NRS Paddle Wetshoe Review

The Paddle Wetshoe is a high-top bootie designed to provide maximum warmth while boating. Made of flexible stretch Terreprene, these booties fit like a glove and swim well, keeping your feet warm and protected. They aren't designed for extended periods outside the water but provide all the traction needed to get you to and from your boat.

Performance Comparison

Comfort

The NRS Paddle is very comfortable due to its glove-like fit. Unlike some other neoprene booties, it has a wide-toe box anatomically shaped to hug your feet. It doesn't need or have much adjustability, just a simple and burly zipper paired with a forefoot velcro strap. With the super stretchy neoprene and zipper (which has a velcro catch to prevent it from unzipping), the bootie stayed on our feet well and didn't move around as we walked.

We liked that this bootie has a stiffer sole than other booties previously tested. The stiffer sole helps with foot fatigue, keeping your feet from working as hard when pushing against the boat while paddling. This sole strikes a nice balance between support in the boat and walking with the mobility to swim well.

Over rough terrain, the Paddle Wetshoe isn't supportive enough for more than a short distance. Despite a stiffer sole, these booties push a bit past their comfort limits on long walks or boulder hopping up a stream. If you have strong feet and are used to walking or even running barefoot, this won't be as much of an issue, but we doubt that most people will find these boots comfortable for long walks - the price you have to pay for their excellent performance in the water.

With the lack of drainage due to its construction, which is mostly of neoprene, these shoes take a long time to dry. After one day of paddling, we left them in front of a gas fireplace and found the insides still wet after five days. That's by no means a standardized test, but it indicated to us that it would be a good idea to invest in boot dryers (small, low-temperature heaters that can slip inside shoes) to prevent mold growth in wetter climates. If you're wearing these over a drysuit on long trips, this shouldn't be an issue, but these could easily get pretty gross if exposed to bare feet for days on end without drying.

Traction

These are among the stickiest shoes we tested. With the flexibility of the sole and design of the footbed, these shoes do quite well on rocks, logs, and other harder wet surfaces. The outsole may not be the stickiest we've tested, but it comes close and is honestly plenty sticky for most paddling applications. We wouldn't hesitate to take on talus while scouting a rapid or scramble up a short section of low-angle rock during a portage.

With the lack of lugs present on the Paddle Wetshoes, muddy or soft terrain proved a bit more difficult. The tread pattern utilizes a mix of lateral ridges and pits (inverted lugs) that stick well on various surfaces but start slipping in deep mud or dirt, such as what you might find in steep river banks. If this type of terrain is likely to be encountered, a shoe with more aggressive lugs may be best.

Similar to running or walking on beaches, the lack of support requires more work from the foot. Unlike a more supportive shoe, your feet flex in response to undulating, slippery terrain instead of allowing you to dig the tread in.

Warmth

The Paddle Wetshoes were among the warmest shoes we tested. The limestone-derived neoprene (Terraprene) plus a layer of soft fleece lining makes these a very warm shoe. However, with more warmth comes less drainage. If you're using these booties for their intended purpose - paddling - the lack of drainage helps to keep feet warm.

The inside of the Paddle is lined with a checkered fleece that feels incredible on bare feet and adds a little warmth. The warmth of these shoes can only get warmer based on their stretchy design. Since they are so stretchy, adding layers under them (wool socks, dry suit, etc) is a breeze.

Versatility

The NRS Paddle Wetshoe is not a very versatile water shoe. We wouldn't use it for much other than kayaking, rafting, or SUPing. For canyoneering, these shoes are alright if you plan on being in the water almost all the time. However, we prefer more supportive shoes for most canyons, which involve hiking to the canyon and substantial walking along the creekbed. These also lack the durability for heavy use outside of a boat.

Off the water, the warmth provided by these booties and the extra strain placed on the feet over soft surfaces will probably cause feet to get too hot for long walks.

Given that these shoes are easy to squish into a duffel bag, they are easy to bring along on trips, in addition to some more land-focused shoes. For rafting, they come off super fast at camp and can make a great pairing with some better-draining or more hiking-focused shoes to give you effective footwear on land and the water.

Sensitivity

With a slightly thicker outsole than other booties we tested, the NRS Paddle strikes a decent balance between sensitivity and protection. While some shoes are more flexible, we didn't find that we really wanted any more flexibility than this shoe provided. Walking over cobbles and logs, the Paddle Wetshoe provides excellent proprioception.

We really loved swimming in these shoes. In our testing in the cold Pacific Northwest and Pacific Coast, we jumped into deep pools in canyons, swam around in rivers while padding, and waded through the Pacific Ocean. With warm feet, swimming for longer (or paddling) is much more bearable and enjoyable.

Quality of Construction

As a neoprene bootie, durability is not the main focus, especially over sharper and more rugged terrain. Held together mostly by stitching, glue, and flexible layers, the resistance to tearing or puncture is low. Flexibility offers resistance to tearing and breaking by bending and stretching. However, seeing well-worn pairs of these booties on friends, it's clear they won't hold up to much abuse.

Like most NRS products, the craft on these booties is excellent. All seams are glued neatly, and we found no separation during our test period. The rubber reinforcement patches are thick (we estimate at least a couple of millimeters) and held up even during a day of canyoneering. Repeated use over years will likely develop holes like any neoprene-based clothing that deteriorates under UV-light and salty conditions in comparison to other natural materials like leather or rubber.

The closure on these shoes is a YKK, large-toothed, plastic zipper. It didn't seem phased when we stepped into soft sand or rubbed it around on a rock. We don't have any reason to believe it will be less durable than the lacing systems on comparable water shoes.

These shoes are really meant to be worn on the water. They don't have the reinforcement or construction that would allow them to hold up to lots of walking or scrambling. However, this allows them to maintain a very stretchy, comfortable fit that we find perfect for on-the-water activities.

Should You Buy the NRS Paddle Wetshoe?

As a dedicated paddling bootie, the NRS Paddle Wetshoe is a great option, with its superb warmth, glove-like fit, and flexibility. While this isn't a great shoe for using on land, we think they are pretty impressive out on the water. These shoes have a simple, clean, and efficient design with high-quality neoprene and sticky rubber. If you're looking for a shoe to be used primarily on the water, these are very hard to beat both from a performance and price perspective. However, if you're expecting a lot of use out of the water, you can probably get a better value with a more versatile water shoe.

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