The 2020 Salmon Sisters Xtratuf Collection

Hello 2020! We have already had some amazing Salmon Sisters x Xtratuf boots sightings in the new year – on the snowy trails in Anchorage, in the airport traveling out west to Dutch Harbor, and on the docks of the harbor in Kachemak Bay. It feels great to start a new year in style, so we're excited to present you with this season's line up of new boots – which come in beautiful colors and many useful silhouettes to suit your outdoor lifestyle.

Our new Mermaid and Celestial Seas prints are joining new silhouettes of the original Octopus print for this season's collection. Here's a little bit about our inspiration behind the oceany artwork we created for these boots. 

We are inspired by creatures from the deep – whether they provide us with good food or good stories, whether real or imagined. Fishermen, sailors and coastal residents around the world have told tales of mermaids for thousands of years, and our Mermaid Life boots come alive with depictions of our sisters of the sea. When we took boat rides as kids, we spent a lot of time leaning over the rail, peered down into the deep, hopeful that we might catch a glimpse of a mermaid in the passing waves. 

Read more on the history, legends, stories, and folklore about mermaids from different cultures around the world here.

Octopus use special pigment cells in their skin to change colors and textures, and can blend in with even the most intricately patterned corals, plants, and rocks. The largest recorded Giant Pacific Octopus, which we most commonly find in Alaska, was 30 feet across and weighed more than 600 pounds! When we're tide pooling or fishing, occasionally we get to watch an octopus change colors and move in its environment – so beautiful! In Western Alaska, where we grew up, Octopus is a delicacy and enjoyed by coastal residents in salads and savory cakes. Learn more about why we're suckers for octopus here.

Orcas are iconic and revered for their strong sense of community, desire to care for and protect each other from danger, keen selectivity of good food from the ocean, and seasonal movement. Orcas thrive in Alaskan waters, which provide their pods abundant hunting grounds and wild food. One of the great joys of growing up on the water has been seeing the black fins of an orca pod approaching on the horizon. It’s incredible to fish and play alongside these magnificent creatures of the deep.

Orcas are seafood lovers - just like us! Our community of fishermen works hard with our families above the water to catch wild fish and orcas are doing the same below. They are an important link in the rich marine ecosystem we are lucky to be part of and connected to with our work as fishermen. We can all do our part in taking care of our ocean ecosystems in Alaska and beyond, so that our human families and orca families will have wild salmon to eat for future generations. Watch Wild Alaska Live to see these animals in their natural habitat. 

The design we made for these classic yellow boots features these great swimmers and the Big Dipper – another symbol iconic to Alaska – in a celestial blue sea.

When we see you out and about in your Salmon Sisters x Xtratufs, we'll be sure to say hello! Thanks for being our biggest supporters and salmon family. We are humbled by this opportunity to make boots for our fishing community, and we love seeing you wear our boots and hearing your stories. Thank you for choosing to support our small business, run by a small team of women. Your orders help support our Give Fish Project, by giving wild salmon to Alaskans in need. We offer free shipping on orders over $150, excellent customer care and easy returns and exchanges. Our team will always help you find the right fit – so join our incredible salmon family and try a pair of the new 2020 Salmon Sisters Xtratuf Boots!