A Bootie Review

By Denny Parker, NorthWest Region Member 

While we are transitioning from winter to spring, the water temperatures will remain cold for a while longer and the need to wear booties is essential when Stand Up Paddleboarding to avoid losing the feeling in your feet.

I primarily wear one of two booties: the O’Neil Heat 5mm Round toe or the Solite 8mm custom 2.0. The great news is both booties do a reasonable job of keeping out the cold when dry, but not so much when wet. So, either the soles of your feet or the top of your feet will experience feeling cold when wet depending on which pair you wear.

Note—to mitigate my foot’s exposure to the cold temperatures, I wear NRS Boundary socks in addition with the booties.

The O’Neill Heat 5mm booties fit snugly on your feet and allow you to feel connected to your board because the soles are thinner than the Solelite 8mm booties. Also, the O’Neill Heat booties have an Anti-Flush Shin Strap and Forefoot Strap for extra stability and support. I found the Heel Pull works well in slipping them on and off. Since the soles are thinner, you can feel how cold the water is once you enter it to start a paddle and encounter gentle waves or the occasional wake. The soles are not grooved so you can experience some slippage while on your board, yet you can also walk on your board with ease, and that is the tradeoff. Bottomline, you are going to feel the cold, especially if the water temperature is close to 40 degrees (4.4 Celsius) and below. Therefore the thinner sole may not hold up with extended use.

Conversely, the Solelite 8mm booties offer better sole and cold protection because the majority of the neoprene is concentrated along the sole, heel, and toes. Think of this bootie as encasing your feet in 8mm neoprene. You feel the protection and stability right away, yet you will not feel as connected to your board unlike the O’Neill Heat booties. The Solelite 8mm booties’ Stealth-Loop in the heel helps you get into them but is not particularly helpful in getting out of them. Another drawback is that the top of the booties has less of a concentration of neoprene and thus will not provide much protection from the cold when entering the water to start a paddle or encounter the occasional splash while paddling. Bottomline, these booties are designed for 32 degrees (0 Celsius) and below and you will not feel as connected to your board.