Wading Shoe Studs

[pmelle]

I have a pair of cabelas ultra-light, felt soles. I have yet to install the studs on them, but was wondering if it is worth to do this or have they traditionally just ended up ripping out? What's your experience with them, will they decrease the life-span of the boot or hold up over time?

 

[RLeep2]

Install the things... I mean, they're just hex head screws, not climb a phone pole carbide studs. So, they don't have the world's greatest grip. But they do make a considerable traction difference and they are worth the effort.

Use a socket set to install them and crank them down as tight as you can. I put mine in as soon as my ultralights came from Cabela's. They're on their third season and everything else on the shoes is coming apart, but not a single one of the studs has moved.

They'll stay put if you tighten them down...

 

[mcwillja]

1/4" Kold kutter ice screws work the best. You may even be able to go 1/2"

 

[poopdeck]

Install them. Mine are going on 3 years and they haven't ripped out. At least I don't think they have since I haven't looked at them since I screwed them in

 

[Van_Cleaver]

I've been wearing studded boots for several years now and they have kept me upright on several occasions when I deserved to spill. I recently bought a pair of non felt sole boots (Orvis, but half price) and the studs that came on them where ok but there aren't nearly enough for my taste. Fortunately, I have a whole bag of Kold Kutter studs that I got on e-bay last year for my ice fishing boots. I'll shoot some in with my portable drill before my next outing. For those not familiar these are used in motorcycle ice racing. Not good for drift boats or walking into the store for lunch , but other than that.......

 

[PennKev]

100% worth it. Whether you use sheet screws or specially made studs, they are worth the cost and effort.

The trick to not losing studs is to screw them in only to the point where they are tight. Trying to really crank down on them will strip the hole out and allow them to twist and pull out. Power tools make the job quicker but I would recommend screwing them in by hand with the a socket wrench the last little bit to prevent stripping out the sole of the boot.

 

[J55tyger88]

I agree studs are great but I dont recommend plain jane screws. Ive tried this trick with older boots and the grip was great at first, but soon they dulled and slipped everywhere. Maybe it was the cheap screws...spend some cheddar on actual cleats.

 

[sandfly]

never had a problem with plain jane screws from wally world. have found some rare 1/4 x 1/4 stainless ones recently. surprised that this is such a big deal. in the early 70's we did this along with adding large head rivets to felts before gluing them to our boots. it was the thing to do

 

[greenghost]

I used Orvis screw-in tungsten-carbide tipped studs. Not cheap around $25... but had a gift cert. so they were free to me. Installed last year, so far holding up great. Traction improvement over plain felt is remarkable.