I have been a fan of Patagonia's wading boots for many years.  For the last five years I have worn Patagonia Riverwalker boots exclusively and they have really taken a beating: The long approach walking on torn up pavement, debris filled rivers,  smashing through shelf ice, standing on ice covered rocks, baking in the trunk of my car all summer long and the list goes on... After I wash the mud of them, apart from a few dings and a piece of missing rubber from the time I used one of the boots to kick out a dent in a wheel well, the boots look the same as they day I picked them up.  The synthetic materials have not faded and after a close inspection not a single stitch has come loose.  The tread wore out a couple of years ago so I had it replaced and its like getting a brand new pair of boots.  Even the laces have not needed to be changed!  Anyway, the point is, when Patagonia introduced their new Rock Grip Wading Boots I knew I had to give them a try!

The Rock Grip Wading Boots are built on the same design as the original Riverwalkers with a series of improvements.  The first thing I noticed is that the lower boot has a full coverage glued rubber rand.  The rand runs from the heel of the boot all the way to the toe and offers a significant improvement in abrasion resistance.  Moreover, the rand keeps sand and dirt from getting under the sole, which is the number one reason for glue failure in wading boots.  As with the Riverwalkers the Rock Grip Boots are some of the lightest on the market!



The uppers of the Rock Grip Boots have also been updated.  The tongue is made of nylon and neoprene and has a nice wide opening to make getting in and getting out of the boots easier.  The inside of the boots feature polypropylene insoles and the molded EVA mid-sole does a great job stabilizing the boot over rough terrain.  As with the Riverwalker boots the Rock Grip boots have the handy pull loop.



   
In Sum: Patagonia has taken the best elements of the proven Riverwalker boot design and has added a number of improvements!  The removable studs are a must for winter fishing or fishing rivers with clay bottoms and with a few twists of a wrench the boots convert back the "sticky rubber" sole for fishing on gravel or sand.  The full coverage rubber rand makes the outers of these boots bombproof and the tall padded tops ensure plenty of ankle support.  Additionally, all Patagonia wading boots are extremely comfortable to walk in.  Unlike many wading boots you can actually bend the sole of Patagonia wading boots, which allows for a more natural range of movement. 


Disclosure- Patagonia provided the featured products free of charge for me to review. I was not compensated in any other way for this blog post.