Mike J
The first thing noticeable is that the Desperado has a low cut, and overall low profile that makes it sweet for wedging your feet into boats with minimal volume. Now, any neoprene sock will work for low volume boats, but the Desperado takes it a step further by placing padding around the outer heel and toe-box to protect your feet from grinding as you throw down. Any boater that’s come home with blisters on their feet will certainly appreciate this. The bottom of the bootie is covered with a fairly sticky vulcanized sole that is good for scrambling down the bank, or short portages, but I wouldn’t recommend it for extended hikes.

Our version of the Desperados came with pull tabs on the back, and shock-cord drawstrings on the front. New pictures from NRS look to show extra pull tabs in front, which would be a nice addition, as these are pretty snug pulling on. The only real issue I could find was the sizing. I have size 10½ -11 feet that are fairly wide. In the standard NRS rodeo sock (another excellent bootie) the XL fits me perfect, and I can even fit fleece socks underneath. The XL Desperado ended up being too tight for me. Walking around, and river running was fine, but when applying foot pressure in vertical applications, the snug toe-box would cause discomfort due to the wrap around rubber sole. We spoke to NRS about this, and they have since posted that these indeed run snug, and customers may consider purchasing a size larger than normal. This seems to hold true for wider feet especially.

Mike Jespersen

Brian F
After having used the NRS Rodeosocks for the last couple of years as my playboating foot wear of choice, I was interested to see the new NRS play socks. At first glance The NRS Desperado Socks look a lot like a booty. But once you put them on your feet you quickly realize that they are not bulky at all and not much thicker than a neoprene sock. The Desperado Socks stretch nicely around your feet and are secured well by the cuff and an elastic draw cord. The first thing I noticed when I was walking around is that they have a midsole that takes the painful edge off the sharp rocks, that other super thin play socks don't. Walking around in them was very pleasant and the rubber outsoles while smooth seemed to deliver amazingly good traction on rock (sticky rubber?). This good traction on rock made getting down to the river a lot easier than in a pair of slippery neoprene socks.

The Desperado Sock while not as thin as neoprene socks, fit easily into the tight low volume bows of the playboats I have paddled. The midsole is flexible enough to allow your feet to wiggle into just that right position on your boat's foot foam. The rubber sole of the NRS Desperado Sock is low profile enough that is doesn't get caught when entering or exiting your boat. The high wear points on the outside of the heel and the inside of the toes have been thoughtfully reinforced with some tough looking synthetic leather.

I have used these booties for a month now and have paddled 14 times using the Desperado Socks, as yet my pair of desperado socks have not lost a single stitch nor has any of the rubber sole pealed up. These booties are a quality product and should outlast a dozen pairs of regular neoprene socks and are a lot more comfortable to walk around in. NRS Desperado Sock is now going to be my foot wear of choice for play boating. Comfortable, flexible, low profile, tough, what more could you ask for? NRS has done it again. One pair of Desperado Sock should last a season of play boating.

The one thing to note is that these socks run a little on the small side so if you are between sizes (9 1/2) definitely go with the next larger size.

--Brian Fields

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