Aqua-Stealth?

Can someone please tell me about Simms Aqua-Stealh and what advantages/disadvantages does it have against normal felt...

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"Fear No Fish"

I have LL Bean aqua stealth and like it a lot. Foot problems dictated a solid foundations and folks recommended it. Mine have the carbide studs (recommended) and I have had no trouble. A benefit is they don't hold water and mud and therefore are lighter when walking back to the car.

Dan

Stonefly, even without discussing the bottoms the Simms are a heavy duty shoe designed for long wear and tear. With a natural leather upper they provide great ankle and arch support as well. My choice of the AquaStealth sole (with studs) over the felt had a lot to do with the walking and hiking I do while fishing. The rubber soles are just a whole lot easier to walk in. The Studs are necessary, in my opinion, with the Aqua soles and I would get them for the improved traction in and out of the water. Long story short, I wanted a long lasting, durable shoe that I could comfortably hike in and I wanted studs for extra grip. I looked at many different brands and selected the Simms. Two seasons now and they are going great.

Al

I've got the Bean AquaStealth soles and really like them. I can wear them in and some of the places I fish I have to go up and down some embankments, so the support is great. Mine don't have the studs and I will get them next time. Mine are fine except one place I fish that has large flat rocks that can be slicker than owls...you know what. If I don't place my feet perfectly flat on the rocks, then it's slipin' and slidin' time. But they wear very well.

TxEngr

From my experience, felt is better in the water than straight rubber, (no studs). Felt is dangerous on dry rock, it slides. Rubber is terrific on dry rock. I hear the rubber with the carbide studs are the ticket. When the studs are heads of sheet metal screws, I hear they don't grip dry rock as well as the carbide studs which are pointed.
Bob

I have the Bean AS's and love them. I would disagree with Bob S on the "rubber" vs. felt however. Reason being is that Aquastealths "aren't your daddy's rubber boots" and from my experience beat felt on every surface except one: slippery algae. On that, the felt does a better job of moving that slime out of the way and making contact with the rock or bottom.

I have tried mine on quite a few different types of bottoms and they beat felt overall in my opinion. The properties of that 5-10 stuff amaze me.

I have owned the Simm's Stealth for 3 seasons now. I have the ones with the studs. They are by far the best boot I've ever owned, I can't think of a single disadvantage. They are also great when hiking through the snow, no build-up like felt, I also think they last longer, felt wears out, they will also dry alot faster. I say buy them!

Oh yeah, forgot to mention one of the biggest advantages: less spread of diseases.

Stuff can't live on rubber like in the felt. I also like the fact that it doesn't continue to drain water all over my floorboard as I drive from spot to spot on the river like felt does.

Sounds great...now just gotta find a pair in my size at a resonable price. They have the size in the L2 boot I need but I don't want to spend that much as I will grow out of them. I want to pay the price of the new Rivertek boots that have the Aqua-Stealth feature but they don't have my size...

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"Fear No Fish"

ive said it before, and ill say it again. when it comes to friction, nothing beats stealth rubber.

i havent used the wading specific shoes, but i have used shoes made by 5.10 (developers of stealth rubber) designed for kayaking and canyoneering. goes from wet rock to dry rock, with maximum friction and minimal worry.

5.10 developed stealth rubber for rockclimbing, and with the advent of aquastealth rubber, were getting ready to enter an age of safe wading http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/wink.gif. there is absolutely nothing i trust more when high friction and traction are a necessity, rather than a luxury...

I have the same boots as preest. He pretty well sums it up on advantages/disadvantages. I have the studded AS and I really like them. Felts are horrible in snow also. If you fish out of a boat you may want to not get the studded kind.

Ray wrote: They are by far the best boot I've ever owned, I can't think of a single disadvantage.

The carbide studs can do some real hurt to the floor of someone's boat.

Bob

They are great boots for the reasons mentioned, but they are down right dangerous for anything that is wet and smooth like logs, branches, smooth, wet volcanic rock or granite. I almost broke my rod slipping with them.

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Jude
Small flies work best. Elephants eat peanuts.
www.customflys.com

Riverdancer - are you talking with or without the carbide studs? I too am investigating these boots, and encounter slippery granite on one stream I frequent. Last year I "swam" most of this stretch of stream using my felts (non-studded) much to the delight of my fishing buddies.

A&W,

Good inquiry. I consider myself an advanced angler. I fish/guide about 120 days a year, so walking in the water is like walking on a sidewalk for me.

However, on that stream I was talking about with volcanic rock, and wet, smooth granite, I slip all over. I've tried aquastealths and found them more slippery than felt on those surfaces.

The problem I think is with the rubber. It sticks like crazy when it's dry, and even when it's wet in warm environments. However, when it gets wet and cold, there's a recipe for disaster. It gets stiff, and doesn't want to grab the rocks. Unfortunatly there just isn't a safe boot for those types of streams, felt or aquastealth. but aquastealth is no improvement over felt in those circumstances. I've just learned to wade slower, and not take as many chances.

We provide loan fishing boots for our guests. I chose the Simms Guide boots - both the Felt model & the Aqua-Stealh with Carbine spikes.

After almost 2 season of constant use the Aqua-Stealh models have proved the most popular. The Aqua-Stealh rubber sticks to dry rocks and the spikes take care of walking on grass, trees & wet rocks.

The only slight downside is that they are "noisy" compared to felt soled boots.

Most guest have gone out and purchased a pair after using them !


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Owen River Lodge
Fly Fishing at its very best
Owen Valley East Road, Murchison
South Island, New Zealand
Tel:+ 64 3 523 9075
[url=http://www.OwenRiverLodge.co.nz:ed085]www.OwenRiverLodge.co.nz[/url:ed085]


[This message has been edited by OwenRiverLodge (edited 07 February 2005).]

I am already convinced about the sole but like I said above I don't want to pay a lot for them becuase I will grow out of them pretty fast. I would much rather pay the price for a cheap boot than an expensive one that I will grow out of...What to do http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/biggrin.gif

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"Fear No Fish"

I've got the Simms A/S to use for the dual purpose of duck hunting and other wading in mud and for trout fishing. They don't absorb the mud and water like felt, and are far superior for wading in muddy conditions.

I have not had a chance to try them on the San Juan yet, which has slick algae covered rocks and is the reason they invented studs. I have a pair of Danner felt/cleat soles and they have not let me down on the slick stuff, and hopefully, I will get to compare the A/S with stud inserts.

I put a pair of Aqua Stealth replacement soles on an old pair of Hodgman boots several years ago and never regretted it. If you have some wading boots that fit you, you might be able to find a place on the internet where you can purchase these soles. They are no longer available from LL Bean. Another option that should cost less than a pair of Simms would the Korkers Wetlands boots. I recently bought a pair of the Korkers Convertibles and am really impressed with the stability and comfort. I purchased an extra pair of the studded felt soles, but think I would be happier with the AquaStealth soles for most of my wading, so I plan to order some. Korkers has Aqua Stealth soles available, both studded and plain. The Wetlands boot runs $79.95, comes with felt and rubber hiking soles standard, and you can add another pair of Aqua Stealth soles for another $29.95
Larry Compton