Patagonia Salt Stalker Wading Boots (For Men and Women)

Comfortable and highly durable flats boots. Drain well and can take some real punishment Fished these on sharp and rough coral flats, sand flats in Hawaii, the Bahamas and Christmas Island..Hiked extensively in them over very rough terrain to get from flat to flat on Christmas Island for two weeks. First pair lasted me two seasons of frequent tough use . Gave them to one of the guides who badly needed a pair cause his boots were shot. Just used a heavy pair of cotton socks as liners and that's all i needed. Great boots.

I expected a high laced sneaker and received a hiking boot. This is a stiff boot with a stout sole that should ward off any coral that is around. I'm sure that after wet wear the boot will loosen up. My biggest concern was the fitting of the boot. I'm a size 9R and have been my entire life. While this boot says 9, it is too big and at this rate I could take an 8. But I hate to take a chance, send it back, only to find that an 8 is too small. So I am in the process of acquiring some heavy athletic socks which I'll need in any case for hours in the water. I still have great expectations but they remain to be met.

I bought these to replace my old Marlwalker II wading boots that had to be retired after many years of hard hard use. My intention was to use these both wet wading and with waders. I've gotten to put these through their paces for a bit now so here are my notes on them.

COMFORT: I've worn them for hours both wading and in the boat between wades and they have a bunch of cushion and arch support. They lace up nice and tight and have plenty of ankle support as well. They're built and feel as comfortable as hiking boots so I assume they'll work great this winter as well when I hike into some of my trout spots.

GRIP: The grip works for about 90% of the applications I need however I have found them to be pretty slippery over certain mud and clay bottoms. I really can't expect to win them all with one boot so I won't knock them for this. I haven't had a chance to take these out on river expeditions, but I have a pair of crampons to handle the slippery rock.

FIT: I normally wear a size 11.5 to 12 in shoes. I followed most people's recommendations and bought a size up in a 13. The fit is slightly large when I wet wade, but I think a 12 would've been a little too tight for using with waders. For wet wading, I wear a liner sock and 2.5mm neoprene socks and it fits nicely. Again it's slightly large, but I'm asking them to pull double duty so I have to compromise. With breathable waders and wool socks, the fit is just about perfect.

THE BAD: I really like all aspects of this boot but had to knock a star off because of a couple of different reasons. As much as I enjoy the cushioning of this boot, it absorbs a lot of water and makes this boot pretty heavy once you get out of the water. It also takes forever to dry. I have a small PVC rack that I dry my boots on and it takes about a full day and a half (2 days if really humid) of sitting outside to fully dry these out. The mesh upper does allow water to drain out, however it still collects in the shoe below the mesh. This again adds to the weight of the boot once out of the water. This is where I think the design of my old marlwalkers outshine these.


CONCLUSIONS: This boot is a steal at this price. As 2nds, I can't even find where the imperfection is noted to be. Even if these boots only last me a few years, I'll have easily gotten my money's worth.

I got a pair for wading the flats in Hawaii for bonefish. Even though these boots are being sold as seconds, the imperfection must be tiny as they look first rate to me. I've followed the recommendation to buy one size larger and used them several times now. So far, the boots have shown no signs of wear and they are very comfortable. Get a pair before they are all sold out.

The description said these are seconds and the boots came with a little sheet that pointed out the "defect" and I couldn't see it. These look perfectly fine to me. Great product at a fraction of the price.

I wear these wet wading so I wear wet socks with them - as compared to waders and the neoprene or stocking foot - and the size is very true for my application. No need to size up if you are wet wading with just socks.