NRS Boundary Shoe Review

If there’s one thing about early season paddling it is this: your feet get cold. This is especially true if you have the wrong gear and keep sticking your feet into icy water. Over the years, I’ve tried different methods of keeping my feet warm and have settled on using a dry suit, warm socks and the NRS Boundary Shoe, which is a classic piece from NRS. Every year, I think about writing a review for these shoes, but never get around to doing it. So here’s my NRS Boundary Shoe review.

The way that NRS describes the NRS Boundary Shoe makes you think it is a shoe designed for portaging across wet trails and it may work that way, but, for me, it’s the best way to keep your feet warm during the winter months or during spring paddling. The reason it is so warm is that the upper is constructed from 5mm neoprene and the insole is 7mm neoprene. There’s a 2mm plastic insert in there as well to protect against pointy things, and the bottom is a 6mm sticky rubber.

NRS Boundary Shoe Offers Protection and Warmth

There’s so much protection on the bottom of the shoe that your feet won’t feel the chill as you drag your canoe or kayak across the fast ice on your way to open water. It even makes it fun to hang out on the ice, take pictures and enjoy the blue sky, sunshine and first paddles of the season. When sitting in the canoe or kayak, your feet stay toasty. And because the shoes are tight-fitting and have a sleek design, they fit inside your kayak just fine. I have no problem using them inside my NDK Romany and I’m size 11.

The NRS Boundary Shoe isn’t just for the edges of the season though. It’s good through the spring when the weather is just starting to warm up, water levels are going down and the muck is shin deep at the put-in. The 15-inch-high boot keeps the muck off your pants and the tread combined with the sticky rubber doesn’t seem to slip around, especially if it can grip some rock.

As the season progresses or if you don’t need the same amount of warmth, it’s easy to fold the tops down and end up with a boot that’s half the height. That makes the shoes easier to put on and take off and also makes them less warm, which on a warm day can make a difference.

I’ve used this model of shoe for many years now and have to say that they are one of my favorite pieces of paddling gear for the way that I’m using them. Highly recommended.

• Buy: NRS Boundary Shoe
• Price: $89.95 direct

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