New wading boots
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Looking for new boots. Thinking about the new Simms Guide Boots, Simms Rivershed, or the Chota’s. My local shop does not have the 2008 Simms stuff yet. Any thoughts?
If you can still get the older Simms Freestone’s they have to be the best boots I have ever worn… imiterial about the rest of them, Freestones all the way…
I have a working pair at the moment, 3 seasons old, and my local shop has just placed an order and are going to get the new ones, so I have baught the old style, and stuck them in the box, in a safe place, so in 3 or so years the current ones call it quits, I am good to go…
9 years or so until I have to make this discidion again.
Mike
I got the 08 riversheds and I love them. They are comfortable and wide enough. I would definitely recommend them to you.
I’m getting a new pair tomorrow – LL Bean lightweights with Aquastealth. We’ll see how they work both on the Clinch and in the salty stuff next week.
The new West Branch’s look pretty solid too.
I need to hype LL Bean’s customer service for a bit.
Last year I wore my Simms Freestone Felts down to Pensacola and fished a weekend from the beach.
I wear two boots:
Summer – Cloudveil 8x Boot – They are the lightest boots on the market I believe. They still manage to offer great support.
Winter – Simm G3 Guide Boots – These boots are more like a REAL boot than anything I have ever worn. They are heavier in the hand, but do not water load like other boots, so on the water they really aren’t any more tiring to wear than a boot half their weight. They also seem to keep my feet a lot warmer than the Korkers or Chotas I’ve worn in the past.
I just purchased a pair of Orvis wding boots. They are the Henry’s Fork II Premium. I haven’t had them on outside the house yet, but I can tell they are much more confortable than anything I have worn up to date.
I need to hype LL Bean’s customer service for a bit.
Last year I wore my Simms Freestone Felts down to Pensacola and fished a weekend from the beach. I found that:
- Felts load up with sand and make an already heavy boot downright impossible to walk in.
- Sand grinding into felt tends to destroy the felt.
This year we’re going back, and since my in-laws like catalog shopping for Christmas, I asked them to buy me a pair of LL Bean size 13 Lightweights with Aqua Stealth. I got 13’s, as every wader company I’ve seen states that you should order your normal shoe size in wading boots. I did not intend to wear them locally, as I’ve been told that the local name for this rubber is AquaDeath when mixed with Diddymo.
Anyway, the boots were backordered but showed up a couple weeks ago. Last Friday, I decided to head up to the Clinch and threw these boots in the truck along with my old Simms Freestones. I wore the Beans first and found them kinda snug, but with great support. And on either slick or snotted rocks, I have never felt that stable before, even with my felts. They seemed to work, but after an hour and half my feet were killing me – they were too small.
I called Bean, told them I was an idiot and had not tried them on before throwing out the box, then went fishing in them making them used goods. I asked them if there was any way I could pay some restocking fee and get a pair of 14’s instead. Well, Bean apologized for the mix-up, the woman admitted that there was no sizing guidance on the website, and they said they’d send out a pair of 14’s right away. She told me to just put the old boots in the box and UPS ’em back.
They came today. Not only do they fit, Bean put a prepaid shipping label in the box with an apology for the sizing mixup. I’m hoping to hit the Clinch tomorrow and will try to put them to a longer test, but so far I’m impressed not only with the boots but with LL Bean.
Please tell me you’re retired. holy $%^& you fish alot.
completely agree about LL Bean. I have been a faithful customer for 15 years. They really are the best.
I’ve recently shelved the old Simms freestones for some sort of pataguccis I stole from Ian Crabtree. I’m so happy to be done with the freestones, I don’t use waders that often anymore but everytime I’d step in them I’d be reminded of why they’re so durable to begin with…. It’s becuase they transfer all that wear and tear directly to your feet. Okay for walking right in and fishing more or less in one place all day I suppose but forget about hiking in them. Nasty boots; I hear they make the Gitmo prison campers wear them during prayer time.
Nasty boots; I hear they make the Gitmo prison campers wear them during prayer time.
Dooode you’re sick!
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