Wading into position
High water. Slick bedrock. Cobble like greased bowling balls. Riverwalker Wading Boots built their reputation in the most demanding wading conditions. They feature great flexibility, fast dry times and are lighter weight than most of what's out there in the water. Notched flex zones allow for more natural foot movement and a polypropylene insole/shank offers stability. But don’t let the comfort fool you—these are tough boots for serious wading. Details: molded EVA midsole, synthetic leather and polyester, 100% recycled, high filtration mesh uppers and protected lacing. Riverwalkers come in three sole choices: resoleable felt; tungsten-carbide studded; and sticky rubber. Engineered to accommodate neoprene stocking-foot waders. Felt • 1,108 g (39.1 oz) pair, Felt/Studded • 1,213 g (42.8 oz) pair, Sticky Rubber • 1,037 g (36.6 oz) pair
Fabric
Strong, lightweight, 100% recycled, high-filtration polyester mesh, synthetic leather upper, with nylon/spandex neoprene in tongue and polypropylene insole board. Full-length molded EVA Rockstopper midsole
Features
- Wide last is engineered to accommodate a neoprene foot wader without constriction
- Tough, durable, quick-drying materials and construction
- Padded ankle support
- Sculpted flex zones for improved flexibility
- Compression molded EVA midsole and polypropylene insole/shank combination provide excellent torsional rigidity, support, protection from stone bruising; creates a stable platform without sacrificing flexibility
- High-filtration mesh keeps out more sand and silt and drains quickly
- Protected lacing loops with two speed lace hooks at the top
- Padded insole for comfort and arch support
- Stout, reinforced toebox and heel counter
- Molded rubber toe bumper provides abrasion resistance
- Sole designed to hold fin straps for float tubers and kickboaters
Felt: Long-wearing, polyester wool felt sole is bonded to a rubber carrier and stitched on for added insuranceFelt/Studded: Felt soles studded with tungsten-carbide tips embedded in a dual rubber layer to prevent wobble. The felt is also stitched on for added insurance
Sticky Rubber: Star-patterned sticky rubber sole provides excellent multi-directional traction and no grit, mud, debris or snow pick up. This outsole can also be customized into a "studded" bottom with several after market solutions.
All outsoles can be resoled
Color
Marsh Green synthetic leather with Sage Khaki mesh
"Lunch" photo by Brian Bennett"Turned tail" photo by John Frankot
13 comments:
The best boot out there for anyone who walks or wants the lightest weight possible. The notched flex zones really help with wear and tear over the long haul.
With only one minor flaw: The laces split on the quick lace holders. They are tough to see when lacing your boots. Not a big deal, but something to look at.
Noted on the potential for the speed hook to "split" the laces. This is more a function of the flat style lace. We have found through testing a variety of water products that flat laces stay tied better than cord. If our flat lace does get "speared" it doesn't hurt it's structural integrity.....but I am always looking to improve. Thanks Mat. I'm glad you are digging your Riverwalkers.
I'll be the first to admit that I haven't seen these in person, but the side by sides I've seen on the website with the old and new (done by searching: riverwalker) seem to give a decent comparison of the color change.
I really wish you guys had left the color on the riverwalkers alone.
I can't help but feel that when wearing these with a pair of Watermaster Waders I should be fighting Rommel in the deserts of Africa. The khaki everything is a bit much.
Minor gripe, but it needed to be said.
Noted on the military nature of color in just about any fishing line Ian but the former Riverwalker came in 3 different hues based on outsole type, Retro Khaki - sticky rubber, Loden - felt and Jute - felt w/ studs. For the sake of fabric yield efficiency (less waste) we moved to Marsh Green for all boots. Marsh Green is shown blending in well on the Boulder river in the "Turned Tail" photo. With all that said, which previous color did you prefer?
I haven't really considered the color of my wading boots as being particularly important in camouflaging myself, but they do blend in rather well in the picture you mentioned.
It seems like the moss green color really looks more khaki-ish in the photos I've seen. As I said, I haven't seen them in person though.
I own the previous version of the Riverwalkers in both felt and sticky rubber. Although I noticed they're slightly different, I can't say I prefer one color over the other. They both seem darker than the marsh green.
All that being said, you could make these boots pink and purple and I'd still buy them. I haven't found another boot that comes close to the Riverwalkers.
On an somewhat unrelated note, thank you for continuing to offer non-studded sticky rubber soles. I can't understand why some manufacturers only offer studded Aquastealth, especially when they're so easy for the user to add.
