The Gear Shed - Palm Gradient Boot

Palm Gradient Boot Specs

• Multitendo sole pattern

• Vibram HydroGrip compound

• Cushioning EVA midsole

• Double stitched seams

• Free draining mesh

• Includes second pair of laces

• Neoprene collar

• Removable insole

• Scratch rubber upper

• Weight: 689 g (5), 698 g (6), 753 g (7), 811 g (8), 827 g (9), 907 g (10), 928 g (11), 994 g (12), 1017 g (13), 1064 g (14)

• MSRP: $156 (approximate exchange rate) / £120.00

Palm Gradient Boot Review

I’m generally highly critical of boating shoes in general as they tend to be just adaptations of shoes designed for other purposes, and many companies tend to over do it by adding extras to the shoe. To Palm’s credit it seems like a boater actually designed this shoe for boating purposes. It seems equally at home on a raft or a kayak. At the time of writing this, I have been using it nearly every day on the river for about 2 weeks so I will update this in the future as I wear through them.

So far, the comfort and stickiness has been impressive while most importantly they have done a good job of sealing out debris, which is my chief complaint with many other river shoes I wear. There is a generous toe box which fits a dry suit sock super well and the Gradient Boot is generally pleasant to hike in. There are some particular points of note which I will cover later, but for a general-purpose river shoe I feel good about this shoe.

Ideal uses

The Palm Gradient Boot is certainly designed to be a high performing river shoe, particularly for use on harder rivers and creeks. There is good ankle support and padding for when you hit your ankle on rocks and for bushwhacking through a scout or portage. It would certainly be at home on several different types of tough and colder rivers with the neoprene adding an extra layer of warmth to your feet.

I would not expect this to be a great shoe in highly sandy rivers, or rivers that you are spending long days rowing on. The shoe stays wet for a while so trench foot is a problem. The shoes are also black and warm so hot rivers might cause some overheating issues for your feet.

Is it comfortable?

I was surprised by the level of comfort Palm baked into the Gradient Boot. The neoprene feels amazing around your foot and the honeycomb footbed is super comfortable. I find many river shoes are too thin and rocks can poke through, but this shoe definitely kept my foot secure. I haven’t stubbed my toe or felt like something is smashing or poking through on any of my recent trips. I have walked into a few runs with a boat on my back and done several strenuous portages and the shoes have felt great even without a dry suit sock in them.

How is it in the water?

The Gradient Boot feels pretty good in the water, though I don’t feel like they give much positive buoyancy to your foot. They are slow to take on water, but by that same token they are also slow to drain. The shoes tend to keep water in them and drain slowly through the mesh above the toe box. Unfortunately, this made them feel heavy for a bit while I was walking after getting in the water. This is most notable during river level portages where I am constantly in and out of the water. Swimming in them feels ok, and I prefer a shoe that has a little more flotation to it so that they help my feet pop up when I am aggressively swimming. I would give them an average rating in this department.

How tough is it?

The high rand and solid Vibram sole gives the Gradient Shoe a good feel in the durability department. I have been bushwhacking in thorny brush and I have only noticed superficial scratches on the uppers. After 2 weeks of charging across all sorts of rocks I am noticing some decent scuffing on the rubber, but as with any shoe rubber increased stickiness means decreased durability. I definitely do not feel like the sole will wear out first though. I think the most likely failure points are going to be the lacing system or the neoprene uppers first.

Important Considerations

• Ribbed laces provide awesome traction on themselves and I rarely have to double tie or retie my shoes, which is a fantastic quality of life element Palm incorporated into the gradient. Bonus points because the come with spare laces too.

• On the flipside, all of the lacing points except the top most eyelet are all sewn loops with a thin webbing material. I feel like the extra friction from the laces are going to rub down these eyelets super quickly.

• Neoprene on shoes wears out so quickly and although it’s 3mm neoprene, I feel like the upper around the ankle will be one of the most likely points to rip or fail.

• The boots drain slowly so make sure you aren’t sizing up too much as excess water takes a while to drain. The flip side of this is that they have a generous amount of room where you really want it so they are pretty true to size and accommodating for socks.

• They only come in black so if you like shoes a certain color other than black you’re out of luck. I prefer shoes in loud colors, but I take a lot of photos so if that is a consideration for you…they are not very visible.

• Palm is a UK company so finding a dealer in the US can be tricky.

• Sizing is men’s UK sizing only for this, but they have a pretty big range of sizes.

Is it worth it?

The price point seems about right for these shoes compared to the competition, and there is a lot to like about the shoes. I feel like it is a good go to for a 4-season single shoe option, and as long as you aren’t doing a lot of desert boating you can use them all year round. You don’t even have to worry about taking the insole out which helps to save your dry suit socks as well.

If I can find them in the US, I will definitely put them on my list for another shoe to buy when mine wear out. Given the amount of value built into the shoe, and the fact they come with bonus laces, I’d say the value-for-money is good with the caveat that I have not used them very long, so the long-term durability is still a question mark for me.