid and padded. I was able to go on a longer hike without socks and had no rubbing, hot spots, or blisters. The tongue is simple and lightweight, I barely noticed it was there. The only thing that I noted about the durability is that the lacing on the toe started to fray a tiny bit but is still structurally sound.

These shoes are marketed as their fall and cooler weather shoe. As I do agree with that I think that there is something to be said that while wearing them in the 100-degree desert weather my feet were warm but not drenched in sweat. I definitely think you could get away with warmer temps. Wearing them in the mountains in the summer is more than pleasant.

Lasting Impression

The Astral Tinkers are solid multisport shoes. For boaters who live out of their boating gear these are a great way to add the tiniest bit of diversity to the wardrobe without losing functionality. And for non-religious boaters these are great shoes to invest in for those day river trips but also versatile to whatever activity is next.

Shop the Astral Tinkers and all gear from Astral on Outdoor Prolink. Not a member? Apply today!

Emily Katz is stoked to be stoked outside! You can find her perma-smiling in the mountains, rivers and canyons of the West where she has over five years of guiding experience. She currently splits her time between Moab, UT, and Crested Butte, CO. In Moab she is an Instructor for Colorado Outward Bound School-Southwest Program leading multi-day backpacking, canyoneering and rafting courses. In Crested Butte she is a Ski Instructor for the Adaptive Sports Center and a Crested Butte High School Cross Country Coach.