Korkers wading boots with the BOA lacing?

[JeremyW]

I wouldn't go with the BOA, if that plastic knob or system breaks out on the river your stuck with laces you can't tighten. I don't see a big advantage between the cheaper boots and the BOA system.

 

[Fly-Swatter]

I wouldn't go with the BOA, if that plastic knob or system breaks out on the river your stuck with laces you can't tighten. I don't see a big advantage between the cheaper boots and the BOA system.

And if your laces break on the stream?

 

[Swattie87]

And if your laces break on the stream?

You tie a knot and finish the day just fine.

 

[MJMFlyfisher]

I wouldn't go with the BOA, if that plastic knob or system breaks out on the river your stuck with laces you can't tighten. I don't see a big advantage between the cheaper boots and the BOA system.

It does seem like the VAST majority of reviews I've seen say "I'm never going back to regular laces" and I'm not sure I've come across anyone who has actually broken one or had one fail other than maybe a brief freeze up from deep snow etc.
I think they also sell a BOA rebuild kit for a couple bucks that you could keep in a vest should something happen. With gravel guards covering the mechanism and wires I think it's pretty low risk of an issue anyway
It's all enough for me to at least give them a try!?

Oh and the regular boot lace breaking crowd?? I hate that too, and have done the emergency tie or replace because the stupid lacing sheath pulls apart etc....... I got a pair of "Ironlace" boot laces for my current boots after breaking the last standard type set in one week.
Dear god! I think you'd pull your fingers completely off before you would ever break one of those things LOL

 

[Swattie87]

I’ve had two buddies blow BOA’s, without spare parts on hand. One was able to half MacGyver a temporary repair, but neither had a very fun rest of the day.

To be fair, I don’t think the failure rate of them is very high, but, if you do have a failure, and don’t have a backup lace on you, at best you’re dealing with an uncomfortable situation the rest of the day. At worst, it’s a safety issue. Say you gotta get back across a stream like Penns or the Little J at a decent flow rate, with essentially a blown tire on one foot.

If you go BOA, buy a spare lace kit and keep it in your pack. Solves that issue simply enough.

To me, laces are a simpler solution. One breaks, you tie a simple knot and you’re back in business as if nothing happened. I’ve probably fished for a couple months on broken and re-tied laces, after forgetting to replace them when I get home.

There’s no right answer though, just pros and cons to weigh out for yourself when making the decision.

 

[MJMFlyfisher]

I’ve had two buddies blow BOA’s, without spare parts on hand. One was able to half MacGyver a temporary repair, but neither had a very fun rest of the day.

To be fair, I don’t think the failure rate of them is very high, but, if you do have a failure, and don’t have a backup lace on you, at best you’re dealing with an uncomfortable situation the rest of the day. At worst, it’s a safety issue. Say you gotta get back across a stream like Penns or the Little J at a decent flow rate, with essentially a blown tire on one foot.

If you go BOA, buy a spare lace kit and keep it in your pack. Solves that issue simply enough.

To me, laces are a simpler solution. One breaks, you tie a simple knot and you’re back in business as if nothing happened. I’ve probably fished for a couple months on broken and re-tied laces, after forgetting to replace them when I get home.

There’s no right answer though, just pros and cons to weigh out for yourself when making the decision.

All good points!

 

[joebamboo]

And THAT's the review that makes me hesitant to order them without trying first 😂
I wear a size 13 sneaker perfectly in just about every brand and my hunting boots and current wading boots are 13s as well.
It doesn't look like TCO carries them..... Hmmmm.
LOL

Precision Fly in Lancaster and Mt. Holly Springs carries Korker if you are close to either.

 

[KELORGO]

Call ahead if you are traveling any distance to see Korkers at Precision. The Lancaster store is my "go to" and they did not have either model I was looking for in stock in my size.

 

[MJMFlyfisher]

Call ahead if you are traveling any distance to see Korkers at Precision. The Lancaster store is my "go to" and they did not have either model I was looking for in stock in my size.

