Wading boots

[hectortmc]

Anybody try the korkers boot yet? If so how do you like them.

 

[BruceC2C]

Sorry, no help w Korkers.
Recently purchased Patagonia Rock Grip Wading Boots - Sticky/Studded
Out of the box i was disappointed with seemingly inferior padding of uppers ( compared to Simms)
However ...they have now 100% proven themselves worthy ( did not screw in studs, as fishing mostly spring creeks)

 

[robkonowitch]

Simms guide 3 for me!

 

[tctrout]

Agree 100% with the Patagonia's, and just bought a second pair. I Have had the original pair for three seasons, and still plan on wearing them for another one or two. They are light and have a great feel to them (plus wide enough to accept the neoprene bootie in my size).

The boot is out of Patagonia's newest line for 2015, thus a great time to find them on sale.

Highly recommended.

TC

 

[Bamboozle]

I owned a pair of Korkers when they first came out but the first generation version had issues with the soles popping off. I believe that the newest version has resolved that issue so IF you seek any other online reviews, make sure you are reading about the 2014/2015 shoe.

That being said, I bought a pair of the newest version for my nephew and he loves them and has reported NO PROBLEMS. I bought him the Buckskin, which comes with a plain felt and a rubber sole and regular laces which I like better than the Boa system. My initial impression is that it looks like a well-made shoe that should last.

Besides having the flexibility of swappable soles, (which gives the best of all options), a HUGE advantage is basic sole replacement. If you find a wading shoe that lasts for a few years, the soles will eventually wear out whether they are rubber or felt. The going rate to get wading shoes professionally resoled is around $60-$70, plus freight and you will be without them until they are repaired which means either you don’t fish, or you buy ANOTHER pair of wading shoes to tide you over.

A set of replacement Korker soles is about $29 and it takes about a minute to replace them. They also offer all sorts of sole options including aluminum bar soles, which are the grippiest thing out there.

Bottom line, I recommend them based in what I saw when I played with them in the store and the enormous advantage of having swappable soles.

FWIW – Make sure to try them on WITH waders & whatever socks you normally wear before you buy them but if that’s not possible, order one size larger than your normal street shoe size. If you wear a half size, you may consider going a size and a half up.

 

[salmonoid]

I've owned a number of pairs of Korkers. The first pair used their first generation soles (OmniTrax v1) and as Bamboozle noted, the soles eventually popped off. However, the rest of the boot lasted very well for me. They had an AquaStealth sticky rubber sole available and it is the only rubber sole that actually lived up to its billling of gripping. That prompted me to replace them with another pair of Korkers. I got a pair of fixed sole Korkers next, with the Boa lacing system and was extremely disappointed when the Boa dial broke the very first time I put them on. Their customer support was excellent and replaced the boots, although they no longer carried that particular fixed sole model, so they gave me the current year removable sole model, which had OmniTrax v3 soles. Something gave up the ghost on those boots too - the soles delaminated and one of the eyelets pulled out, and this pair was replaced by them with the current year model (Whitehorse). This model has held up well, although the right Boa dial out of the box was far tighter on the one wire than the other, and I'm just not a fan of the Boa lacing system. I recently got a pair of the Korkers Guide Boots (KBG) - they have removable soles and good old fashioned laces, and I like them took, although if you don't like a high ankle boot, you won't like them. I also picked up a pair of sandals at one point, which had OmniTrax V2 soles. They were an improvement over the first generation, but required a tool to properly fit the sole and I think Korkers finally got it right with their third generation sole. That being said, I find that I changed my sole out exactly zero times last year. So while the concept is interesting, I don't change the soles at all. They market it as somehow being better for stopping the spread of invasives, but I think it is actually worse, as there are more nooks and crannies for junk to get into.

So, to summarize - the current removable sole generation is good. If you need to change soles often, it is a nice option. I don't like the Boa lacing system at all - doesn't mean it is a bad idea, just that for me, it's created nothing but problems that I don't have with string laces. String laces just rip. I did have to have a number of pairs of boots replaced, which is a bit of a negative, but their customer service was great to deal with. I do like my pair of KGBs.

For sizing, I've found the most recent boots to be true to shoe size. For a size 11 shoe, a size 11 Korkers boot has enough room for waders and a thick pair of wool socks.

For the soles, the cheapest ones are $29 but if you want studs or the aluminum bars, expect to pay $39 through $59 list price.

As an aside, I recently picked up a pair of Patagonia Rock Grip Aluminum bar wading boots. They grip superbly and I actually have confidence in my steps again, with one exception. If you step on something that has an axis parallel to the aluminum bars (think a tree root on a trail, a small log in a stream, or a rock edge), you can take a lateral skid pretty quickly, especially if the item you step on is angled at all.

 

[Cold]

Maybe I just got lucky, but I've had a pair of Korkers Chrome boots for years, that will be entering their 4th or 5th season with absolutely no issues whatsoever.

Of course, they're showing normal wear and tear by now, and I'll likely only get maybe another 2 seasons out of them, but I think that's exceptional value in a boot, and will be replacing them with another pair of Korkers without hesitation.

This pair of Chromes replaced a pair of Korkers' mid-tier boots from whatever the time frame was in which I bought them. They lasted me 3 years, but as other have stated, the soles would occasionally pop out. Eventually, some of the stitching on the uppers started to let go and it was time for new boots. The Chrome boots have never once dropped a sole for me, and the Boa system has been 100% solid for me, no issues. Now, though, some of the fabric on the upper is starting to show it's age, and while it wouldn't necessarily ruin the shoe if it wears through, I can't complain at all about getting 5+ seasons from a wading boot.

 

[HopBack]

I can't speak for the rest of the korkers line but I had a pair of korkers redsides and they simply did not hold up to the kind of abuse I put them through. I fish about 6-7 times a month and after 8 months I ended up with holes worn in the boots and both sets of soles are completely bald. For an extra $50 i went with simms vapor this year.

 

[hectortmc]

How do you like the vapors?

 

[HopBack]

Haven't had any time in the vapors yet but they are very light weight and are more suited for hiking and fishing which is mostly what I do. The materials apears to be top notch.

 

[SteveG]

I may have to check out Simms or Patagonia. I'm very unimpressed with a pair of Orvis boots that are falling apart after one season. The material seems to be delaminating.

 

[ocfisher]

I found Patagonia rock grips with sticky rubber and included stud kit for $75 at the local DSG. seems like a good deal.