New Wading Boots

[fishingnut]

Hello, so its been almost 7 years since i bought my last wading boot and it seems they discontinued my model a few years back. I am in need of a new pair and i am stuck between two models: Korkers Buckskin Wading Boot and the Orvis Clearwater Wading boot. Both are in the same price range. Looking for some feedback from anyone who has used either. Any feedback would be a help as I am having a hard deciding as both seem to have a lot of pros to them. Thank you!

[Scottmisfits]

No experience with either but I like the idea of the Korkers. Being able to change from rubber sole to studded sole, and maybe for the near future, a felt sole if you desire, to me there would be big benefits. Of course, the boot itself would have to hold up well.

I have limited experience with wading boots but there have been a couple times when I decided on the wrong sole for where I was. Soles are pretty light.

[walker1]

I have never worn anything but Simms and they have lasted me very long. I would choose the korkers for those 2 choices.

[mikeym]

i have a pair of Korkers and love them. like the interchangeable soles as you can change them to suit the conditions or style of fishing. also on all my previous boots, the soles are the first thing to wear out and then time for new boots. korkers just change to new soles.

Mike

[flyrodfisher]

Chota Abrams with the non synthetic felt sole....if you can still find them.
Best gripping boot I've ever had...and I have tried many many different manufacturers.
The boots wore out...soles still good after 6 years of 35-40 days and many km on the creeks each year....so...over 200 days on the streams!

Replaced them last season with high end Simms with synthetic felt sole because I couldn't source the Chotas. The Simms are OK....but are expensive, heavy and the felt sole just doesn't grip nearly as good. Will probably screw in some cleats this next season.
Probably wouldn't go back to the Simms again.

The plus on the Korkers is the interchangeable sole...but...don't expect any durability of that system if you spend a lot of km walking the creeks.

Of course if you plan on fishing in the Parks, then felts will be a NO GO.

[SamSteele]

I had the Orvis Clearwaters. Lasted me three mild usage years. I tried using shoe goop and got one more trip and they basically fell off my feet.




My wife got me Simms G4’s with cleats for Christmas. Looking forward to trying them out instead.

SS

[Ribolovac]

Picked up the Simms g4 vibram boot this year. Great support and super comfortable on long hikes. Used them with the alumibite cleat and plan to try the hardbite cleat. Pricey though, hoping they last a long time.

[kilgoretrout]

I have had many types over the years including less expensive and pricey.... the nicest wearing and lightest were the Pataguichis but neither the felts or the stickys made it past 2 years mind you I put 70 to 80 plus days a year on them .... which may be a lifetime for some ..... the good is that Patagonia stood behind them and gave me full credit which I spent on their clothing instead which seems to last forever...... I now have a pair of the light weight Fly weights vibram from Simms for creeks and days out of the boat and a pair of G4 felts for days in the boat and on the Bow.... Both have been great and show little sign of wear.... I love the felts for on the Bow as the felts hold well on the slick boulders however one must be careful on the banks as the felts suck on grass or mud .......

[fishpro]

I would personally be wary of the Korkers - I puchased some years ago and they were great, but when I wore through them and purchased another pair the quality had gone way down, I was probably only getting 20-30 days out of a pair of boots. I've now gone with Simms and found them to be way more durable. I'd say their definitely worth the extra cost. My favourite are the G4 Boa boots.

[fishingnut]

Thank you everyone for your feed back. I went out a couple days ago and I was looking at the Orvis and Korkers. Both boots are made very narrow so I ended up buying a pair of Simms Freestone. They are a little heavier boot but were more comfortable and spacies then the other two. Thanks again everyone.

[buysellwithmark]

Looking at the Cabela's ultra light felt sole boot, are they any good? Cost is a big factor at the moment.

[mse]

For next season I picked up a pair of military surplus jungle boots. Light, good treads, high-laced for ankle support, and drain holes. The price is right and I figure the US Army spent millions on R&D so I'm going to give them a try.

[Lornce]

Have in the past gone through several pairs of of Simms Guide boots, a couple of pairs of Korkers, one set where I lost both soles almost at the same time, resulting in a very uncomfortable walk to the truck.

Have now used Chota STL Plus boots for the last 2 years and love them. Leather, easy on and off, very comfortable (a joy for us older guys), great grip and price.

[270hunter]

Originally Posted by Lornce

Have in the past gone through several pairs of of Simms Guide boots, a couple of pairs of Korkers, one set where I lost both soles almost at the same time, resulting in a very uncomfortable walk to the truck.

Have now used Chota STL Plus boots for the last 2 years and love them. Leather, easy on and off, very comfortable (a joy for us older guys), great grip and price.

Interesting. I bought the korkers interchangeable sole with the felt and rubber which is nice for areas you need the rubber sole like national parks. I ran them hard all summer and didn’t have any complaints so I’m surprised to hear that your soles popped off. Mine where the dark horse boots and I really enjoyed the lockdown support it had with the boa lacing system.

[flyrodfisher]

Originally Posted by Lornce

Have in the past gone through several pairs of of Simms Guide boots, a couple of pairs of Korkers, one set where I lost both soles almost at the same time, resulting in a very uncomfortable walk to the truck.

Have now used Chota STL Plus boots for the last 2 years and love them. Leather, easy on and off, very comfortable (a joy for us older guys), great grip and price.

Mirrors my experience exactly...see my first post in this thread.
Chotas are great.
Korkers interchangeable soles are garbage if you put a lot of miles on.

[bcsteely]

Been using simms freestones for several years and just recently bought a pair of the Orvis ultralights boots with vibram soles for a wet wading boot, haven’t used them yet but reviews were very positive on them. The simms have held up quite well too!

[Jayhad]

Originally Posted by Lornce

Have in the past gone through several pairs of of Simms Guide boots, a couple of pairs of Korkers, one set where I lost both soles almost at the same time, resulting in a very uncomfortable walk to the truck.

Have now used Chota STL Plus boots for the last 2 years and love them. Leather, easy on and off, very comfortable (a joy for us older guys), great grip and price.

Where are you buying the Chotas in Ab? Those are the best boots period..
I put a dozen 3/8" long sheet metal screws in each sole, no slipping, but no boating.

[Lornce]

Originally Posted by Jayhad

Where are you buying the Chotas in Ab? Those are the best boots period..
I put a dozen 3/8" long sheet metal screws in each sole, no slipping, but no boating.

My fishing buddy and I bought our "STL" Plus Chotas at Temple Fork Calgary, I don't believe they sell them now as I did not see them in their last catalog. You can buy them on Amazon and through their website though.

Did the same thing add screws to the soles. Nice that they have special countersunk areas for them. Used some leather conditioner on them this winter, which adds life to the leather. Have a second older set of the Abrams Creek style for boating.

[Unclerj]

Originally Posted by buysellwithmark

Looking at the Cabela's ultra light felt sole boot, are they any good? Cost is a big factor at the moment.

Those look very similar to a pair of White River boots that I just retired. Perhaps Cabela's rebranded the White River?

They lasted me quite a while - even to the point of needing new laces. One thing not mentioned here is to properly rinse and dry your boots between wearings. They will last a LOT longer that way.

I upgraded to Korkers because I got tired of slipping on the banks when I was using felt soles.