Durable wet wading shoes

krayfish2

krayfish2

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Ok, let's hear who's using what shoe, durability and your criticism of the product.

I've tried wading boots with huge wool socks to fill the gaps for not having neoprene booties on. Good traction, clunky to wear and feet stay forever wet.

Old sneakers.... crushed toes, poor traction and wear out quickly.

Chacos. Durable, ok traction but 90 of your foot is exposed and take a savage beating.

Crocs. Durable, crappy traction and when wet, your feet slide around inside of them like you are on a greased floor.

Water shoes ( keen rubber toe knockoff). I liked these the best but they aren't going to see their first birthday. Soles are going to go any day.

Merrell water shoes that look like trail running shoes. Strappy skeleton with fine mesh to keep out debris. Soles have numerous drainage holes. Intrigued so I ordered them and they should be delivered Friday. They look like they will be perfect but I will have to beat on them for a while before I pass judgement.
 
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New system for this year. Slightly too big Crocs and neoprene cut off old waders. I've tried it on a bunch of creeks in the past 2 months: No complaints. Sticking with this for the foreseeable future.

Thought about putting studs in to really make them all-terrain, but I question if they would push up through the foot bed. I don't find them overly slippery while they still have good tread, though.
 
Dear kray,

I am a diabetic, so I have to at least try to take care of my feet.

If I am wading around rocky areas, I wear my regular wading shoes, heavyweight socks and Simms or Orvis neoprene booties. This is my preferred method. It's the most comfortable for me. I get foot protection and ankle support. I finally managed to find a pair of old school canvas NIB Hodgeman Lakestreams that fit me perfectly and I leave them and the stinky socks in my truck and just put them on with the booties and go.

If I am wading some mucky lake, or float tubing or kayaking I wear a cheap pair of flats boots bought from Amazon. They fit like crap even though they are 2 sizes larger than my normal wading shoes. But they work for like $ 30.00.

I'm too old to wear high Chucks and socks anymore!

Regards,

Tim Murphy 🙂
 
While floating: keen water sandals. Comfy. Study toe box, drains well
Cons: slippery. Also, with the newest version sometimes a strap or two pops out. Poor gluing. They sent me a new pair and I rescued the old one with aquaseal.

wet wading, my wading boots with wading socks. Clunky, yes, but foot protection and stability is worth it and they are studded
 
I've gone with "Crocs n socks" a few times and resulted in a nasty nail fungus that's stuck around for over a year.

The shoes I have a Keen clones and the glue sucks. Falling apart way to soon
 
have been wearing crocs for years. they are ok but if your walking around alot then i think there are better options and make sure the strap is around your ankle otherwise you might loose one.

funny this was posted because last night i finally bought my first pair of neoprene socks. i am going to try using my wading boots this summer. i bought the simms socks. 3.5 mm thick with built in gravel guards. i hope they work out. like you said the other options are not ideal. i think the worst is old pair of sneakers. slipping off every rock. rolled my ankle a few times. and any footware that has open holes like crocs or sandals will get small rocks and pebbles in them.
 
I wet wade 99% of the time and never understood the desire for less protection & weight in the summer. I know it gets hot in the summer but the last time I stepped in a creek wet wading, it cooled me off... 😉

That being said, I want the same support, traction & protection year round so it's my regular wading shoes, wool sock and a neoprene "guard sock."

In regards to wearing Crocks or reasonable facsimiles...

Just yesterday I was out with the leaf blower blowing off my driveway while wearing a Crock knock-off (with socks) and felt something in my shoe. I took it off two times and saw nothing.

The third time I checked I noticed a small sharp piece of gravel from the area around my shed was stuck in the bottom and penetrated clean through to the foot-bed of the shoe. Every time I took a step, it pushed further through and into my sock and foot.

They're your feet and you can do what you want, but I wouldn't be walking around a creek taking the chance of stepping on broken glass, a sharp piece of metal, a lost lure or a sharp rock with a shoe like that...
 
Bamboozle said:
I wet wade 99% of the time and never understood the desire for less protection & weight in the summer. I know it gets hot in the summer but the last time I stepped in a creek wet wading, it cooled me off... 😉

That being said, I want the same support, traction & protection year round so it's my regular wading shoes, wool sock and a neoprene "guard sock."

In regards to wearing Crocks or reasonable facsimiles...

Just yesterday I was out with the leaf blower blowing off my driveway while wearing a Crock knock-off (with socks) and felt something in my shoe. I took it off two times and saw nothing.