They're about 2hrs from me so I'd probably just bite the bullet and pick a model and size and order them before investing 4hrs of driving.
Stinking Cabela's is less than 1/2hr for me..... That's who I was hoping for.
Plus I wouldn't feel as bad taking up the big box store's time if I decided I didn't want them.
I always feel bad doing that at a smaller business.

 

[JeremyW]

https://www.amazon.com/Korkers-Greenback-Wading-Kling-Black/dp/B0154PJBJ6/ref=sr_1_23?crid=3BQRNFCA4HTYJ&keywords=korkers&qid=1706746827&sprefix=korkers%2Caps%2C141&sr=8-23 -

I have the basic Korkers wading boot of theirs, currently $139.99, I spent an additional $7 on some bombproof laces... they work decently. Not the only boots I have, but they've seen enough miles without breaking a lace. I think I got them out west for $119 originally.

 

[BruceC2C]

I now own 2 pair of Darkhorse.
Maybe only 25 outings, so durability unknown.
100% comfortable.
No problems w Boa.
Sizing, not an issue.
I have not read thru all previous replies, but,
other MAJOR plus is how SUPER quick they dispell water & dry.
I use the YAKTRAX
Diamond Grip Traction Cleats ..not really drinking the sole changing KoolAde, as I have not switched soles.

 

[MJMFlyfisher]

Update:
Cabela's got some in and I was able to try on the Dark horse BOA.
I was pretty impressed in the lacing and fit.
14's seemed to be the ticket....I took a big fat wool sock and put it over my athletic socks to sort of simulate the wader bootie and a good sized sock.
Good fit with still a bit of toe wiggle room.
A couple observations.....maybe because I was only lacing over socks and not the wader bootie above my ankle the BOA almost doesn't lace down tight enough. It felt best right at the bottomed out most part of the dial.
I have pretty skinny ballerina ankles LOL....😂 So maybe that was part of it.
Thinking once I get the waders on with the neoprene bootie upper and a good sock it will give me a bit more leeway on the tightening.
Of course I was a dope and only brought ONE sock to try them on so I couldn't really walk around much and get a feel but one thing I did notice was that even though it's got a fairly decently stiff high top upper it's almost like the upper geometry leans a little out over the arch of your foot wanting to allow my ankle to roll in.
I could see the boot flexing that way.
Even looking at them from the front they seemed to have that slightly inward bias.
Or maybe I was imagining things LOL
I DO wish they had the River Ops Boa and Hells Canyon to just round out all the options....but I liked them enough that I think I'm gonna pull the trigger on them.
Thank you everyone for the replies and help. 👍

 

[Troutmeister]

I had a pr of Devil's Canyon w the BOA system. After a couple yrs. one of the wires broke and the other was frayed. I ordered replacement and fixed both of them. After another yr or two, (cant remember) I saw that both wires were frayed and ready to break.

By this time the boots were coming apart at the seams, I was on my 2nd set of felts w studs. I replaced the boots with a pr of lace up Korkers. Seamed too fragile for me

 

[Swattie87]

FWIW, I don’t think that traditional laces last any longer than the BOA laces, necessarily. My current pair is roughly 3 years old, and the original traditional laces are shot and in need of replacement. I’ve just been lazy and delayed putting a new pair on. (The boots - Buckskins, otherwise are holding up very well. Still on my first rubber w/studs soles, and the seams are still intact the whole way around both boots.)

My main reason for preferring the traditional vs. BOA wasn’t because of longevity, but just that a repair on a broken traditional lace streamside or while gearing up is much simpler (without spare parts/laces) than a BOA repair.

 

[jgish92]

I have BOA on a pair of Orvis boots and I hope to never have to go back to laces again. BOA is fantastic. After two years, I notices the wire "laces" were fraying and BOA had a lifetime warranty. They sent me replacement parts for free and I changed the old ones out in about 10 minutes.

 

[bigslackwater]

I own both The Devils Canyon and Dark Horse. I had the devils canyon first. I currently use my Devils canyon as my summer boot and the Dark Horses as my winter boots. Both get an even 6 months of use. fishing on average 2 times a week. Devils Canyon are going on 7 years old. Dark Horses are 3 years old.

size- I bought mine a half size larger than my shoe size. it's a perfect fit for both.

comfort- the Devils Canyon are slim. They are light weight but don't offer as much ankle support. Still decent support, but I wouldn't know a difference if I hadn't tried the Dark Horses. They move more like Sneakers or light hiking boots.

