[swelleyman]

Have been following the thread about shore boots but am looking for non-slip boots attached to waders. For the first time in my life I've been falling about on the beach! (No its not the Vodka - see Brighton report - South coast) Seriously it is very worrying. Always had waders in past but replaced old pair with cheap pair. Could be just too big a size perhaps, but easier to remove.

However I've been thinking about Chest Waders so would be grateful for your experiences. I fish weed covered, muddy boulder strewn shores mostly. When on Sand or shingle or 'clean' barnacle covered non-weedy rocks I use old leather climbing boots which I know are non-slip. The latter places do not need wading. The only exception are flatish surf beaches where the wader rarely slips anyway.

1. Neoprene looks good and should be warm BUT HOW NON-SLIP are they?
2. Do FELT soled waders last on the beach and are they non-slip?
3. The Breathable ones seem expensive but are they better at gripping weed?
4. I've tried Golfing wellies (with studs) but they slip and you can't wade very deep!
5. I've got crampons but they seem impractical (sound like spurs!)

Any suggestions? (What a thing to say!)

 

[Mike Thrussell Jr]

The best thing I ever did Swelley was buy a pair of stocking foot neoprenes. They are a lot more comfy than the standard boot foots and are more felxible. My neoprenes do loads of jobs, from clambering on boats after launching, fishing the beach, fishing rocks that need to be waded, lake fishing, river fishing, you name it they've done it.

So the stocking foots gave me great flexibility. You can wear a boot to fit the purpose you need. I use my walking boots for wading on the beach or on the rocks etc, you just need to make sure you wash them fully when you get back with fresh water to get the salt out of them. Mine are still going 3 years on so as long as you wash them out they seem to be OK. They grip nice on the rocks and work fine in the sand. You need a pair of gravel guards though to stop the sand getting down inbetween the boot and the wader.

Whether they work in a saltwater environ'ment or not i'm not sure (I don't see why not). But I use a pair of Simms Guide Studded Aquastealth soled wading boots with my neoprenes when I fish the rivers, they grip well on the weed and seem durable (mine are 2 years old and get constant use from March to November and the odd trip in winter for the Grayling). The downside is their not cheap (i'm still recovering 2 years on lol). But in my experience of using them in freshwater they seem great.

So in conclusion, buying a pair of stocking foot waders and then choosing the boot to go with them is more expensive but provides much more felxibility and you can choose the boot to go with the terrain. In addition, they are much more comfy, it's like wearing a normal pair of boots with thick socks on, you also don't suffer crushing that you get with cheaper waders when you wade deep.

If you decide to go for a pair of neoprene with a built in boot or as stocking foots...get 5mm, its bloody freezing out there

 

[swelleyman]

Thanks for the tip Mike. How are the stocking feet waterproof? Must now trawl for a good price!