Leonard Flemming got an advance pair of Patagonia’s new River Salt boots made in collaboration with legendary US boot brand, Danner (remember their River Gripper wading boots from the 80s?). Up mountains, through rivers and across estuaries and beaches, Leonard put them to the test for three months. Here’s his take from issue 13 of The Mission.

GET A GRIP
“I carefully placed my foot on the snotty mass covering the rock. I’ve learnt to wade carefully whenever the slimy, yellow-green algae was around as I’ve fractured my elbow after slipping on that gross stuff once. This time the soles gripped and I was going nowhere near the water with my butt.”

“I was wading new terrain with fresh boots to catch one of South Africa’s most elusive indigenous fishes, the Clanwilliam yellowfish. I might not have caught a fish of a lifetime that day, but it was a memorable outing nonetheless as it was a great confidence booster to walk care-free over slippery rocks. The Patagonia River Salt’s earned my trust.”

“Many people talk ankle support when they’re searching for new wading shoes and boots; for me it’s all about the grip. I’ve found that with good grip (i.e., softer rubber), ankle support becomes less important as you automatically wobble less when planted firmly on terra firma. Once I got a grip with the new Patagonia boots after several trips in and out the water, I really let loose and boulder hopping was as comfortable as jumping on a pocket spring mattress.”

Get stuck into the rest of the review in issue 13 of The Mission below.