I plan on going to L L Bean and buy their Emerger waders. I havn't made up my mind yet on boots. New England streams and rivers can be rocky and slippery. They do carry a variety, are there any suggestions?
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I plan on going to L L Bean and buy their Emerger waders. I havn't made up my mind yet on boots. New England streams and rivers can be rocky and slippery. They do carry a variety, are there any suggestions?
If they're really slippery, having boots that have studs really help. Personally, I have a pair of Simms Rivertek (very well-built) with aquastealth studded soles...I like the aquastealth but you might get even better traction with felt studded.
as far as brands, everyone has their favorites (with waders and boots)...if you can, try out as many as you can until you get the one that fits the best...
~Randy
Don't buy anything without felt studs in my opinion. I live in Colorado and got tired of slipping and going down on one knee in freezing water. we have some slick rocky rivers. The studs cured that. The only thing negative is wearing them in a driftboat can scratch things up a bit.
Also make sure they're not too tight. I made that mistake on my first set. We fish in the winter here and I tried to wear extra thick socks and my toes were colder yet because my boots were too tight. I always get a size bigger so I can wear poly socks over wool.
Good luck!
I have Simms riverteks (felt) and the LL Bean rivertreads (studded AS), the Beans boots are better built, the lacing system is better, ankle support is better, and they are A LOT lighter. Please stay away from felt, we have too many invasive species popping up in our north east rivers to risk adding more to the equation than we need to. I only used my felts for drift boat trips, now I don't use them at all... if I can get them resoled with regular AS soles I'll keep them for boats. I beat the crap out of my original pair of Beans boots for 4+ seasons, and developed a crack in the upper where the compression seam forms on top just behind my toes. I didn't think much of it and felt they had given me pretty good service, but Beans replaced them with the latest and greatest on the spot, no questions asked. As an employee of a shop that dropped Simms because they were such a PITA, I can assure you I wouldn't have gotten treated any where near as well by Simms in the same situation. I can buy several manufacturers boots at wholesale, and I would still pay retail for the Bean Rivertreads first, they are great boots!
TL's~
re: SimmsI found that the original lacing setup sucked...all I did was spend $5 on new laces and the problem was solved...
My best advice, since you're going to get about as may different opinions as there are people here, go and try out as many as possible and find out which one's you like best & just get 'em...in fact, do the same with waders....
oh, also, felt really sucks when walking in snow. As far as the concern for spreading invasive species, as long as you clean them & dry them between fishing trips you'll be fine...It's all a matter of personal preference.
I second the Bean studded AS.
I third the Bean studded AS, I have over 3yrs on mine and I fish 50-60 days per year with 1-3 miles of hiking per day in the rugged Labrador wilderness.
I believe the Beans boots also offer a selection of widths... not as important to some as others, but if you do have wide/high volume feet, they offer better options the the vast majority of products I'm aware of.
To really 'clean' felt you have to soak it in a dilution of clorox... that in itself is an environmental concern. We quit offering felt soles, and so far it has been a very well received by our customers... they appreciate the message we are presenting to the community.
Thanks for all the info. Emerger waders and River ThreadII AS Studded from L L Bean. The Bean boot was just as comfortable as the Simms.
I still stand by my Korkers. I really like the ability to change soles. I have had one pair for over 5 years and bought a second when they changed styles and the price was right. I have heard a few complaints about the soles popping out, but I have never had that happen. And my style of walking a river looks like a drunk tripping his way down the street.
But I doubt you can go wrong with BEAN, as they really stand by their products. Welcome to wading - it'll remind you of being a kid.