Not that wading boots are meant to be backpacking boots, but several times a year, I combine the two and have had a mixed bag of success and failures with wearing wading boots on the way back to the vehicle. One year, I had a pair of Korkers, that killed the soles of my feet, because they had little arch support; last year, I added a pair of arch support soles and they worked like a champ. This year, the Korkers are shot, and I went to the Cabelas Ultralight wading boots that had been my backup pair. BAD choice - no ankle support, a shade too small and my feet were killing me by the end of each day, pack or no pack.
So, if you were hiking instead of fishing, and carrying a 40 pound pack, would you pick the Simms Guide boots?