River Salt Wading Boots (Built By Danner)

I wore them for the first time, and got about 12 miles in them by the end of the day and I loved them. My opinion sizing is a little different. I wear a size 12 street shoe, and I got a size 12 river salt boot. I wore them with my Patagonia waders in the morning, and then my yul socks in the afternoon. I size down in the foot stocking waders, and the yul socks so technically both of those are a size 11 in the feet. I did not need to size up in the boot to wear my waders. I am blown away by the performance, drainage, support, and how little they hold water and gain weight. I don't imagine I will ever own another wading boot. Patagonia has done it again.

My experience with the River Salt boots is that they run true to size. I wear an 11 street shoe, and 11 in the River Salt is perfect for me with a 3mm wading sock. As the reviews for sizing are all-over the place, I am hoping this helps. Oh, yeah…. They’re great boots. Much lighter than my Foot Tractors!

I have been on the hunt for an excellent boot for paddling canoes in the northern forests. The perfect boot would be lightweight, supportive, quick draining, durable and have traction both in and out of the water. These hit the mark. I run these with the yulex wading socks, or heavy weight wool hunting/ mountaineering socks. I found the traction excellent on the wet granite and muddy trails of the BWCA, but Im sure they would slip a lot in certain conditions (ones were felt and cleats would greatly help). I didnt install the included studs (canoes dont like them and scuffed rocks are shabby LNT), but for my needs the traction was more than acceptable. The fit was generous, and I found that after a bit of wear they stretched just a little bit to accommodate the shape of my fore foot. Lacing system is excellent, and they are easy to get on and off. They cost a helluava lot, but for a boot made in stump town I cant complain. I expect to have these for quite sometime and Ill do my very best to wear them out.

I searched for a few years for the perfect wet wading boot. At my age, safety on the water and navigating the rocks without falling were my biggest concerns. When I finally pulled the trigger on the River Salt boot my expectations were extremely high. Danner and Patagonia out did themselves! I spent a long weekend in the North Cascades chasing trout with zero issues. Thank you for putting so much thought into this boot. These are a game-changer for me.

I have owned these boots for about a year now and have loved them. They work great getting me from my truck to up and down the river all day and back. They have been comfortable, durable and stable. But I finally got a chance to put them to the test in the back country of Chilean Patagonia for a week of intense fishing. I averaged 12 hard miles per day in some pretty rugged terrain. These boots held up so well and provided the stability and traction I needed, but were light enough to hike all day in. The nylon is a little frayed now in spots and the boots definitely stretched over the week, but overall they are a phenomenal boot and well worth the money.