Durable wet wading shoes

[Nymph-wristed]

Hey, for you clowns in shorts, don't you have stinging nettle in your parts?? 😁 Devin Olsen in his running tights is sexy AF and all but they don't have the same plant life we are lucky to have....

Down here in SEPA, even in long, quick drying pants, my legs, not to mention undercarriage, would regularly get a little how's your father if I was traipsing around in shorts near trout streams. Maybe you're into that stuff? I tend to wear waders if humidity makes that practical.

I still can wade like I did in my youth, but my 54 year old feet and lower back appreciate the stability of my wading boots. The neoprene wading socks can be found real cheap too, yo.

 

[Boulders]

My go to- Orvis Ultralight Wading boots with studs.
I use with neoprene booties- overall feet still get wet, difficult to don & doff and the odor is bad.
Evaluating Sealskinz Hyrdostop Sock, results so far- feet get wet from water over topping sock, easy to don & doff, no odor.
Welcome suggestions.

 

[krayfish2]

Check out Sierra Trading Post .... they have a couple Merrill Moab Sieve water shoes on deep discount. looks like a nice wet wading shoe. Depending on your size, they have quiet a few options for you.

That's the shoe I ordered. Should be here Friday morning.

Nymph wristed:
Fell in stinging nettle at the letort more than once. Hated life for a while 😁. Nowadays, I'm more likely to hold the rod in my teeth and swim 50 yards out in the Susky. No nettle issues but the shoe takes a beating

BTW, those canyon hikers look good... really good

 

[Boulders]

That's the shoe I ordered. Should be here Friday morning.

Nymph wristed:
Fell in stinging nettle at the letort more than once. Hated life for a while 😁. Nowadays, I'm more likely to hold the rod in my teeth and swim 50 yards out in the Susky. No nettle issues but the shoe takes a beating

BTW, those canyon hikers look good... really good

Look foward to hearing your review

 

[Fly-Swatter]

I need to have a solid connection between my feet and my shoes when wading or hiking. I have been wet wading for decades wearing neoprene socks (currently Simms) and whatever wading boot I use with waders. My current boots, Korkers with Boa, give me excellent ankle support and a solid connection. I just used this setup this past weekend while floating a creek until well after dark. That included getting out of my raft and dragging it over shallows while blind wading. I had not problems and no concerns.

 

[troutbert]

I did a whitewater rafting trip in Patagonia that included lots of canyoneering and climbing through slot canyons - apologies for the humblebrag....
The guides instructed us to get the shoes linked below and not to vary from them - get exactly these shoes.
They were spot on. They were perfect for that trip and I've used them for wet wading since. The shoes provide better traction than I've ever gotten with felt or studded wader boots. I've had them for a years now and they have held up, drain really well and are very comfortable.

Five Ten Canyoneer 3 Shoe - Men's - Footwear

Buy the Five Ten Canyoneer 3 Shoe - Men's online or shop all Footwear from Backcountry.com.

www.backcountry.com

These shoes look interesting, but don't seem to be available anymore.

 

[jifigz]

I’ve toned down my wet wading after two run ins with ticks that resulted in early caught Lyme disease both times. I’ve never found a tick actually on me when wearing waders, so most of the time I just prefer to deal with being hot. They’re easy to locate against the constant background of your waders and flick off before they get a chance to actually get on you.

I still wet wade WW fishing in the Summer on larger streams where I expect to be in the water or within the stream banks, and not in the woods all day. I just wear a pair of swim trunks and normal (no leather) hiking boots, Merrell’s are my current pair. Traction is just fair, similar to traditional wading boots with a lug sole and no studs, but, it’s Summer and I’m not that concerned about getting wet if I fall, and Summer flows and gradient on these streams are generally low so I’m not counting on studded traction to get me through tough spots to wade. Foot protection is better than crocs/sandals/sneakers, but probably not as good as traditional wading boots. It’s all trade off, no perfect solution. Durability is probably a little compromised by getting normal hiking boots wet all the time, but it’s not significant. I get similar life out of them as I do my wading boots, except Korkers - those things are built really well.

