Non-slip boots

[oldflounder]

What are the best boots on the market right now for walking in full gear on rocks with wet, slippery algae, etc. I'm getting too old for the slips and slides and winter diving is coming up again. Would appreciate any comments. Thank you...

 

[inventor]

I pined for and finally got, Akona Titaniums. You can catch them on sale for about $60, I think they run $80-$90 regularly. I've used them in the conditions you describe. Very good, very stable on feet, and ground. Solid sole. They remind me of workboots, and I love the things.

Welcome to AKONA Adventure Gear!

 

[oldflounder]

Thank you -inventor- for the advice and the reply. I will certainly check those out.

 

[oldflounder]

I purchased the Akona Deluxe Titanium boots and tried them out last night in full gear going in and out at low tide with wet slippery rocks and lots of slimy green algae and other vegetation underfoot. I thought they improved my traction significantly. I wouldn't say they are totally non-slip - you have to be careful where you step and what you are stepping on - but I think they are just what I want, short of buying steel studded boots. I just wish they had a hard sole for the sharp irregular rocks.

 

[Aqua-Andy]

Ah the Joys of Nubble. If you haven't fallen at Nubble you haven't truly dived Nubble

 

[oldflounder]

Hi Andy - This is my 5th pair of boots at Nubble and I am impressed with these. I fell, big time, there last January as you probably remember from my postings and it isn't going to happen again if I can avoid it. The way these boots seem to work is the sole pattern is made up of little v's very close together. They are made of soft rubber which probably works the way snow tires work by grabbing/gripping the mud or snow between the treads as the rubber is pushed down and spreads sideways when you walk on them. I could feel them grabbing well onto the plant life/algae and holding, but they don't feel real solid on bare, wet rock. I don't think they would work any better on ice unless the rubber is more sticky than a lot of the harder soles. My dry suit boots have a very slippery sole. Maybe I'll buy a set of these in a size 16 and see if they will fit over them....Joe

 

[oldflounder]

Just as a follow-up and FYI for anyone interested---------------------------For the rocks around here, I recently bought a pair of XS Scuba Thug boots because of the thick, hard sole they advertise. Last week I was in a sports store and saw a package of DIY screw-in boot studs for making ice boots. I screwed them in along the Thug's edges where there is a lot of meat. They don't poke through. I haven't had a chance to try them out but I think they will help out on that thin layer of slippery purple slime we have at Nubble this time of year. The Thug boots do require purchasing oversize fins because of the thickness of the sole. Stay tuned for a future update.

sorry about that --- I meant to post this under Fins, etc --- not exposure suits