Expectations for wading boots

BelAirSteve

BelAirSteve

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Joined
Sep 9, 2009
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680
I bought a pair of Cloudveil wading (These for reference) boots 4 years ago. They are starting to come apart, and since that is when I first started fly fishing, I just wonder what my expectations should be in terms of how long they should last. I recall my brother having the same pair of Orvis wading boots for many years (over 10 I think).

And I'm not the "fish every weekend year round" kind of guy. I'm a once a week from April through November, and an occasional winter fishing trip during a warm spell. I don't think I put extraordinary wear and tear on my gear.

Any thoughts or advice?
 
BelAirSteve,
I have my first pair of Borger boots they are as old as my first pair of Breathable chest high waders bought in 96-97.only thing that has gone bad is that i lost one of the studs aside from that the felt is still good an the cleats are all good.It really depends how you take care of your gear, i always wash my boots off streamside an then when i get home i use a hose on them again,i make sure the laces are loosened and then open them op an let them air dry..sometimes if you fishing alot they dont get dry but they do get taken care of.
As for breathable waders i have a hanger that i hang them on if they are muddy i use my hands and the hose an wash the dirt off gently then i hang em up outside first an when they are dry i turn them inside out an they dry that way till dry then i let them hang till im ready to go fishing then they go in a wader bag folded up with my boots. At the end of the season or during the winter they get retrated wiith the Brathable rainwear wash detergent then retreated with reviveex or nik wax whichever i have at the moment.
hope that helps, i know one thing personally if they still made Weinbrenner/Borger boots thats all I would wear, I have recently puchased a pair of Simms Rivershed with vibram bottoms an installed the HardBite Starcleats.still have to be tested on limestoners more but i really like em, are they as good as my Weinbrenner/Borger boots with studded felt? Almost , i think if i add another pack of the Alumibite cleats it will be good.
Tight Wraps & Tight Lines
Rick Wallace
 
I would be happy with 4 years from any pair of wading boots, and say that you got your moneys worth out of them
 
I'd be happy with 2 years right now! My Cabelas boots were so comfortable but only lasted 15 months tops. I was on my third pair with the same pair of waders, although they had a bit of aqua-seal on them. I just purchased LL Bean Gray Ghost Studded boots and hated them day 1 because they were too stiff, a month later and I love them. They broke in pretty quick, look like they will take a beating and grip great on the rocks. The warrnaty doesn't hurt either.
 
Steve,

I have two pair of Simms Rivershed wading boots that are 3 years old and both are like brand new. I wear one to fish the Gunpowder and the other to fish non-didymo streams. Since I retired this year, I have been fishing at least 50 times this year. I had a pair of Simms Guide Boots that lasted 9 years.

As for waders, I go with Simms. I wear a pair of Simms Gore-Tex waders when fishing the Gunpowder that are 10 years old. I have had to use Aquaseal to patch some small holes but there are no seam leaks. I wear a pair of Simms G3s for fishing non-didymo waters that are two years old are there are no leaks.

At this point, I am loyal to Simms.

Dale
 
i'm surprised you got 4 yrs out of any cloudviel fishing product (waders or boots)

the company closed the fishing product line due to serious issues with product performance... I had like 4 pairs of waders and 2 pairs of boots replaced

given those boots are the most comfortable I have ever worn and you will be hard pressed to find anything as light and comfortable as them...

 
The Simms Rivershed boots I bought last October look like they're 10 years old: the Vibram is 50% gone, and peeling off the bottom front part of the boot; the cheap imitation leather around the top has disintegrated, leaving a cheese cloth looking material; and the stitching is frayed everywhere. I'm 6'1" and 190lbs, and I do fish quite a bit. I also walk quite a bit when I fish, but this is ridiculous. I have a pair of $70 hiking shoes that have 100X more miles on them than the Simms, and they look nearly new. The Riversheds are great when new, and very comfortable. They need to work on the materials, however, since this is my second pair........
 
I've had exactly 2 outings with my Simm's guide boots, and I can see the tread has flattened some. Not enough to effect things yet, just the tips of the rubber "spikes", but it's obvious that's what's gonna go first, and I don't expect much more than a year or so. That might be common with all rubber soles, I dunno, it's my first pair. Makes sense, if you want a softer rubber for traction, they're gonna wear out. Just like hiking boots with Vibram do, bout a year till they're too flat to do much good. The boot itself seems pretty solid, though, so if you had the same boot in felts I'd expect it'd last at least 3 years if not more.

I used to buy a lot of Chota boots. Felts. The studs would last me about a year, but they're easy to restud. A trip to the hardware store for some hex screws and you're done. The boots 3 or 4 years. The uppers would get scuffed up gradually, and you start losing support, and eventually they fall apart. Lace holders bust out, seams work loose, stuff like that. Nothing sudden and you know as it's reaching the end of it's life.

I had the same problem with the Cabela's ultralight as Foxgap. By far the most comfortable wading boot I've ever worn. And easy on the pocketbook too. But the sides would blow out in just under a year for me. Like, sudden and serious blow out and your foot comes out the side, and you have to limp your way back to the car, lol. Happened on 2 pairs before I moved on.
 
I am very happy with the wear I am getting out of the Simms Headwaters I bought last year but unfortunately I may only have about 30 - 40 days total in them? So far nothing other than some signs of normal wear. They are very comfortable, sturdy and provide great support. I opted for these over the Riversheds because the Riversheds just seemed to stiff and restrictive when I tried them on. I like that the Headwaters also dry very quickly. I expect several more seasons out of these at the current frequency I am able to get out and fish.
 
