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Thread: Patagonia Foot Tractor

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Location
    Guerneville
    Posts
    290

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    I will chime in that my patagonia rio gallegos waders are the best pair ive ever owned...ive usually had simms freestones or redington waders that dont even come close to lasting a year. Avidangler, i mean no disrespect, but im actually coming from the opposite place in that i now try to save up extra money to support patagonia as opposed to other companies;never bought much of their stuff in the past as i am young and do not make a lot of money, but have found their quality to be excellent and appreciate their conservation efforts and willingness to take a stand on controversial issues like dam removal. Havent seen the artifishal movie yet though, so cant comment on that yet.

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Garden Valley
    Posts
    1,076

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    I have been a big fan of Patagonia products for decades. I don’t think I’ve ever found another company with more consistent product quality, customer service/repair, or more commitment to protection of our natural resources. It has seemed to me that their product quality and customer service has dipped a bit over recent years, but still they make good stuff and stand by it. On wading boots though, I think that the specific idiosyncrasies of footwear needs really dictate a need to try for yourself. I haven’t tried the foot tractors, but I did get a pair of their cheaper lightweight boots a couple years ago, and the fit wasn’t great for me. Overall, I was a bit less than impressed (coming from a company like Patagonia I was expecting a bit better), but in all fairness it’s pretty hard to have much of a favorable opinion of a set of boots that doesn’t fit well.

    On Korkers boots, I have used them a lot and overall I like them. The heel tab issue is real, imo there is too much tension on the attachment strap, which leads to the hole tearing open eventually. This hasn’t exactly been a universal problem for me, but it has happened enough that I can’t write it off as a fluke either. The comfort and fit (for me) is fantastic, and customer service has been top notch too; so all in all, I’m happy to continue purchasing them. I usually do some changing of different soles and have acquired a number of extras over the years, so if I have a problem develop with one the boots are still fully functional. The issue mentioned about aluminum bars being bad for fly lines is certainly true, but I have found that the added “sticky factor” of aluminum bars is something I value a lot in certain rivers...so I do use the Korkers soles with Aluminum bars for those situations, and other times I will swap them out for plain “slippery rubber” soles. Again though, imo, if you’re going to spend the money on footwear, a good comfortable fit is pretty hard to beat; so I’d recommend finding the brand/model that fits you best.
    JB
    "Lord help me to be the person my dog thinks I am"
    - unknown

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Bend, Oregon
    Posts
    420

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    You have to be kidding me. Are they taking lessons from the Democrats about fleecing the public?

  4. #14
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Ventura County
    Posts
    483

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    I have been thinking about Korkers as well, and always wondered how well that interchangeable system holds up over time

    I first had a pair of Chotas that worked pretty well and lasted years, got them resoled once.

    then, years ago bought a pair of slip overs that have extruded alum bars on the bottom. Similar idea to Foot Tractors.
    and theses work decent slipped over regular felt boots, so my Chotas became dual use boots.
    downside is the effort to put on and take off. (ergo the Korkers idea)

    Next I went to Simms since they were "the" boot to have.

    I still have them and are wearing well, my only complaint is how stiff the soles are.
    There' a fine line between stiff enough to protect your feet and last the duration and too stiff that walking over rocks
    is difficult when they do not conform to the contour. And so these seem well built, but a bit too stiff.

    I like the Patagonia brand, and have two pair of waders and a vest, and other sportswear.
    I had a leak in the waders after 10 yrs of abuse, sent them back and got new feet installed for $25
    with better lining no less. Been perfect ever since.


    BTW there was a lengthy interesting article about Yvon Chanard a couple years back in the Atlantic magazine.
    worth a read if you find it.
    Last edited by Digger; 06-04-2020 at 10:51 PM.
    Steelhead gear = $6287, no of adults caught = 3, amortized cost = $2,095.67, beaching that 30" fish and letting it go = priceless

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    alameda
    Posts
    448

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    I was debating between the Korkers and the Patagonia boot last year and decided against the Korker because people I spoke with told me they had lost soles many times when walking through the sticky mud you get on the edges of some rivers (Hat Creek being one of them). I did read of a guy who believes he solved this problem by using a zip tie to secure the rear tab to the rear button. I decided I did not want to deal with that.

    Regards, Tim C.

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