The first time you
saw felt-soled wading
boots, your reaction
was predictable:

Wha'? The felt
prevents slipping?

But when you tried
the felts on wet surfaces like river rocks and ocean jetties, they gripped.

So when you see
aluminum-barred wading shoes or crampons,
your reaction is predictable:

Wha'?

But they work.

Patagonia’s Rock Grip Aluminum-Bar Wading Boots feature
aluminum bars – soft, malleable ones for walking – on the soles.

They provide maximum traction, the company says, on surfaces like
wet, slime-covered boulders.

Some of the advantages over felt include that the boots with aluminum can dry quickly.

Dumping wet felts in your truck after the trip was always a consideration.

Another is that felt is great for spreading invasive aquatic species, especially “rock snot” or didymo.

That’s why states including Vermont and Alaska banned felt.

What's more , Patagonia has also introduced its River Crampons.

The crampons, with aluminum-bar treads,
are easily harnessed
to wading boots with other types of soles, like rubber.

That way you can keep
your rubber soles, and
have your aluminums,
too, so to speak.

So you haven’t yet
gotten yourself some aluminum-bar treads?

Say wha'?