So hoping that these Bestard SAR Pro Water Rescue Boots last a proper amount of time because they are fantastic to wear for fishing

I am nothing to do with either the Spanish company Bestard or the kind people detailed here in a blog post who got me access to a pair to see how they might or might not work for my fishing. In essence then it makes absolutely no difference to me whether these Bestard SAR Pro Water Rescue Boots do actually end up working for my typical fishing when I’m wearing BCWs (breathable chest waders) and wandering around a coastline………….

But it does make a difference in reality, and I will tell you why - these Bestard SAR Pro Water Rescue Boots are without doubt THE most comfortable and easy to wear boots that I have ever pressed into service as wading boots for my fishing. As lightweight and comfortable to wear as a really good pair of hiking boots which I used to go through about every six months or so out on the rocks when I was bait fishing, they are very unlike most heavier and chunkier wading boots you or I would be more used to. I am so hoping these boots last whatever long enough actually is to justify what they cost, because if they do then these will become my wading boots of choice.

I did some filming with Savage Gear earlier last week for a load of new gear we’ve got coming out next month and I reckon I was on my feet in these Bestard SAR Pro Water Rescue Boots for let’s say three ten hour days in total. Not even remotely a bother on the comfort or sore feet front, indeed in many respects I was dancing over the rocks like a gazelle. Since I blogged about starting to put these things into service for my fishing I reckon I have racked up enough miles by now to know how comfortable and lightweight to wear they are. They make traditional wading boots feel more like lumps of concrete.

I am also finding that using the inbuilt gravel guards on the Bestard boots together with the gravel guards on a pair of BCWs means that even after a few hours of fishing in surf when the sand is swirling around your feet all the time, I can literally count the individual grains of sand that you find inside the actual boots when you come to take them of. There are that few getting through the double system, so bits of grit and gravel which can of course rub and put holes in neoprene socks over time just isn’t happening with these boots. When you wash these boots down in freshwater it’s remarkable how quickly they dry out.

If you go back to this blog post here you will see the exact studs and configuration of them that I used on these boots, and whilst I was new to the soles and wondered how studs might work in them, I can report that not only have the SupaTracks studs not moved around in the Bestard soles, the combination of soles and studs are giving me truly outstanding grip, and I can never, ever feel the presence of the studs on the soles of my feet when I am moving around.

There are no signs of any saltwater or rust based damage to any of the eyelets on the outside of the boots, and the laces are still like new. I have come to really like the way you can “lock” the laces around the halfway point of doing the boots up as you go to loop them around the top clips. I have had a really close look at the boots and the only signs of damage I can find are some very slight rust marks on the rivets inside the actual boots which are securing the external lace loops in place. I am a bit surprised to see this when the stainless steel eyelets seem to be of such good quality, but I will keep an eye on the inside of the boots and see how things go. My feeling is that if it was going to be an issue then it would look far worse, but time will tell.

Put so much positive stuff together though and you will now understand why I am so hoping that these Bestard SAR Pro Water Rescue Boots last as long as I think they should last for the price. I haven’t quite decided what that timescale is yet, but I will think back to some of the more expensive wading boots I have used and how long they have lasted and figure something out. For the time being these Bestard SAR Pro Water Rescue Boots are my go-to “wading boots” and my main worry is that if they don’t last me for long enough I am going to have go back to something else which simply aren’t as comfortable and easy to wear. As per that blog post I am also putting a bit of time into the other two pairs of boots, but it’s increasingly hard not to wear these Bestard ones……………..