Wading Boots

[grayghost]

I read the previous thread & didn't see any mention of Korkers. I like the idea of the interchangeable soles. I do a lot of hiking so I want the support and comfort of a hiking boot. I read some online review that were very positive. I have a pair of Cloudviels that i really like, but the felt came off after 2 years of use.
Any thoughts?

[Ray]

I bought the Simm's Aquastealth with studs 6 or 7 years ago and have never been happier. They are perfect in all conditions.

[NH Native]

Three years ago Korkers were junk. The soles just wouldn't stay on. If they haven't improved them, I'd avoid them. The soles had a tendency to come off in the deepest, fastest places (often) and tripping on them was like tripping on your shoelaces, in waist deep water. Not good.

[MuddlerMinnow]

I have a pair of the Wetland boots from about three years ago. I haven't had a problem with the soles coming off. However, they are not as rugged as many boot with the sole attached. I considered their beefier version, but it had too many metal pieces and would not have held up well in the salt environments that I'm usually fishing in.

I would not recommend the Wetlands (old version) for hiking long distances. They do not have a lot of structural support in the boot. The trade off is that they are fairly light for wading boots.

Would I buy again? I did ($40 at Sierra trading post couldn't be passed up), but primarily for wading the beaches in salt water. If I fished mostly rivers, I'd probably explore other options too.

[MuddlerMinnow]

Ironically, my original pair of Korker Wetlands fell apart this week. Within two fishing trips stitching gave out in two places. They have about 75 days of use on them, probably 90% of which is in salt water. I consider that fair for the price.