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Low rise booties - looking for feedback.

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alexeyga
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Low rise booties - looking for feedback.

Postby alexeyga » Wed Jul 29, 2020 8:52 pm

My old and trusty NP-s are falling apart so I'm looking for a new set of warm water booties for these spots where it's impossible to ride barefooted.

Looking for:
-2mm max thickness
-low rise
-plain (not split-toe) models
-ideally no straps - but these are easy to cut off
-the least unnecessary rubber possible as rubber gets in the way of feeling the board... and creates hot spots between board's straps and skin. Of course, rubber is there for protection but there's protection and there's less-is-more balance.

What do people swear by these days?
Last edited by alexeyga on Thu Jul 30, 2020 1:43 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Robsw6
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Re: Low rise booties - looking for feedback.

Postby Robsw6 » Wed Jul 29, 2020 11:50 pm

I have used these for years:

O'NEILL SUPERFREAK TROPICAL 2MM SPLIT TOE BOOT - they also come in rounded toe

norcom
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Re: Low rise booties - looking for feedback.

Postby norcom » Thu Jul 30, 2020 2:27 am

I like the Ion Ballistic booties because they have an aramid sole. Not sure how well it works but I'd rather have it than not. After seeing my buddy skewer his foot on a hidden mangrove stump, I'm scared to wear anything else. He wasn't wearing any booties back then though.

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Re: Low rise booties - looking for feedback.

Postby bkkite » Thu Jul 30, 2020 3:38 am

Solite reef booties are just about the most comfortable things I’ve ever worn. You can mold them to your feet.

The down side is my first pair didn’t last super long. The Velcro got week and I blew a hole in the toe. They claim to have fixed the Velcro this year and I’m hoping the toe issue was just me doing the molding process wrong.

Hope that helps

(forgot link; https://soliteboots.com/products/2019-2mm-custom-reef )
Last edited by bkkite on Thu Aug 27, 2020 11:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Low rise booties - looking for feedback.

Postby troutuna » Thu Jul 30, 2020 4:25 am

You mention that your NP booties are wearing out and you need replacements for where you need to ride them.I needed new booties last summer and went to wetsuitwearhouse.com and found good prices and reviews of NP booties. Ordered 3m and 5m and they have bullet proof soles and fit well. Surprised at how much I liked them over 2-3 other surf brands I've had, which were good.

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Re: Low rise booties - looking for feedback.

Postby ladomi » Thu Jul 30, 2020 5:59 am

TheRussian wrote:
Wed Jul 29, 2020 11:50 pm
I have used these for years:

O'NEILL SUPERFREAK TROPICAL 2MM SPLIT TOE BOOT - they also come in rounded toe
I also recommend the superfreak. I wear the round toe.

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Re: Low rise booties - looking for feedback.

Postby Ulrik » Thu Jul 30, 2020 8:17 am

I have been using ATAN boots, for the last 25-30 years. They have IMO the best board feeling. :thumb:
They are basically socks, dipped in latex rubber.
Only downside is they don´t last more than 2 years,
I use 3 mm all year ( water temp from 5-20°C)
This year I bought the 3 mm Reef model ( with Kevlar fabric in the sole), because I have had reed puncture the soles on the regular "Sunfast" shoe.
http://atan.fr/en/surfing-booties/20-mistral.html

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Re: Low rise booties - looking for feedback.

Postby nothing2seehere » Thu Jul 30, 2020 9:06 am

I use (and am very happy with) these:

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/surf-2mm-ne ... 86156.html

They stretch out a bit so you have to try them on and get the ones that are a bit tight to start with. Used to use Neil Pryde Heat but these are just as good for me. They have a thinner but tougher sole than the heat boots but the rubberised coating is a lot more cut resistant. Might not be a problem if you have sandy beaches but for stones and shingle thats a good thing.

I liked them so much I bought the full length style for winter as well.

Just noticed you are in Canada though so might not have the same stores?

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alexeyga
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Re: Low rise booties - looking for feedback.

Postby alexeyga » Thu Jul 30, 2020 2:33 pm

nothing2seehere wrote:
Thu Jul 30, 2020 9:06 am
Just noticed you are in Canada though so might not have the same stores?
Yeah, wish we had these kevlar Reefs available here. I've actually been to some local stores, but with the whole virus hysteria sizes and models availability is very limited.

Might have to go with the Superfreaks as they are available through Amazon at a reasonable price.

Thanks for your feeback mates!

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Re: Low rise booties - looking for feedback.

Postby Da Yoda » Fri Jul 31, 2020 6:36 pm

I was just researching this. I found several 1-2mm options (US market).

Ion's Ballistic RT (2.5mm w/ reef protection layer), Plasma RT (2.5mm w/ No protection layer) & Plasma Slipper
Neil Pryde's Rise Reef Round
Prolimit Raider Shoe & Aqua Shoe
Xcel's Reef Walker
O'Neill's Superfreak Tropical RT
Hyperflex's Pro Series

Some of the "reef" booties on the market have really aggressive soles (e.g. O'Neill's Reactor2 & Rip Curl's Reefwalker), so they would not be conducive to use with footstraps/pads and would also diminish board feel.
If you can, go try these all on to check the fit because every brand has their own fit.
Last edited by Da Yoda on Fri Jul 31, 2020 11:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.


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