Forra Wading Boots

I have a pair of Patagonia wading boots. The sole fell off after a few years and was lost in the river. I called Patagonia for help and they told me I was out of luck. No replacement part, no repair. Just send this plastic to the landfill.

Admittedly only 1 day in to using them but I wanted out of my clunky heavy boots from another big brand.
Light. Nimble. Grippy. Awesome.
Walking Montana rivers today felt more
Like broke in hiking boots than washing boots. Comfortable. Supportive. And the wildest part was they were almost dry when I got back home from an hour drive away. Just from sitting in the truck bed.

My only criticism is some tact or sticky on the bottom of the insoles would be great to make them easier to get on without bunching up the insole while I stuff my waders in em. Not a deal breaker but would be a great finishing touch.

Love the boots, the style and materials, but they're just a little big. Have only tried them on in the house with my new Patagonia chest waders size MRL. My street shoe size is 11. 5, so I ordered a size 13, thinking a size 12 would be too tight with neoprene booties. I was wrong. The laces almost cinched together and my heels moves up with each step. I'm returning these for store credit and will try a size 12 when in stock.

As a reference, I also ordered the River Salt II in size 12 for wet wading. They fit fine with a neoprene sock, but too tight in wader booties. So if you're wanting the River Salt II to wear with waders, I would start with a size up from your street shoe size.

I've recently returned from 40 days fishing New Zealand's back country in a brand new pair of Forras. I generally covered 10-20 km per day, in stream, along rough boulder banks, up mountains, and through forests. I probably covered about 600 km, mostly over very rough ground and often carrying a 18 kg rucksack. This is my experience with the boots.

Firstly, they are incredibly lightweight when dry or wet. This significantly reduces fatigue during the longer walks when compared with heavier options on the market.

Secondly, despite the lightweight construction, the Forras are surprisingly durable. The main nylon material has held up very well and there are no delamination issues apparent on any of the plastic sections after 600 km (see photos). The laces are still ok and the material lace loops still look fine (these were a big concern for me initially). The tread has worn down quite a bit and is definitely less defined, but there's still plenty of rubber left (see photos).

The lightweight construction of these boots does come at the cost of reduced ankle support. Even with the laces doubled around the top of the boot, the upper section remains fairly flexible, particularly when compared with more burly wading boots available on the market. If serious ankle support is a necessity you, you should consider other options.

The toe and sides of the boots are well protected by fairly solid plastic and this material has held up well with no splits/delamination. The threads holding the upper plastic sections are well protected and have not begun to go yet.

The in stream grip of these boots on rocks seems good but this is always hard to assess objectively without wearing different types of boot on each foot. Ultimately, slippy rocks are always slippy in rubber boots and it's worth using a wading stick. The grip on the trail is definitely good though, with the aggressive tread finding great traction.

I found the boots very comfortable straight out of the box with no blister issues despite long daily walks with wet feet ( I exclusively wet waded). I take a size 11. 5 UK/45 EU/12US in street shoes and had to return the size 11 I purchased from Patagonia. com because they were slightly too small. The size 12 fit me perfectly with a pair of Darn Tough socks under a pair of XL Patagonia neoprene socks.

Personally, I found these boots to be the perfect option for serious back county fishing. I'd strongly recommend them to anyone looking for a lightweight durable pair of wading boots to cover long distances over rough terrain if serious ankle support is not a top priority.