for wet footing in the canoe I wear NRS Attack Shoes which are neoprene booties with an insole that provides arch support and an outer sole that refuses to slip on wet rocks. For dry footing I wear Chota breatables. As soon as I disembark at the landing I switch to high cut hiking shoes that have my orthotic arch supports. This gives my feet a rest while around the landing and around camp, and keeps my feet from hurting on the portage or while hiking. The high cut hikers I have are Merrill and HiTech, either pair only weighs 2.5 pounds. I keep them in a lightweight dry bag attached to the outside of my pack. Sometimes I bring my Keen Newport sandals with the toe cups for lounging around camp. They pick up gravel between the foot and footbed if worn in the water. Wearing wool socks with the sandals helps, but not as effective as the NRS Attack shoes. I tie the NRS Attack river shoes to a canoe thwart or my pfd when I'm not wearing them. I also use the river shoes for swimming where it is rocky or mucky. I've never had sand or grit get inside. They are lightweight and supportive enough for short portages unless the terrain is terrible, at which point dedicated hikers are a necessity in my opinion. The attack shoes have a leather patch on both sides of the ankle to help prevent bruising when wading in rocks. The soles are narrow so they don't tend to wedge in rocks the way bulky sandals or hiking boots do.

I'm a BIG fan of TEVA brand water shoes
IF you don't have ankle-issues, the sticky sole on the TEVA shoes is pretty hard to beat!
I look for discontinued models, CAMPMOR usually has some for half price. I get 2-3 trips out of a pair before the stitching starts wearing from the abrasion on the rocky portages.
Used a Gamma Pro on my trip this May thru some pretty tough portages in the rain and NEVER slipped a bit
 I like that they are light/drain well/ and unlike some of the sandal/water shoe type footwear, they don't fill with sand and irritate you feet.
I wear with Brookie Knee Highs in spring but if I went in warmer weather I think a low cut wool sock would be a fine alternative

Has anyone used a set of waterproof gaiters over boots? For an in and out I think they would work fine.

butthead

I've always worn a $15 pair of knee high swampers. They dry fast when you do fill them and they have good traction on muddy trails. I wear wool blend hikin socks as they insulate both from cold but also heat. Only draw back I've had is on very warm sunny days they can get hot. The fix is to step out of the boat in the water and they cool off fast. They also keep my pants clean longer as I useally wear them with the pant legs tucked in. I also wear the pants with the zip off legs that double as shorts. Just one less thing to pack. $0.02

also have NRS storms. great wet footer boot except for durability issues. mine lasted only one rugged trip and i'll have to contact NRS and give their return/echange policy a test.