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The Rubber Wading Boot Test Ends... And Then Begins - Only Now With the Great Taste of Grip

By Tom Chandler 7/29/2009

My recent Montana trip only served to confirm what I'd come to believe about the new generation of sticky rubber soled wading boots.

They're better than ever - and ideal for some applications - but not quite ready to take on the toughest wading challenges... unaided.



Because I'm sick and tired concerned about the whining safety of the Underground's Crack Team of Wading Boot Testers
(how many emails complaining about compound fractures should one guy have to endure), the small stack of rubber-soled wading boots are facing some alterations.

Simms was nice enough to send along a set of their carbide-tipped screw-in studs, and the Korkers can be equipped with a set of studded rubber "Kling-on" soles - and also felt && studded felt.

So here's the gig.

One of the Simms soles will be on the receiving end of studs, and in a daring, in-stream, boot-to-boot comparison, we'll see how that boot compares to the other unstudded sole.

The chameleon-esque Korkers will be outfitted with a mixture of studded rubber, felt, and studded felt, and we'll see what happens in our direct, boot-to-boot comparison.

The Patagonia Riverwalkers may remain unaltered for a while - the "control" group for sticky rubber.

Slowing the testing a little bit is a busy work schedule, a couple weeks of 90+ degree temperatures (that's a long string of hot for up here), and an ongoing desire to fly fish the little stuff (backcountry streams and lakes).

Accordingly, I plan to enlist the help of some of the local attention-craving helpful guides.

There's more to come on the equipment front, though things move slowly here because we foolishly actually test gear before we write a review - a process which results in more accuracy, but less throughput.

It's just how we roll.

Coming Up
Proving that nothing interests people more than the fear that someone's getting something they're not, my review of the Redington fly rod && reel combo triggered inquiries from a pair of fly rod companies. And yes, I may enlist the help of the Undergrounders in deciding what rods to test.

Then there's the story which is going to blow the lid off the fly fishing... err... fly fishing hat industry.

In other words, through years of testing, we've identified the World's Best All-Around Warmweather Fly Fishing Hat, and because we're externally validated nice enough to share, we're going to let the world know it.

Some days, it's just plain great to be us.

See you [teetering, windmilling, and falling] on the river, Tom Chandler.
AuthorPicture

Tom Chandler

As the author of the decade leading fly fishing blog Trout Underground, Tom believes that fishing is not about measuring the experience but instead of about having fun. As a staunch environmentalist, he brings to the Yobi Community thought leadership on environmental and access issues facing us today.

