Thinking of buying the Rowley XLTs, but want to know somethings, well here is what I think of them. The XLT are a lot different from the other Rowley's. There are numerous differnces between the old and the new. The style is changed and for the better. The shoe's ankle support is better then the old Rowley's which is a very good thing. Also, just like the new Cardiels, THe XLT's souls are nice and soft which seems to be a new vans trademark. Wafflegrip can still be found on the bottom. For the flippers this shoe can stand it's own, besides some discoloraztion (I own the white and and red shoes so that probably adds to it.) The ollie area is not grappy, but not clumsy so it has a nice flip. So to wrap up, this shoe has breathable and soft inside, and waffle grip bottom and a nice ollie area. Now you might think this shoe will run for $80-$90, but it doesn't it runs from $50-$70. To check it out even more go to vans.com. My overally rating for this shoe is a nine.(A ten would be a shoe that never wears down and will make jumping off an eight stair feel like jumping in a pool).