I know this post is discussing the Riverwalkers, but... quick question. I just looked at the Canyonwalkers somewhat closely for the first time. I see a really strong resemblance between the Canyonwalkers and the original Wading Shoes. Is there any similarity in fit and sizing? I loved my Wading Shoes.
Well, I don't want this to come across as negative, but I think honesty is important in product refinement. While I've appreciated the design, fit and lightweight of the Riverwalkers, I hope durability issues have been addressed with the update as well. I went through 3 pairs of Riverwalkers that all had quality issues (two of those 3 pairs had < than a week's use on them, the third pair began seriously de-laminating on both boots, after < 2 months of use). Of course, Patagonia did a great job of replacing them for me, which was much appreciated. But by the time the 3rd pair started falling apart, well, you lost me. While I was a big fan of the old Beefy Wading Shoe, I'm leary of investing in another pair of Riverwalkers until I see how the new update lasts.
I have heard a few complaints similar to smithhammer; however, I have Riverwalkers that precede the current generation and I'm delighted with them. I'm pretty hard on my gear considering I have a penchant for cathartic environments (see Before the Runoff) and have yet to experience any product failure. Also, they are one of the only boots fitting a extra wide (I'm EEE) foot well. If I have a choice between multiple color choice or minimizing waste, I'll take the later as long as the single color option is reasonable.
I have considered testing an elastic pull-stop lacing system. Has anyone attempted?
Thanks for the detailed reply Ian...and thanks RJ for wading into position.
Ian, What screw in technique/stud do you use? Pattern? Conditions used for?
Regarding Canyonwalkers, they are constructed with a "cut and buff" midsole. The Beefy Wading shoe had that kind of midsole. The Riverwalker has our molded Rockstopper midsole.
Overall the last (fit), materials, and lacing system are similar between Riverwalker and Canyonwalker. We are able to offer the Canyonwalker at a bit lower pricepoint due to construction efficiencies and slightly lower cost construction methods thanks to an excellent team of developers and buyers combined with good factory partnerships. Both shoe styles will get the job done but only the Riverwalker comes with a sticky rubber sole.
I've been using sheet metal screws for studs because they're easy to install and remove with a leatherman, and a coin will do the trick to remove them in a pinch.
I only have to resort to studs occasionally. I used them a lot in canyoned rivers in New Zealand where they were helpful in getting up steep banks when we were gorged out and had to hike up steep inclines. Three studs in a triangle pattern (two under the balls of my feet and one under my toes) worked really well in that application. Those were pre-didymo days, so I only used studs for those situations.
For slick rivers the same triangle pattern in addition to a four stud square near my heel seems to be the best pattern I've found.
Non-studded sticky rubber is ideal for what I deal with in Alaska. The river is mainly pebble and pea size gravel, so felt doesn't offer any advantage in the river, but felt does tend to slide around a lot on the slick wooden decks and aluminum of the jet boats.
I did notice that the rubber sheath material has changed on the Riverwalkers. Awesome. The textured pattern on the previous version grabbed fly lines if I was careless and let the line fall near my feet.
Thank you for the comments Smithhammer. I don't think you were the only one "we lost" due to felt delamination issues. To make a long story short, we discovered that there was a bonding problem with a certain production run of felt Riverwalkers built in 2005. Every pair of boots has a "cut tag" on the tongue which is how we figured it out. Unfortunately we didn't discover the issue until the faulty batch was well dispersed through the supply chain. Sounds like you got 3 pair.
Since then we've worked closely with our dealer base to weed out any remaining 2005 felt boots. Note that we've seen no significant issues with 2006 or 2007 felt production and we've never had issues with studded felt or sticky rubber. Most of the 2005production was fine and is still going strong today.
Due to the examination of this issue though we did learn some things that have been implemented into the 2008 redesign. Most notable is that felt is bonded to a rubber "carrier strip" and then bonded to the midsole. We are also stitching the felt to the carrier strip for added durability.
I'd like you to test the new version out Smithhammer. What's your shoe size?
I appreciate your comments John. Your early generation sticky rubber Riverwalkers should continue to serve you well on into the future.
On a product note, clarify "elastic pull-stop lacing system".
Ian, shoot me a few pix of your sheet metal stud configs via email as time allows. No need for anything high res. Thank you sir.
EP -
Thanks for the background info and the honesty. This ability to provide feedback and have dialogue around product development is great.
cheers,
- Smithhammer
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