Dark horse are very beefy and supportive. Almost too stiff. They feel like snow boots, but I find the extra support helpful when wading rocky areas. The extra thickness helps keep your feet warm in winter. With the extra thickness, they get pretty heavy when wet.

boa lacing - The boa lacing is great. I wont ever go back to regular laces. One time while steehead fishing I had my boas snap on the Devils Canyon. Had I paid attention I would have noticed that the cable was begining to fray. I had a replacement kit and fixed it stream side. Took a while to do but I got it done. ALWAYS inspect your BOAs. Mine frayed where it passed through one of the plastic turns. Always carry boa repair kits. They are so small and fit in your pack without taking up much space. My Dark Horses seem to be a better quality Boa system (newer version). I've had no issues.

My Devils Canyons being older have been through hell and back. Eventually the leather started separating from the sole. I used a pile of epoxy and glued them back together. They've held up for another two years since the gluing.

If I had to choose one it would be the dark horse. I'm still using my Devils Canyon in the warmer months as a way to extend the life of the dark horses. I do the same with waders. My older/leakier pair get used in the warmer months as well.

 

[sam]

I'm personally not a fan of the BOA. They frequently need to be retightened throughout the day, which is somewhat annoying. Maybe I have a faulty version or something?

I like them otherwise, but if I could do it again, I'd go with regular laces.

 

[bigjohn358]

I'm personally not a fan of the BOA. They frequently need to be retightened throughout the day, which is somewhat annoying. Maybe I have a faulty version or something?

I like them otherwise, but if I could do it again, I'd go with regular laces.

I'm thinking you have a faulty set. I never have to adjust mine.

 

[Schaefer406]

Curious is anybody is using this style Korkers boot?.....specifically the Dark Horse, or Devil's Canyon.

I want to know about 3 things.
- Comfort
- BOA lacing and how you like it
- Sizing

I read so many conflicting reviews on sizing......
Standard thought seems to be size up one full size from your street shoe size but I've seen enough reviews sprinkled in from guys who tried it and found them too big.
These would be a spring , summer, early fall fitting boot.....no need for huge wool socks. I'd like them to be the go to trout boots for hiking in at places like Penns Creek, or out west where there's a better than average chance for some pretty good walking. Plus I wanted the interchangeable soles for Yellowstone and any other waters that prohibit felt.
( I have a different boot already for winter fishing locally)

I went to Cabela's today to burn some club points on tying material and after spooking around I saw they had the Dark Horse on the rack! Great I can try them on!.....WRONG.
After 20 minutes of trying to find someone to help and try on a 13 and 14 they don't have them in stock in any size larger than a 10. LOL
Really? Ya gotta do better than that Cabela's.
(Who are the guys with size 9 and 10 feet anyway?)😉

Anybody using them?

I owned Korkers Dark Horse for about a year before the sole clips on the backs snapped off mid-session and left me on ice skates with no soles. They were VERY solid boots, but I think there are better options if you are a very active and aggressive wader, in addition to one who hikes in a decent bit for streams or does some rock crawling to get down. My biggest complaint with korkers is the studs are tiny and do not last very long, to the point where I took my power drill and drilled extra studs through the sole and into the boot (actually worked quite well).

I will personally never own Korkers again (currently rocking two pairs of Simms G3s (felt w/ studs and vibram w/studs), but I can't lie I really liked the Dark Horse boots for the time they were usable. If you're buying boots now, I almost feel as if it a no brainer to just buy boots like the G3's which are being discontinued and are now on sale for $180.00.

To address the BOA - BOA rocks. The BOA never comes loose, what loosens up is the boot fabric as it gets wet. To maximize the tightness prior to getting in the river, tighten the BOA as much as you can, then bend your knee and ankle forward. This puts stretch and slack in the boot material allowing you to tighten the BOA down more.