16 comments
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I have now tried the Simms, Redington, and Cloudveil “sticky” rubber soled boots, the one thing that they all have in common is that they are NO BETTER then Tevas, or Chaco's. The only time that they are better then even the cheapest felt boot is if you have to hike along way to the river. If that the case I wont be hiking in my waders in the first place. Simms maybe number 1 in soft-goods but ... more that will change if they push this “marketing scheme” of “felt is bad for the water” to far. Simms gave me the boots for free to try, and after dangerously trying them I gave them away for free as well.
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stepdad: I bought the Cloudveils this year with their new & improved “grippy rubber”. I came across this thread because I am planning to add studs. In short..my feeling is that they suck and I didn't hesitate to tell Cloudveil that. Their reply..”You could always add studs” I think the sticky rubber is an improvement over prior rubber, but too many manufacturers are hinting that they "grip ... more like felt" - which they don't. I think adding studs to the rubber isn't ideal, but given the very short life of studded felt boots on my river, I think studded rubber makes sense from a wear perspective. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
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I bought the Cloudveils this year with their new & improved "grippy rubber". I came across this thread because I am planning to add studs. In short..my feeling is that they suck and I didn't hesitate to tell Cloudveil that. Their reply.."You could always add studs"
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All sounds about par for the course. What would be nice is if the the new rubber soles - with studs added - worked almost as well as studded felt. Be nice to find something that lasts longer.
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I haven't had much opportunity to field test the Cloudveil 8X stealth boots yet, but should have a fair opportunity in August. I'm curious to see how those boots will stack up to the Korkers, Simms, and Patagonia boots. My guess is that they will be on par with the Riverwalkers. The real test will be this fall and next spring when I'll be having to trench my way through some serious snow to get down ... more to the river.
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I spent last Sunday walking an extra, unexpected (wrong put-in) mile and a half on a local, wild smallie river. As usual my rubber sole wading boots worked fantastic! On bare, dry rock. I could use the darn things for bouldering. On rocks under the water... not so good. The old two steps forward, one slip back kind of deal. I was so late, my frantic wife back at camp sent friends out to do a little ... more SAR. I told her it was the wading boots fault, thereby demonstrating another good use of rubber soles.
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Two thumbs (and a splashy wet ass) down on the utility of the Patagonia soft rubber soles on Rock Creek now that the algae is on the rounded river rocks. To be fair Rock Creek is famously slippery but I'm going back to my studded aquastealths for the tumblier local rivers and will reserve the Patagonias for boats, smaller tribs and selected larger streams (e.g. Mighty Mo).
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andy marx: I thought the point of the rubber soles was less chance of spreading invasive critters? I frankly think the invasives issues is mostly marketing spin. I look at a fly fisherman and I see a lot of places invasives could hide (including the lower half of waders, the tongue of the boot, the laces, etc). Felt soles are hardly the whole problem. As I stated earlier, I'm interested in rubber ... more because felt soles last a good 8 minutes when walking down the railroad tracks, and they well and truly suck in muddy and wintry conditions. What can I say? I'm cheap. I was hoping the new rubber soles would work - freeing us from the tyranny of studs - but it doesn't appear to be that way, unless you wade easy rivers or mostly blueline. KBarton10: The allure of a product review is the reader can live vicariously through your purchase – but it requires the author to take a stand, to voice a clear opinion. Sure, but I'm supposed to create a black & white "certainty" about a product where none exists? In the prior post, I thought I made it clear - sticky rubber's great for bluelining, OK for easier river, but not quite ready for the tough stuff. To be more certain would be to inflate (or deflate) the abilities of the product. The addition of studs might change these boots into tigers, though yes - I was hoping to avoid the damned things. Guess not, but a guy should be allowed to dream once in a while. As for the "steady supply of loot" argument, let's see - I paid for the Patagonias, and told Korkers and Simms I wouldn't be keeping the boots they sent when I was done. Clearly, I need to do some work on the whole freebie thing. In short, fence sitting's allowed when the answers aren't clear. This ain't fly fisherman magazine (notice the absence of ads), but it also isn't Crossfire.
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I've no issue with studs and cleats - all of my felt soled wading shoes are so equipped. My issue is only the "half empty-half full" review - which leaves the reader wondering whether the author likes them or not... ...and is the de facto standard for not pissing off vendors and ensuring the author's supply of loot continues... This is a huge peeve of mine (as you've noticed), and your posts cited ... more this very same issue as being one of the downfalls of the current print media - no one has the stones to give an honest review anymore. The allure of a product review is the reader can live vicariously through your purchase - but it requires the author to take a stand, to voice a clear opinion. This ain't Fly Fisherman - this is much better'n those clowns, I'm just calling you to task, dammit - no fence sitting allowed.
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I thought the point of the rubber soles was less chance of spreading invasive critters? Absent that felts are slightly better in real slippery situations without a doubt, though I have not gone swimming with the rubber soles + cleats. They are way more comfortable walking down the tracks on the upper sac than my felts with studs which end up feeling like rocks in your shoes after a mile or so. Andy
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man, science gets people steamed up. What's wrong with a pair of flip-flops? d
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KBarton10: The simple declarative sentence is appropriate – and if you're adding cleats and caulks to improve grip, then the boots FAIL at their primary function – gripping slick underwater substrate – simple. You're just saying that because most metals dissolve in hours in the waters you fish. And besides, not everybody's wading the McCloud. If I fished waters like the Bitterroot all the time, then ... more sticky rubber would be fine - and it doesn't suffer the downsides of cleated boots (like marked-up cars, floors, boats, etc). And un-studded Riverwalkers are far and away the best bluelining wading boots I've seen - they're comfortable, and can go places on dry rocks nothing with a stud ever could. Since most of my small stream stuff involves mud or dry rocks, they're simply better. Finally, how is adding a few metal screws to a rubber sole any different than buying a felt sole with studs already installed? You're just mad about that "you look like your reels" thing. The truth hurts.
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The simple declarative sentence is appropriate - and if you're adding cleats and caulks to improve grip, then the boots FAIL at their primary function - gripping slick underwater substrate - simple. "They're better than ever – and ideal for some applications – but not quite ready to take on the toughest wading challenges… unaided." If I wanted walking shoes I'd go to Payless.
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I've used the Riverwalkers with #6 X 3/8" hex head screws (smaller and shorter than the Simms version) as studs with good success. I like to use as few screws as possible but I know others who like full coverage. Good luck with the testing. http://www.wayupstream.com/2007/03/sticky-rubber-soles.html
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I want to like these boots... I really do... but I'm finding them more and more difficult in more and more situations... even with my trusty wading staff I'm spending way too much time slipping and sliding along... even on the tame Upper Sac.
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I wait with baited breath.Wading here around Replot of the west coast of Finland has become nigh impossible as the land mass is completely covered with all shapes & sizes of slippy round rocks.. I've gone under no less than 7 times in the last month. Believe you me when I say you feel a right twat dragging yourself up onto a bank looking like Michelin man. Its getting to a stage where I actually ... more dread putting the buggers on.
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