Hey Swattie, why not just have a dedicated set of wet wading clothes (I wear hiking pants) but pre-treat them with permethrin?

As for wet wading these days I mainly use my wading boots with neoprene socks. The only reason is because I was tired of getting leeches on my ankles and legs. Otherwise, I used to wet-wade in flip flops or generic crocs a lot or just old sneakers.

 

[Swattie87]

Hey Swattie, why not just have a dedicated set of wet wading clothes (I wear hiking pants) but pre-treat them with permethrin?

As for wet wading these days I mainly use my wading boots with neoprene socks. The only reason is because I was tired of getting leeches on my ankles and legs. Otherwise, I used to wet-wade in flip flops or generic crocs a lot or just old sneakers.

I do treat my hiking clothes with Permethrin, but not the pants I used to wet wade in. Permethrin is highly toxic to fish.

 

[albatross]

I did a whitewater rafting trip in Patagonia that included lots of canyoneering and climbing through slot canyons - apologies for the humblebrag....
The guides instructed us to get the shoes linked below and not to vary from them - get exactly these shoes.
They were spot on. They were perfect for that trip and I've used them for wet wading since. The shoes provide better traction than I've ever gotten with felt or studded wader boots. I've had them for a years now and they have held up, drain really well and are very comfortable.

Five Ten Canyoneer 3 Shoe - Men's - Footwear

Buy the Five Ten Canyoneer 3 Shoe - Men's online or shop all Footwear from Backcountry.com.

www.backcountry.com

https://www.amazon.com/Five-Ten-Mens-Canyoneer-Water/dp/B00O61W3V8

 

[jifigz]

I do treat my hiking clothes with Permethrin, but not the pants I used to wet wade in. Permethrin is highly toxic to fish.

But, correct me if I am wrong, only in the liquid state. Dried permethrin on the clothes should not harm aquatic life.

If it did then I would have killed off the trout populations and insect life in many small streams. I only treat my pants with permetrhin.

 

[Swattie87]

But, correct me if I am wrong, only in the liquid state. Dried permethrin on the clothes should not harm aquatic life.

If it did then I would have killed off the trout populations and insect life in many small streams. I only treat my pants with permetrhin.

I’m not sure on that to be honest. You may be right. I just never did it out of an abundance of caution for the precious Gemmies.

 

[afishinado]

I need to have a solid connection between my feet and my shoes when wading or hiking. I have been wet wading for decades wearing neoprene socks (currently Simms) and whatever wading boot I use with waders. My current boots, Korkers with Boa, give me excellent ankle support and a solid connection. I just used this setup this past weekend while floating a creek until well after dark. That included getting out of my raft and dragging it over shallows while blind wading. I had not problems and no concerns.

Me too ^

Why buy different boots to wet wade when your current wading boots work just fine wearing neoprene booties and quick-dry wading pants?

 

[Bamboozle]

Hey, for you clowns in shorts, don't you have stinging nettle in your parts?? 😁 Devin Olsen in his running tights is sexy AF and all but they don't have the same plant life we are lucky to have....

Down here in SEPA, even in long, quick drying pants, my legs, not to mention undercarriage, would regularly get a little how's your father if I was traipsing around in shorts near trout streams. Maybe you're into that stuff? I tend to wear waders if humidity makes that practical.

I still can wade like I did in my youth, but my 54 year old feet and lower back appreciate the stability of my wading boots. The neoprene wading socks can be found real cheap too, yo.

I remember all to well a 100 yard or so walk through vegetation from the East Penn RR tracks to the Brandywine Creek below the Brandywine River Museum. My buddy was wearing waders and as always, I was in my wet wading gear consisting of Supplex Nylon long pants and my regular wading shoes.

Unfortunately I didn't realize until it was too late that the 100 yards of vegetation was stinging nettle...

My legs were on FIRE by the time I got to the creek and of course the water temp was in the 70's so it took a while but eventually things calmed down. However I climbed up on the old PRR trestle to walk back to the East Penn RR tracks when I left that section of the creek!!

