Teva Arato Women's Water Shoes

When I first ordered these water shoes, I used my usual shoe size (about a 7.5) to base my purchase off of -- I even ordered two pairs ( 7.5 and an 8) in hopes that one of them would fit ideally and I could return the other. Having worn Tevas before, it had been my experience that they tended to run a little small, so I was sure one of these pairs would fit. Being water shoes, I intended to wear them sans socks... but much to my dismay, trying them on in my bare feet revealed that both pairs were (sadly) too big! I said "sadly" because, otherwise, these are awesome shoes up close. They would definitely have been comfortable had they fit just a little better, and despite being relatively light-weight the soles seemed tough enough to put up with whatever might lurk under water or to hike while carrying a canoe...or whatever you may be up to... Although I can't attest to this, the mesh-y design gave me some hope that these shoes could evade the dreaded "sweaty bare feet + shoe of choice = death stench"...at least for awhile. ;) The earthy colors were also just spiffy. Sweet, functional shoes...just maybe order a half-size lower so they don't slip off when a rabid raccoon is chasing you down.