Thread: Patagonia River Crampons

My thoughts on the new Patagonia River Crampons on my blog, here:



http://larsonweb.com/blog/?tag=patagonia-river-crampons

These are very cool and I am intrigued for sure.

I just wish they weren't so damned expensive, especially considering (1) felt is now illegal in VT, and (2) some of the streams around here and more slipery than a hockey rink.

I've heard from multiple, trustworthy people that they are the tits mcghee

Originally Posted by angler99

I've heard from multiple, trustworthy people that they are the tits mcghee

That is great. Wonder how long till Simms comes out with their own version

Very excited to have something besides the rubber we have been using that will work better, but still not be felt!

Originally Posted by angler99

I've heard from multiple, trustworthy people that they are the tits mcghee

Isn't suprising knowing Patagonia's background (before patagonia they were a climbing company that turned into Black Diamond). I know this is probably corporate BS and people sometimes dislike the company but worth reading his book on why they develop things like river crampons. Below is the name of the book, struck a chord with me, probably becuase I'm getting my MBA right now and work for the man.

Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman

The rock grip boots with the bars work equally as well and are a little less obnoxious than the crampons. I've been using aluminum for years and it's great. It will wear quite fast which is part of the reason it works so well.

What are the chances that an owner of River Crampons has Texas plates? $200 for these things is a joke.

Originally Posted by willdowning

What are the chances that an owner of River Crampons has Texas plates? $200 for these things is a joke.

You can replace the bars on the boots yourself, and the bars on crampons are replaceable by Patagonia at a pretty reasonable price.

I bought Patagonia Riverwalker felt sole boots last season and after 50 days of use they are about toast. 149$ boots only last 50 days? Seam stitching is breaking, glue on the toe rand is failing, one lace hook pulled free of the collar and the felt is about 75% done. Those high end Patagucci boots would have to be much, much more durable boots to justify prices like these. The felt performed very well but my boots above the sole were ill fitting, cheap crap made in Thailand, probably spent 2x more marketing it than producing it. Patagonia is supposed to be synonymous with durability, not weak thread and bad glue!

Originally Posted by neckdeep

I bought Patagonia Riverwalker felt sole boots last season and after 50 days of use they are about toast. 149$ boots only last 50 days? Seam stitching is breaking, glue on the toe rand is failing, one lace hook pulled free of the collar and the felt is about 75% done. Those high end Patagucci boots would have to be much, much more durable boots to justify prices like these. The felt performed very well but my boots above the sole were ill fitting, cheap crap made in Thailand, probably spent 2x more marketing it than producing it. Patagonia is supposed to be synonymous with durability, not weak thread and bad glue!

Send them back--they will send you a new pair.

Sure, they should last longer, and send 'em back and patty will get you a fresh pair, but $3 a day ain't that bad, is it????

Anyone tried to use the patagonia bar kit on another brand of rubber soled boots?

http://www.patagonia.com/us/product/...p=81690-0-775#

I don't need cleats for fishing out here, but I use these all the time for snow and ice.

They would fit easily over wading boots, I've worn them on everything from running shoes to ski boots.
-removable, and they are tough as nails

Kahtoola Microspikes ~$60



http://www.kahtoola.com/microspikes.php

just a thought

I think those would be pretty scary for fishing out here and you would slide all over the place.

Also, there are already good spikes you can screw into your boots that work pretty well. The soft aluminum is a supposed to work differently.

I see your point, specifically about the softer studs.

I was just thinking that something easily removable would be a lot more practical (I wouldn't want permanent studs) when you're going to be spending time both in a gorgeous drift boat and on slick rocks etc.

The price of those Patagonia crampons is just plain ridiculous, there has to be another, cheaper option out there that would do the serve the same function... just thinking out loud (on a computer)

make your own? not a terribly difficult setup

The Simms Alumabite stars are a nice cheap option.

The Crampon pricing is kind of looney, but partially because it's one of those products that Yvon came up and pushed through because it worked well and not because it was intended to be a big seller. They make small quantities at a time which keeps the price up.

I was just thinking that the kit for the replacement ones is $29 and comes with the bars, screws and what look like heli-coils for in the boots. Was thinking you could trim the grip for those strips off the bottom of a pair of old Simms boots, where they would mount so they woud be flush and install them.

New Simms Alumabites are also $29:

http://www.simmsfishing.com/site/alumibite_cleat.html

That would probably work, let us know if you go that route and how it turns out. One other piece of advice is add a tad bit of aquaseal or some other adhesive to the screw threads to help them stay in place.

For the amount of work it'd take to install 46 helicoils well in a boot, why not just get 2 pairs of boots? Or buy some screws with a deeper thread pattern? That kit looks like a pita

I'm thinking I might be able to put something together with duct tape and empty beer cans. I'll post here if it works out.

Originally Posted by Meadow Skipper

I'm thinking I might be able to put something together with duct tape and empty beer cans. I'll post here if it works out.

beta test

you need a narrow mouth, widemouths aren't patagucci approved

Originally Posted by Hugh Conway

you need a narrow mouth, widemouths aren't patagucci approved

I don't know about that, but the whole concept is sustainable as shit. Hell, I'd bet Yvon's got someone working on this already.