I am actually thinking about getting a pair of these. I like that they don't absorb much water and therefore lighter when wet footing. I need a little push though.......kinda pricey for the average Joe like myself. But, I work hard and don't have to many other vices other than canoeing and fishing.

What say you?

Here is a review which seemed sort of groovy.

Lalo Tactical amphibian boots

UTube Review

Well, it's your money, MT, but at that price, I'd be more likely to try the Altama Maritime Assault first. There's probably not that many $$'s worth of difference in them.


Lalo also has this one too.

boonie: "Well, it's your money, MT, but at that price, I'd be more likely to try the Altama Maritime Assault first. There's probably not that many $$'s worth of difference in them.



Lalo also has this one too. "

Ya think? I am a firm believer in you get what you pay for. Bet I would go through several pairs of those and not be very happy from the start. I can be a bit hard headed when I decide I want something.

If I order direct from Lalo instead of USA Patriot Tactical I can get 20% off if I sign up for their newsletter. I like them........just not so sure about black. Those can get nice and hot in direct sun. The brown in my size is sold out........I will probably go with green. Don't tell my wife ;-)

Well, let me know what you think of them, MT. I'm not saying they aren't nice boots, probably better than the others, just not worth 3X as much to me (technically just short of 4X at retail).

I would love to have a pair but will settle on Chota Trekkers for this year. They do seem perfect for what we do besides the fin grip and rope climbing studs.

TomT: "I would love to have a pair but will settle on Chota Trekkers for this year. They do seem perfect for what we do besides the fin grip and rope climbing studs.


"

Ha! Never know when a Fin grip is going to come in handy ;-)

But I did sort of thought the rope studs might just help with a bit of traction on curved surfaces like a wet root. Might grab a bit.

What really prompted my attention though is while they are exceptionally well put together they are incredibly light. Plus they don't look to absorb water. I love my Rocky S2V high top boots.........but I have a few issues with them. When they get wet they are heavy and my guess is probably close to leather mountaineering boots (around 3 plus lbs). Even though they dry fast if your in and out of the water a lot that can add up. Plus, with the high tops they are not so pleasant to put on in the morning especially if they are wet and cold.......a bit of an unpleasant struggle to force my feet in.

I like the way the Shadows are engineered for an easy entry. Plus they give you super powers (think Batman). Its going to be as close to being a Seal Team 6 member as I'm ever going to get. They will walk up to me, squint their eyes, and say.......... "nice boots".

Yup, they are insanely priced. But eventually I will forget about the dough and just enjoy the boots. Every time I put them on I will say to myself, "wow, I really like these". At least thats the plan.

Please do a review of these yourself for us after you use them. I'm a big believer in quality when it comes to my tripping gear and our feet take top priority. Doing only 9-10 nights of canoe tripping a year (for the next few years anyway) I see these lasting quite a long while so the investment would be worth it.

Now, I just hope I don't obsess over these. Thanks MT. I'm kind of a shoe nut as my wife will like to tell you. But, with so many other things needing our cash these days it's painful to know these are out there for me just waiting for my hard earned cash.

Nice boots. Spendy.

TomT: "Please do a review of these yourself for us after you use them. I'm a big believer in quality when it comes to my tripping gear and our feet take top priority. Doing only 9-10 nights of canoe tripping a year (for the next few years anyway) I see these lasting quite a long while so the investment would be worth it.


Now, I just hope I don't obsess over these. Thanks MT. I'm kind of a shoe nut as my wife will like to tell you. But, with so many other things needing our cash these days it's painful to know these are out there for me just waiting for my hard earned cash."

Yes I do believe these will last a long time. They will probably end up being my general fishing shoe as well, certainly they are light and nimble enough to do so.

I would not be dissatisfied with the Chota's if I were you. They are a fine boot and a better value (all things considered).

I have been looking at the Lalos for a couple of years now. And lately it seems, despite doing 8 miles several times a week on my bike, I have been having some hip issues. To much time spent on cement floors I guess. It was such that I had cancelled my WCPP trip and decided to do something easier in the Quetico.

But the WCPP is back on. My route takes me through long stretches of creeks with numerous portages. Wet boots.........if I use my SV2 Rockys I will be punished with a bit more weight. The Lalo come in at around 1.5lbs and don't absorb much water. Nice! A slight advantage admittedly but an advantage nonetheless. Hopefully I will come off the trip feeling good and I can achieve a better trajectory, at least thats the plan.

