Boottrac's

Pre viewer: Adam "Ditch" Hoelper

Source of Supply: BML Tool & Manufacturing

Distributors: N/A

From the Manufacturer

"Introducing Boottrac, the latest in strap-on traction footwear. Whether you’re a sportsman or work outdoors, there’s a Boottrac product for you. Boottrac's patented design features hardened steel soles that are hinged so you can walk naturally. Replaceable tungsten tipped points make sure you won’t loose your grip. And they’ll fit just about any boot  thanks to the innovative Adjustable Rack System (ARS). "

Preview:

A few weeks ago I met one of the gentleman you are working on the Boottrac system after a brief discussion about my guiding steelhead. Our conversation quickly turned to creepers and safe movement around the river and the poor selection in wading cleats, which I will always incorrectly call creepers from my NJ jetty roots. I was offered the opportunity to try a pair out for myself, and I quickly jumped on it knowing at a rate of two pairs of studs a season I couldn't afford to not take his offer.

A few days later I received an email asking for my mailing address and a week after that my Boottrac's arrived. My very first impression of them was "boy are these things heavy", but that was fleeting as I quickly realized I was holding both pairs at once. The design of the Boottrac's looked like something out of a log rollers competition.

After some playing I settled down to look at the features. Does it have replaceable studs, do the studs lock into place, can the strapping be replaced, and most importantly if one strap breaks will I lose the creepers?

What I found really impressed me! The studs are in fact easily replaceable using a Phillips head screw driver. The placement of the studs is well thought out, with the screw heads protected from wear. Each stud, called Tri-Point's, have as their name imply's have three points arranged like a crown. Each Tri-Point has four nipples that, when drawn tight, lock into the metal frame. With 16 Tri-Points on each foot and three point per Tri-Point these creepers have 48 points of contact with the bottom, more then any other creeper I have ever used.

The frames themselves have 8 points of strap attachment and each point of attachment is adjustable to fit the contour of your wading boots or waders. The heal section has two straps that wrap around the ankle and from first looks will hold the Boottrac's in place if one were to fail.

Over all my first impression of these are that they are a well thought out, light weight, aggressive tool for wading safety. However there are some questions that only time on the water will answer, and that is over durability. After some more time walking around in these I will report back on how well they hold up.

I'll report back sometime in mid september.

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