River Salt Wading Boots (Built By Danner)

So, my brother ordered these and I just had to try them on while he was out of town and I will say the build quality is absolutely top notch. However...they are DEFINITELY smaller than previous Patagonia boots. These are almost like they're sized for wet wading without neoprene booties. I HIGHLY recommend sizing to the next size up! I had some old thin socks on when I tried these on in my G4 waders and I will say they were basically crushing my feet on the toe box. 15 minutes afterwards and my feet were still aching. It was like I was almost putting on climbing shoes (okay, maybe not that tight, but still! you get the point). Imagine these on the river being compounded by being on your feet all day and think how much swelling you'll get. I cannot entertain the idea. Trust me. SIZE UP. Why haven't any of the beta testers mentioned this?? This would've been useful information, so, I figured I would help my fellow anglers out. In the old foot tractors and the ultralights I am a size 11. I also wear size 11 in the Simms G3 and their Sandstone model. I have to have a size 12 in these. Minimum. I fish a lot (sometimes in excess of 275+ days a year on the water) and I've worn a lot of boots before. Without a doubt, the quality construction build is unparalleled right now on the market. The added benefit is that the colors are spot on for my new gen Simms G4's and Pat Rio Gallegos Waders. If you can even contemplate spending this kind of coin on a pair of boots, bite the bullet and buy them..(SMH c'mon Patagonia! Too much $$ for these. I've never even spent HALF this much on any pair of shoes my entire life, and these bad boys cost TWICE as much as every other high end wading boot out there...I only justified the purchase because they are made in the USA!!) However, I will say this...they are worth it. Would I be more satisfied if they were at least..$75 cheaper? $100 cheaper? YES!. I would gladly pay a premium for some nice boots, but...this price?..It is excessive Patagonia...didn't even bother buying me a drink first. But I will say that now that I have them, I won't wear another pair. They're worth it. Trust me. Just buy them. They are incredibly lightweight, high quality construction, and look fantastic. They aren't bulky like their previous boots or other manufacturers. They even included a set of extra laces and some studs in the box! If you have been on the fence on whether or not you can justify buying them, let me ask the question that my Scout Master once posed: What is the most important thing about fly fishing?...Well the answer is obvious..."Looking cool". Which these definitely accomplish. But in all seriousness, these have a very high quality construction build with actually comfortable insoles as well as have extremely grippy rubber compound soles. If you have ever handled Danner's military boots they use comparable robust ballistic nylon webbing. The toe box doesn't look like goofy clown shoes that most Simms boots have either. TLDR. Size up 1 size larger than what you previously bought before. You won't regret buying them.

Much lighter than my previous Tractor/bar setup and great to hike in. Pretty decent traction in the water. I had one of the lace loops tear out on my 2nd day out with them and couldn’t afford to be without them so didn’t send in for repair for months and still held up. I do think there should be a ring or something to attach the gravel guards to. My gravel guard hook always comes off the laces and lets small rocks in.

The boots give good support. I have been wearing them in rivers. The fit is true to size especially when wet THE ONLY NEGATIVE IS THAT I think the boot is a little bit tall.

I purchased a pair from a local fly shop. I normally wear size 11. 5 and the size 12 fits perfectly with a pair of heavier wading socks (non-neoprene). I’ve owned other manufacturers saltwater boots and these seem more durable and are heavier in weight. The soles seem to attract stickier sand and require a bit of a stomp off when you are out of the water. My feet are not very wide and the boots required a pair of insoles with arch support. I’ve put on over 18 days of hiking across coral and sand— with no blisters.

This boot is the cats ass of wading boots. Great ankle support on irregular rock stream bottoms. After adding aluminum cleats they actually stick to rock. The screw in spurs provided are actually dangerous when used alone on slimy rocks. They simply slide on rock providing no purchase.