Danner Patagonia Wading Boot

[moon1284]

Anyone see these? https://gearjunkie.com/patagonia-danner-wading-boot

Looks like they are 500 bucks when they come out.

I have to be honest, I'll probably get a pair. Wading Boots are probably the weakest link for me. They seem to wear out quick. I get 1-2 seasons if im lucky and I rotate pairs. I'm not the kind of person to pay 100 for boots then send them back for free ones when I beat them up, however i would do that for 500. I have a pair of danner river grippers in the rotation now and they are good boots. I'm also going on year 3 of danner workboots which I wear every day.

It's definitely a lot of money, but might make sense for some people. To put things in perspective I dont think I've ever paid 500 bucks for a rod and I've definitely never paid close to 500 for a reel.

 

[CRB]

Danner makes my favorite workbooks. They are expensive but are the most comfortable and last the longest.

 

[Bamboozle]

I know someone who uses the old Danner River Grippers and while they last long, they don't last anywhere near $300 worth.

I realize this is a new product but constant soaking in water, abrasion and the effect on dirt as an abrasive on fabrics, synthetics & leather mean they WILL wear out, maybe in four or five years but I can get that out of a pair of $150 shoes.

Problem #2 is (and this is coming from a person with shoe making/repair experience), IF you can find a local cobbler to do repairs on wading shoes, (which I doubt) it won't come cheap.

Danner uses a Norwegian welt on their shoes which means IF you want a sole repaired, you need to go back to them or find a shoe repair ship that specializes in upscale European hiking shoes.

Rocky Mountain Outfitters, the cobbler of choice for a few companies does nothing but gluing, I am not impressed with their workmanship but they still get around $75 for resoling, etc.

So your "lifetime" shoe will most likely cost you $800 or more by the time you throw them out in 5 or 6 years, not to mention the likelihood they are discontinued after a few years and replacement "aluminum bars" or other proprietary replacement parts become unavailable.

That happens ALL the time, even Patagonia discontinued their first generation Foot Tractor aluminum bar sandals after a few years.

It's your money but you may want to seriously research expected repair costs before taking the plunge.

 

[moon1284]

I would get felts or studded felts. Im anticipating the cobbler repairs to be free based on warranty. If that's not the case then I agree it's not worth it.

Regarding the river grippers, the felt will wear out way faster than the boot. If I could get the felt replaced free under warranty, i think those boots would last me 5+ years. And I'm on the water 100+ days a year but to be honest I'm mostly on the upper delaware from may through September and I very rarely wear waders or wading boots when i wade. I put some miles on them steelhead fishing as most places i fish require a 1m+ walk to get there. I rotate between river grippers felt and Weinbrenner studded felts right now. The only modern boot I've used that comes close to lasting as long has been the chota stl studded felts. I had patagonias with the bars and they were junk after 1 year.

 

[Bamboozle]

moon1284 wrote:

Regarding the river grippers, the felt will wear out way faster than the boot.

On my friend's shoes the leather wore out eventually as it does on most wading shoes with leather unless you REALLY take care of them which means properly cleaning (NO bleach, NO detergents) & dressing after each use.

I get several years out of Chota STL's which are my shoe of choice at that price point. It kills me to throw them away when the soles wear out but getting the old soles off is about impossible on the latest version.

It will be interesting to see if the high price point on the Danner Patagonia Wading Boot includes lifetime wear & tear repairs because that sounds like a losing proposition to me for a manufacturer.

 

[DGC]

Certain products are so effective I would hate to be without them. In fly fishing for me there are two: Smith Low Light Ignitor sunglasses and Patagonia Rock Grip wading boots. The Rock Grips are the model preceding the Foot Tractor. I bought 2 pair. The boot material is very wear resistant. However, any time you regularly rub against rocks you risk the stitching. To counter this I thinned Shoe Goo and ran a bead over all exposed stitching. It is work but once done the stitching is very well protected, yet still flexible. The bars are even still good and I replced the zinc treated screws wuth brass so they could wear down together.. It also helps to be able to alternate pairs. There is something about doing that that yields longer wear, kind of like how you wear out a tie if you wear it every day, but in a rotation it lasts.

 

[outsider]

I have Cabelas Guide Wear Pro leather wading boots, bought them in 2010. I treat them with Sofsole Mink Oil. Not a thing wrong with them in 8 years of usage, but they are a bit on the heavy side. If they still made them I would buy them again. I don't know who made them for Cabelas.

 

[JohnPowers]

When I asked for input few years ago I realized that my POS Simms boots were rated a POS by someone who gets out 200 days a year. So YOUR MILAGE MAY VARY is the operative principle. If Weinbrenner started making the Borger boots again I’d be first in line.

 

[gulfgreyhound]

Places that recap tires maybe able to get those old felts off. GG