Well I took the plunge........signed up for their newsletter and got 20% off which was substantial ($70). No tax (out of state) and only $15 to ship to Florida and the pain was not as bad as I thought it would be.

Some of their athletic footwear look good as well and more modestly priced. I will have to investigate these folks a bit more thoroughly.

I like their motto "The only easy day was yesterday" ;-)

Looking forward to your review. I had the OTB abyss and finally wore them out. Bought a pair of Chota Trekkers on clearance to replace, but they are rather clunky compared to the OTB's. I'm now on the look out for something more like this.

wifishncanoe: "Looking forward to your review. I had the OTB abyss and finally wore them out. Bought a pair of Chota Trekkers on clearance to replace, but they are rather clunky compared to the OTB's. I'm now on the look out for something more like this."

I have heard lots of mixed reviews on the OTB boots. I picked a pair up based on the recommendations off the board and hated them. Not only did I find them a bit flimsy they showed so much wear after one trip that I was hesitant to run them again. I will save them for my fantasy ten thousand islands everglades trip (its a fantasy because it never seems to happen ;-).................not much in the way of "real"portaging occurs unless the tide is out.

I am certainly not going to advocate strongly for these Lalo boots regardless of how much I like them. Its bordering on irresponsible to pay that much for something you might use 20 days a year. If I were younger I would just get a pair of Keds high top sneakers ;-)

One thing I will promise........if they underperform you will definitely hear about it. But I rather doubt it, if Special Forces are wearing these they gotta be good. A shout out to my Pastor who is in Jerusalem for the opening of the embassy providing protection services for members of the Trump administration. What a cool gig that would be!!

I just got the Chota Hybrid boot and love it. I plan to pair it with the Chota hippies during cooler times. ( I dont like to wet foot).

Good support, fast draining and very light. So far so good. I would suggest looking into the Chota Hybrid boots if you are in the market for water boots.

Just my 2 cents.

Birdknowsbest: "I just got the Chota Hybrid boot and love it. I plan to pair it with the Chota hippies during cooler times. ( I dont like to wet foot).


Good support, fast draining and very light. So far so good. I would suggest looking into the Chota Hybrid boots if you are in the market for water boots.


Just my 2 cents."

Yes, those look they would be the ticket and very reasonably priced for what appears to be good quality.

Tis to late for me however. I can be quick on the trigger when I see something I want (I hinted to my wife about marriage after 2 weeks of first meeting her)........... Hopefully the Lalos fit well and we have a long and mutually satisfying and deeply fulfilling relationship ;-)

Chota Hybrid

I've been very happy with my New Balance Abyss tactical amphibian boots. They provide good support, are lightweight and don't absorb extra pounds of water. They have filtered holes in the sole and holes in the multiple layers of insoles to let the water out while keeping the sand and most of the muck out.

In warm weather I wear lightweight wool or poly socks and "wet-foot" it. For early season trips, when the water's cold, I remove one of the insole layers and wear my knee high Kokatat Launch socks (waterproof breathable) over a lightweight pair of wool socks. Soooo comfortable! I can stand in ice-cold water up to my upper calves, unload the canoe, hoist it and walk out of the water and down the trail with no concern for wet feet full of sand or muck.

This setup has been very durable over the years but perhaps a little too much so. Like most boots, the soles seem a little too hard to provide as much grip/traction as I'd like on wet rocks etc. My solution was to cut additional siping in the lugs to approximate the way snow tires achieve their grip on ice. I think it helped. Last year which was one of the wettest I can remember, I covered 45 wet and partially flooded portages during a 5 day solo trip. My footwear performed flawlessly allowing me to focus solely on how sore may back and shoulders were. :)

I am so confused.........New Balance Abyss Tactical OTB boots? Maybe these are different that what I purchased and despised so much. Maybe there are 2 manufacturers of OTB (over the beach) boots? That would help explain why some guys like them and others not so much. I think I picked my pair of Abyss Boots about 8 or 10 years ago for around $100 and concluded they would be OK as a wading boot and not much more. Certainly NOT a boot a U.S. special forces member would wear.

New balance bought OTB or aquired the rights to produce those shoes maybe 4-6 years ago. I bought an original OTB pair and have used them for my last 4 trips and really like them. They are holding together well except I've noticed wear on the soles now and they are a little slick on wet rock. I would keep using them if I knew I could get a new sole. I really like the boots.

