Ain't nothing wrong with a softback so long as the stitching is good. Backword is that the stitching on these done by those Purin kids caulked up in the factory squares of the Besthalan Flats. Whatever your take on Purin labor, ain't nobody can scratch that those kids can't lash a good seam with those tiny, torqueful fingers. What more can I say? Ain't gonna let you float, but this bob will match most any surface scrape, wet or dry. And at a price more than fair, especially for BC-made wares.