Still won't get me wear waders though and I never wear shorts as I can get poison ivy just by saying "poison ivy..."

...luckily typing the words has no effect.

 

[krayfish2]

The shoes arrived this morning. They look good, well built and very comfortable. They will get their first workout tomorrow. It'll be a few trips before I can speak to durability but they will get a very critical once over next Sunday after they've been on 3 trips. All depends on the quality of the glue I suppose.

If this is something that you're considering picking up, I would try on several pairs of merrells to begin with so you can compare the cuts and get an estimated size for yourself.

 

[JeremyW]

Ok, let's hear who's using what shoe, durability and your criticism of the product.

I've tried wading boots with huge wool socks to fill the gaps for not having neoprene booties on. Good traction, clunky to wear and feet stay forever wet.

Old sneakers.... crushed toes, poor traction and wear out quickly.

Chacos. Durable, ok traction but 90 of your foot is exposed and take a savage beating.

Crocs. Durable, crappy traction and when wet, your feet slide around inside of them like you are on a greased floor.

Water shoes ( keen rubber toe knockoff). I liked these the best but they aren't going to see their first birthday. Soles are going to go any day.

Merrell water shoes that look like trail running shoes. Strappy skeleton with fine mesh to keep out debris. Soles have numerous drainage holes. Intrigued so I ordered them and they should be delivered Friday. They look like they will be perfect but I will have to beat on them for a while before I pass judgement.

​

I use Altra running shoes plus these spikes below, works like velcro on slippery rocks, allows me to hike in 2 mi into Shenandoah then put on the spikes a fish like a Ninja. Not sure how many seasons the spikes will last, but they are so good at keeping my footing, I'd buy them once per season.

ALTRA Men's AL0A547L Lone Peak 6 Trail Running Shoe

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B319R714/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Kahtoola NANOspikes Footwear Traction for Icey Winter Road Running & Walking

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NEWYJSU?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

Also you might consider their gaiters:

ALTRA Trail Gaiter

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07N95XLQ8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[riverwhy]

​

I use Altra running shoes plus these spikes below, works like velcro on slippery rocks, allows me to hike in 2 mi into Shenandoah then put on the spikes a fish like a Ninja. Not sure how many seasons the spikes will last, but they are so good at keeping my footing, I'd buy them once per season.

ALTRA Men's AL0A547L Lone Peak 6 Trail Running Shoe

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B319R714/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Kahtoola NANOspikes Footwear Traction for Icey Winter Road Running & Walking

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NEWYJSU?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

Also you might consider their gaiters:

ALTRA Trail Gaiter

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07N95XLQ8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Looks like a great setup I might consider. But why wouldn't you choose a high top shoe?

 

[JeremyW]

Looks like a great setup I might consider. But why wouldn't you choose a high top shoe?

foot functions better actually with a full range of motion, high tops restrict motion.

 

[Kyle]

just got my simms neoprene socks in the mail. looking forward to ditching the crocs and trying this method out. might make it out tomorrow but deff be out on sunday. happy fathers day to all the fathers on the forum. cheers.

 

[Millsertime]

I wear Keen' sandals and have been pleased with them. Going on year 5 or 6 with mild annual use.

WRT Crocs, if you look at their website; there are lots of different options rather than just their classic clogs. There are a few options that I thought would work well.

 

[DaveKile]

My go to- Orvis Ultralight Wading boots with studs.
I use with neoprene booties- overall feet still get wet, difficult to don & doff and the odor is bad.
Evaluating Sealskinz Hyrdostop Sock, results so far- feet get wet from water over topping sock, easy to don & doff, no odor.
Welcome suggestions.

I too would like to hear about any ideas on Sealskinz Hyrdostop Socks or other socks. I am going to get a pair of Orvis PRO Approach Shoes and wanted to match up a pair of socks. No way I can use neoprene. Trench foot would begin to develop the moment I put on the sock.

I'm actually getting these for my trip to Montana this August. As much of a boat shoe as anything with the occasion of jumping out the drift boat and into the water.

Thoughts?