Wading boots for fresh and saltwater ?

[rannoch raider]

I think I'm due a new pair of wading boots this year. I've been using a pair of Hardy EWS jobs with felt soles for the past few years and while they've worn well and have stood up to the rigours of saltwater use, they have failed miserably at their most important task of keeping me upright! I don't find the felt sole satisfactory on anything but dry rock or gravel. They are desperate on wet grass, wet stones and wet anything else. I have also been using a neoprene watersport boot from Lomo. The boot has a soft rubber sole and has been great for most conditions except rounded boulders where the softness and flexibility of the sole lets it down badly.
Can anyone recommend a good boot that has a fairly rigid sole with good ankle support, that will provide a solid platform on jagged or wet rocky 'bowling ball' type rocks with sea weed here and there ? Tough conditions, I know but it's what we find when we fish so surely someone makes a suitable boot that will cope!

Thanks
Jim

[Wildfisher]

Only advice I can offer is do not buy Airflo boots. The pair I have started to disintegrate 1st day I wore them in New Zealand. Snowbee are just as bad. I'd go for Orvis or Simms, not cheap but at least you have some comeback.

[corsican dave]

Jim, I got a pair of these for use on the kayak, wet-wading in spain and general all-round canoeing; which is pretty much what you're up to as well.. very good indeed. not cheap, but...... the usual! http://www.orvis.co.uk/p/andros-flats-hiker/4x8p

the sole is non-marking rubber, grippy enough on rocks and not slippery on boats (unlike felt soles; deadly!). worn in the salt and/or bare-foot you will need to rinse them thoroughly with fresh water, but that's true for all boots of course. bought them sized so that with the footbed in they're right for bare-foot; footbed out for use with waders/drysuit bootees + a sock.  :

ps just seen Fred's post which I would endorse whole-heartedly 

[gerrymaguire]

I fitted screw in studs on my felt soled waders makes a big difference only about a fiver on ebay

[Lochan_load]

These any good to you, they're quick drying and have drainage holes in them, I'm thinking about getting a pair for when I've got a bit of walking to do while fishing, don't know how long they'd last but if you get a season it's probably decent value, regatta aquaticus

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/301366227511

[corsican dave]

I fitted screw in studs on my felt soled waders makes a big difference only about a fiver on ebay

trash your boat, tho'. and your car floor if you drive in 'em

[burnie]

I find felt to be very dangerous, the amount falling over I did, both in and out of the water was horrendous, the soles were ripped off after less than a season. I have a pair of Greys Platinum boots for my fresh water fishing that came "free" with my chesties. For sea fishing I have some Dunlop wellies(I don't wear waders as too dangerous if you were to fall in), I was intending putting some screw in tungsten studs in them, but after a winter stumbling around in the dark on the local rocks, I've found I haven't needed to add the studs.

[burnie]

One of the local lifeboat lads told us it's better not to wear waders near deep water. I think we all know if you fall in a river or loch you should lay on your back and the waders should have a bit of an air pocket to keep you afloat. Seemingly in the sea, being bounced about by the tide/surf especially near rocks, you may find it difficult and the waders could become a dead weight. On the survival course I did to work offshore in the oil industry, we were advised to try and get "any" boots off if you can. We used to wear rigger boots a size or two bigger than you needed, just so you could kick them off easily. Over cautious maybe, but some of the marks I fish in the dark, there is a small risk of going in and I would like the odds stacked in my favour as best as I can, hence I always wear a floatation suit as well, complete with flashing light beacon.

[highlander2504]

Sonik sk4 boots are excellent. Grahams in Inverness has them for sale at half price (£62) at the moment.

[haresear]

If you want something to last then yes it has to be Simms or Orvis. They are just too much money for me now so I go to Trespass in the January sales and buy a pair of walking boots for about £20. They seem to last fairly well, I've had two seasons out of them wading in both fresh and salt water.

When it comes to grip thenyou just have to make your choice of sole and take your chance. Felt can be the best thing for some sorts of slimey rock but it is lethal on snow, wet grass, mud and many other everyday surfaces. It's days are probably numbered if for no other reason that walking around with sponges full of bugs on your feet and taking them to other waters isn't the best idea.
Screw in studs are an abomination, as Dave says they wreck everything. There are too big and too soft as well and I never found they gave any extra grip on the rivers I fished. The best studs by miles were the tungsten carbide ones Hardy used to mold into their thigh waders. Tiny little things the were so they cut through any algae on the surface and hard enough to bite into any rock. Very occasionally who would find a very hard rock that they wouldn't touch and then they were deadly as you just skated off! But you soon learn which rocks to avoid.


Andy

I agree with all of that.
The best boots I ever had were Simms Guide model but they were expensive. They did last me for years and years however, despite the stitching eventually fraying.

The weak point on any boot I have bought recently is the stitching at the side of the boot which joins the various panels together. It wears and frays so that the panels separate and grit gets into the gap, causing more wear. I took a brand new pair of Simms Vapor boots to NZ and the stiching is going at a couple of points

Rabmax coats the stitching with glue and that is an excellent idea. Me, I've just ordered an awl, some heavy duty needles and kevlar thread. Once I've replaced the nylon stitching with kevlar, I will coat it with E6000 glue and see how long that buys me.

If I was to go back to NZ, where mostly I wade wet (no waders), I would consider using a pair of leather walking boots rather than wading boots. Something that has
doesn't feature a panelled construction.

Alex