The third time I checked I noticed a small sharp piece of gravel from the area around my shed was stuck in the bottom and penetrated clean through to the foot-bed of the shoe. Every time I took a step, it pushed further through and into my sock and foot.

They're your feet and you can do what you want, but I wouldn't be walking around a creek taking the chance of stepping on broken glass, a sharp piece of metal, a lost lure or a sharp rock with a shoe like that...
Click to expand...

You're not going to agree, which is fine, but if you want to understand: for me, it's that I don't want to wear the waders and boots in the first place. Waders/boots are not my baseline; they're just the wading system that seems the most reasonable option October - April here. If I never had to wear waders or giant moon boots again, I'd be more than happy. So I really prefer the more minimal setup with less protection.
 
Have been using Teva’s in the Schuylkill for decades. Always concerned that I may cut or scuff a toe, but it has never happened. I’m more careful with my foot-steps than I would be with waders. I would not like them for trout fishing because I would be covering a lot more ground.
 
I don't wet wade.
But when I swim in lakes, I wear what's called "Water Mocs"
They have lug soles for a little traction. And are stretchy for a tight fit, and cover your toes

I live in my crocs all summer for every day use.
But wouldn't wear them for wading........
 
I’ve toned down my wet wading after two run ins with ticks that resulted in early caught Lyme disease both times. I’ve never found a tick actually on me when wearing waders, so most of the time I just prefer to deal with being hot. They’re easy to locate against the constant background of your waders and flick off before they get a chance to actually get on you.

I still wet wade WW fishing in the Summer on larger streams where I expect to be in the water or within the stream banks, and not in the woods all day. I just wear a pair of swim trunks and normal (no leather) hiking boots, Merrell’s are my current pair. Traction is just fair, similar to traditional wading boots with a lug sole and no studs, but, it’s Summer and I’m not that concerned about getting wet if I fall, and Summer flows and gradient on these streams are generally low so I’m not counting on studded traction to get me through tough spots to wade. Foot protection is better than crocs/sandals/sneakers, but probably not as good as traditional wading boots. It’s all trade off, no perfect solution. Durability is probably a little compromised by getting normal hiking boots wet all the time, but it’s not significant. I get similar life out of them as I do my wading boots, except Korkers - those things are built really well.
 
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dryflyguy said:
I don't wet wade.
But when I swim in lakes, I wear what's called "Water Mocs"
They have lug soles for a little traction. And are stretchy for a tight fit, and cover your toes

I live in my crocs all summer for every day use.
But wouldn't wear them for wading........
Click to expand...
these are like the water shoes I wear inside my tevas, i think.
 
I agree with Swattie. I usually run my last years hiking boots, or just an old pair of boot in general with some hiking socks. Way lighter than a wading boot, good fit, offers protection, and much better traction than a sneaker, Reba/Chaco, or crocs. Plus they’re already broken in so they’re comfortable, and usually pretty durable.
 
If the regular footwear wearers think that studs would be beneficial and are not familiar with Grip Studs, you should take a look. They make a zillion different options and they DON'T pull out. I added a few to a pair of Muck Boots that I use at places where I barely wade.

Ideally the stud should SLIGHTLY protrude beyond the "contact area" of the sole so you get grip from the sole & the stud, not just the stud. I found a stud that was just the right size & length to screw into a recess in the sole & heel of the Muck Boot without going all the way through.

Having a few studs makes a big difference when I walk into a stream wearing these Muck Boots...
 
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Check out Sierra Trading Post .... they have a couple Merrill Moab Sieve water shoes on deep discount. looks like a nice wet wading shoe. Depending on your size, they have quiet a few options for you.
 
I use crocs or an older pair of Vasque water shoes (with Vibram soles) when the wading is not too crazy or when I am in my boat. Otherwise, I use Patagonia neoprene socks with my Simms wading boots.
 
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I did a whitewater rafting trip in Patagonia that included lots of canyoneering and climbing through slot canyons - apologies for the humblebrag....
The guides instructed us to get the shoes linked below and not to vary from them - get exactly these shoes.
They were spot on. They were perfect for that trip and I've used them for wet wading since. The shoes provide better traction than I've ever gotten with felt or studded wader boots. I've had them for a years now and they have held up, drain really well and are very comfortable.

www.backcountry.com

Five Ten Canyoneer 3 Shoe - Men's - Footwear

Buy the Five Ten Canyoneer 3 Shoe - Men's online or shop all Footwear from Backcountry.com.
www.backcountry.com www.backcountry.com
 
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