I had mixed results with the otbs. The first pair died almost immediately. Otb gave me a new pair. The second pair has held up well. It looks bad and several seams look about done but it keeps kicking. I really love wet footing in the otbs.

But I'll need a new pair soon. Maybe these will be the replacement.

Boots arrived while I am away in Asheville North Carolina. My wife commented that they looked "alien" and immediately wanted to know how much they were (" now don't you worry your purdy little head over that" ;-)

Checked out the boots first thing when I got home.

Size runs true..........Lacing runs close and is abundant and a bit of a pain to get in and out even with the tongue being recessed for easier access. On the flip side I guess that really insures a snug and customizable fit. I really like the feature which stashes the laces after they are tied......thats kinda cool and practical.

No sloppiness in the heel which is good. I like the "flex" points which helps with movement as the boot is not mushy at all but rather firm and slightly stiff. Despite what seems like hard abrasion resistant materials the boot is not heavy............but its not ultra light either.

My main concern is the sole.........it is fairly hard. Tread is varied and aggressive which is good but a hard sole can be slippery. But, they tend to last a long time. I really like how the toe / sole has a bit of a forward rocker to it. Better for off asphalt surfaces.

I bet their non Amphibian version of these boots would be awesome hunting and field boots.

Those are my initial impressions. The real test will be this August (Lord willing and the creek don't rise). I will lay out the good, bad and the ugly when I get back. The real test, however, is how many trips I can get. If they last a long time and do the job extraordinarily well it will be money well spent. These will be the first boots I have run which weren't high tops.

mastertangler: "Checked out the boots first thing when I got home.


Size runs true..........Lacing runs close and is abundant and a bit of a pain to get in and out even with the tongue being recessed for easier access. On the flip side I guess that really insures a snug and customizable fit. I really like the feature which stashes the laces after they are tied......thats kinda cool and practical.


No sloppiness in the heel which is good. I like the "flex" points which helps with movement as the boot is not mushy at all but rather firm and slightly stiff. Despite what seems like hard abrasion resistant materials the boot is not heavy............but its not ultra light either.


My main concern is the sole.........it is fairly hard. Tread is varied and aggressive which is good but a hard sole can be slippery. But, they tend to last a long time. I really like how the toe / sole has a bit of a forward rocker to it. Better for off asphalt surfaces.

I bet their non Amphibian version of these boots would be awesome hunting and field boots.


Those are my initial impressions. The real test will be this August (Lord willing and the creek don't rise). I will lay out the good, bad and the ugly when I get back. The real test, however, is how many trips I can get. If they last a long time and do the job extraordinarily well it will be money well spent. These will be the first boots I have run which weren't high tops. "

I should have looked at the price before I read the review....love them can't afford them...lol Unlessssssss, hey Masterangler, what size do you wear? I have a great idea (for me)...haha :)

Selfsuffi: "

mastertangler: "Checked out the boots first thing when I got home.



Size runs true..........Lacing runs close and is abundant and a bit of a pain to get in and out even with the tongue being recessed for easier access. On the flip side I guess that really insures a snug and customizable fit. I really like the feature which stashes the laces after they are tied......thats kinda cool and practical.



No sloppiness in the heel which is good. I like the "flex" points which helps with movement as the boot is not mushy at all but rather firm and slightly stiff. Despite what seems like hard abrasion resistant materials the boot is not heavy............but its not ultra light either.



My main concern is the sole.........it is fairly hard. Tread is varied and aggressive which is good but a hard sole can be slippery. But, they tend to last a long time. I really like how the toe / sole has a bit of a forward rocker to it. Better for off asphalt surfaces.


I bet their non Amphibian version of these boots would be awesome hunting and field boots.



Those are my initial impressions. The real test will be this August (Lord willing and the creek don't rise). I will lay out the good, bad and the ugly when I get back. The real test, however, is how many trips I can get. If they last a long time and do the job extraordinarily well it will be money well spent. These will be the first boots I have run which weren't high tops. "

I should have looked at the price before I read the review....love them can't afford them...lol Unlessssssss, hey Masterangler, what size do you wear? I have a great idea (for me)...haha :)"

I know they are sort of ridiculous but canoe tripping and fishing is my thing. I noticed a pair of size 10's on Ebay which looked to be in excellent shape for a fairly reasonable price. The only reason I didn't get them was I noticed from the pics provided what looked like staples inside the foot bed and thought that rather odd. But the new boots have exactly that same appearance. Probably drainage ports of some kind?