10 years out of a pair of boots? You arent fishing hard enough. I had 1.5-2 years on my korkers(ones with interchangeable soles) and they wore pretty well. I did lose one of the soles somehow up in erie in december. Walnut was at like 500cfs, so things were flowing pretty quickly on the mile streams--well, fast enough that it blew a sole of my boot. I traded them in for the pategonia rock grip(aluminum bar boots) this winter. I dont think the boot itself will ever wear out. The material is seriously tough. Unfortunately, aluminum isnt the hardest of metals and they are wearing quickly. Easy enough to swap out, but I dont think Patagonia sells replacement bars yet.
 
I have the Simms guide boot in both Rubber and felt. Only Vibram soles or something similar are allowed in Maryland do to rock snot. Both are outstanding in wear and comfort. One of the most important elements in selecting a boot is foot protection. No bruised toes and rolled-up ankles which would shorten an outing and deliver pain do to injury, are critical. When you look over the terrain of your favorite trout stream, boulder strewn greased bowling balls, it's amazing how a boot that gets wet and dried over the years last. Modern materials and better desighn have made wading easier and safer for us all........Thanks Simms.
 
I bought the same Cloudveils. They lasted a year. The rubber treads delaminated and as per my usual luck Cloudveil was out of business by then. I tried gluing the soles back but they just came loose again. It's a shame because they were a nice lightweight boot.

Tried a pair of the highly regarded Patagonia Riverwalkers. They didn't last long either. The stitching wore out on the boot and the side of the boot came open. At least Patagonia should replace them, I haven't gotten around to it yet.

With the demise of the Patagonias I recently got a pair of Orvis Riverguard Ultralights with the Ecotrax soles and carbide studs. They seem a bit heavy to me (size 13 though) but give great traction on all surfaces and seem pretty durable so far. Time will tell. Pricey though at 198 bucks but they are on sale for 148 right now.
 
I'm on my fourth year with my Simms "Guide" boots. They are worn but should be good for another year or two. They were more expensive than alot of wading boots but I think I got my money's worth out of them. Hey, quality costs money and you get what you pay for.
 
Same experience on the Cabela's as pcray. So light and comfortable, but I realized that even with two pairs rotating, neither are in good shape after 2 years. But so darn cheap. I'm probably gonna try something else out this year just for a change, but I have no clue what yet.
 
I'm lucky to get six months out of a pair of wading boots. Usually the stitching goes. The worst performer by far was Hardy (one month). They actually replaced the boots for nothing, but the replacements wore out just as fast.

I've had several pairs of Orvis and Cabela's boots, and one pair of Simms. Cabela's made the only pair of boots that made it past a year. Cabela's is probably my preference due to price, with motorcycle studs. I don't see what you get for the extra cost with the big brands, to be honest.
 
My guess is that Rick's boots and wadersweremade in the USA, I don't think you find that anymore. It's very unfortunate, too because the crap coming out of China barely lasts a year under the kind of use I give it.
 

The Weinbrenner/Borger boots were made in the USA
http://www.weinbrennerusa.com/ .
My first pair of Redingtonwaders , i am not sure if they were made stateside, I have two pair of Redington Sonic Zips xl now they are the cats meow without Smms price tag. It is my understanding that they may no longer make these boots, thats unfortunate they are sewn in soles,and any cobbler
should be able to re sole them for you.I wear my gear alot, the reason i get alot of life out of my stuff is because i take extremely good care of my fishing gear an clothing.The stuff isnt cheap , and usually when i find something i really like it wears a long time to the point when it has to be replaced that item is no longer available.
If you read my earlier post on this thread, there are a couple basic steps to making your footwear last longer along with you waders.
I am no better than any one else, I worked long hours sometimes missing the good fishing becuase of mandatory forced overtime where i worked. So i over the years i spent my vacation in Fishing Maine for a few weeks,NY Salmon Steelhead for a few weeks,and a week for Pa Rifle Deer season. when you fish on the NY tribs you fish in some of the most grueling conditions a person can fish in.From rain that comes down sideways ,to whiteout conditions with - temperatures.
I would never tell anybody to spend money they dont have,But when it comes down to it an you start traveling outside your comfort zone to places far from home with precious vaction time being used up .You fish no matter what, you cant catch fish sittin in a cabin/house/shelter.
For my money an bots currently Simms has earned my allegiance, I also wear a few of their shirts an a Winstopper guide jacket that is worth every penny i paid for it.
Spend your money how you see fit, but remember you can spend a lil more money once an have no Mr Murphy, or you can be thrifty an spend many times more an get Mr Murphy to visit you alot,its your choice your milage may vary.
 
I got about 12 trips with my last pair of Orvis boots. I'm just glad the guys at Fly Fishers Paradise are great with defects and return policies. To me if a pair of boots lasts over a year then they are doing well for me. I've had them last everywhere from 3 years to 3 weeks.
 
The weinbrenner's are not the most comfortable wading boots for sure - but they've been the longest lasting ones I've ever tried. I got 5-6 years of hard fishing out of the last pair I owned
 
I've yet to find a pair of wading boots that are suited to the amount of hiking I usually do while fishing. In the last 8-10 years I've probably average 100 outings per year. I haven't tried any expensive brands; I just don't trust them enough. Are Simms G4s going to last me ten years and 1000 fishing trips? I buy a $20 pair of cheapo hiking boots and just replace them every year or so.
 
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