Sperry Saltwater Duck Boots
A classic stylish footwear but not that great of a performer
The Common Opinion
Though Sperry is the king of boat shoes brands, the Sperry Saltwater Duck Boot represents the classic duck boot style which adapted the now trendy undone lace fashion that matches its brand name impeccably. But while holding the top style factors, these boots didn’t do a justice in terms of their functional performance as duck boots when it comes to traction and weather protection. So, they may be a good choice as your casual and cozy outdoor footwear, but they are not the best professional Duck Boots you want to carry to your hunting trip.
Features and Fashion
Sperry primarily designed the Saltwater Duck Boot after L.L. Bean’s popular Bean Boot. The mixed leather-rubber construction is built with a waterproof rubber lower portion and a rawhide leather upper with rawhide barrel tie lacing, anti-rust eyelets and a cool side zipper. So, they have the trendy, fashionable outlook that easily drags your eyes. Carefully crafted micro-fleece lining gives a superb comfort for the feet. The non-marking rubber outsole has wave-siping tread, but the traction is not so effective on snow and the slippery river rocks. Moreover, its detached tongue and the regular zipper lets water to reach the interior easily. Which means, these boots are waterproof to the bottom part only making them one of the shortest flood height boots. Therefore, being quite popular worldwide for its style, the Saltwater Duck Boot has some weak points you can’t overlook.
Performance Analysis
Weather Protection
The rubber foot box of Saltwater offers a great waterproofing feature. But the barrel laces and tongue are vulnerable to snow and water. Specially, melted water can easily go through the detached tongue when you trek or walk on a snowy terrain which will simply soak your socks by time and you’ll end up with moist and wet feet. Same happens with the side zipper as it allows water to come inside if you’re walking or wading in a slurry ditch or swamp. So, even as the boot is 7.5” high, you actually get the flood height up to 4.25” until the baseline of the zipper. Eventually, the rubber foot box is the only waterproof part of these boots.
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That is to say, the main style factors of the Saltwater Duck Boots like the side zipper, detached tongue and barrel laces are hindering the weather proofing instead of helping. I’m sure one would not trade the safety and protection of the foot for a cool style in extreme weather conditions.
Comfort
When it comes to comfort, Sperry did a great job with the Saltwater Duck Boots. The micro-fleece lining is flawless at its own right. The comfortably cushioned footbed with a removable insole and the spacious toe box is at best cozy to the foot. The lining doesn’t cause any trouble or blistering despite of slight slipping in the heel. So, you can wear them the whole day without having any pain or ache. The leather in the upper construction is flexible to freely roam around without stressing you out. They are weighed below 2 pounds, which makes them lightweight comparing to other boots. You can easily carry them anywhere in any way you like.
However, Saltwater is a bit difficult to put on or take off because of the zippers. It requires some effort, but eventually you’ll get used to it. Also, the barrel laces are only there as an urban styling trend, they don’t offer any sort of advantage at all. Even if you try to use them to tighten up, the very short length will not serve the purpose. It’ll eventually be back to its undone condition again and it might cause a kind of “loosened” feeling in the end.
Traction
These boots offer quite a good traction on flat surfaces for their non-marking rubber outsole with wave-siping trade. We can easily navigate in the wet or dry surfaces and even in the snow wearing these, but the shallow tread doesn’t offer much of a support if you’re trekking on an uneven incline. Sperry being the boat shoe specialist, probably considered the usual flat surface factors while designing this particular outsole.
Warmth
The Sperry Saltwater Duck Boots are one of the best in keeping your feet warm with its thick micro-fleece lining. They may not be offering the best insulations comparing to other brands, but the interior temperature is fairly maintained above 35F at all times. Even when you walk or wade through snow or icy waters, it’ll keep your feet warmer than most others in its category. But that also means, they will be relatively hot in a higher temperature environment.
Style
Saltwater is by far, one of the most stylish boots there is with its cool urban look. The dark undone barrel laces and a moderate feminine heel steals the spotlight and the side zippers is a plus. They are quite attractive and easily blended with different taste and choices. Whether you keep your jeans over or tucked in, they just look nice. The best part is, they don’t have that typical “rubbery” appearance considering they are actually duck boots. Regardless to their original purpose, they are kind of a nice fashionable pair to wear.
Fit
Sperry offers these boots up to 9.5 half-sizes while their whole size offer is from 5-12. And the sizes are accurate in all aspect. The foot box isn’t tight and suffocating, but there might be some heel slippage. The top opening is about 10”-11” around based on keeping the laces tied.
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Value
Massachusetts-based Sperry manufactures their shoes in China. Being in the category of Elite brand their shoes are usually premium priced and Saltwater is no different. However, as these boots are more focused on style and less on its actual purpose, they price doesn’t seem to be justifying. That is being said, if you are more of a fashion person and happy with wearing them during occasional rainstorms, then they are good for your money’s worth.
End Note
Sperry Saltwater Ducks Boots is a beautifully crafted feminine version of classic duck boots that represents style, trend and a moderate comfort. But apparently, Sperry overlooked the performance while focusing more on the fashion statement. So, they offer a low weather protection. In fine, a very stylish and cozy all-day footwear recommended for fashion-oriented individuals.
