I’m looking for a pair of wading shoes/sandals for wading saltwater. Right now I have the booties, they are allright except after a little time of walking out of the water I quickly develop blisters. I was looking at getting a very expensive pair of wading sandals, Simms, like $90.00. Anyone own these and can you walk on them for say a day or a week without developing blisters. I really want to get a good pair of shoes for wading the flats.
Thanks
I have a pair of Keen Newport H2’s that I wear in saltwater on a limited basis. Keen makes the Simms sandals, so they are very similar. The problem with sandals is they give you no protection from stingrays or oyster bars and are a problem when wading on soft bottoms. I use them only for hard sandy bottoms. My preferred wading boot is the Simms Flats Sneakers. They give you good protection and support and are very comfortable to wear (plus you don’t look like a dork when you are out of the water).
Do you blisters from them?
Jkilroy;
I’ve been super impressed with my Korker’s brand “Torrent” shoes.
Since they have 6, different, types of soles to choose from and all are interchangeable, I’ve wadded the flats in them, over coral, shells, etc, then; when leaving the water, I pop in the “street style sole” or actually it’s the “hiking sole” and wear them the rest of the day.
You can see them and read about them on Korker’s web site, a lot more than I can bore you with!! But, they’re a great all around shoe, built like a tenny runner and wear like a boot. I also wear the Korker’s regular style wading boot, when fishing in my stocking foots in fresh water, and have been very impressed with those too, now, for several years.
Just another, “option”!?!
i use a pair of cabelas flats booties, they lace up and offer good protection from rays etc. since they lace up like sneaker, they dont slide up and down on your feet and cause blisters
jkilroy…
Patagonia Marlwalkers. They are bulletproof and will give your foot the proper support that it needs in any type of terrain. Wether on land or sea.
The old style are better than the new ones and can be picked up cheap on eBay.
Hope this helps,
DickM.
I have used the Simms flats sneakers and I have worn them plenty. If I get a rub spot, I’ll wear a pair of light socks, but generally I have not had problems.
I have had no problems with the Simms Flats Sneakers, although I do typically wear a pair of light socks with them. They feel like wearing high top basketball shoes. I also have a pair of Patagonia Marlwalkers. While they are bulletproof, they are heavy and uncomfortable to me.
I don’t know if the sneakers are for me, I’d like something that dries fast because sometimes I only get one day to fish, then i’m packing my bag the next morning. The Bass pro booties I have take longer than overnight to dry. I was really looking at the sandals. How fast do the sneakers dry? Do you have to wear socks to prevent blisters?
My Korker’s Torrents, if I come in from fishing then walk around town, sit and have a sidewalk “samich”, etc, in other words… “If I stay in the warm sunshine”, will dry on my feet,(without wearing any socks), in about 2-3 hours, sometimes even less, depending on the weather.
Just “tossing them, into my hotel’s bathtub”, after rinsing them in fresh water after fishing and NOT walking around in them, then they have always been bone dry by the next morning. (That would be, say, something like stop fishing at 3PM- rinse out in fresh water, right after that, then allowed to sit until about 7AM the next morning).
You brought up a very good point about traveling and flats wading boots, “being dry to fly home with”. I’ve arrived home a few times with suitcase items all wet from “still wet” wading shoes!! Although, now, I do use a “dry bag”, to put my flats shoes in, whether they’re dry or not. (I don’t like SAND in the rest of my gear, either!)
Hope this helps!
Paul
I used a small trash bag in the Fly Navy bldg to put my booties in this past weekend. That worked
I bought a pair of LL Beans Summer Sneakers last spring and I love them.Very light and comfortable and dry quickly.They work out great for the flats here as well as the surf and canoeing.I also have the Simms but I find the Beans much more comfortable.They weigh next to nothing and are only around $35.
I like the Bite wading shoe, you can get a low cut or high ankle version, they run from 79.99 to 89.99.
Bite Primal Flats is the exact name.
KevinC
Overall the sandals don’t seem very popular at all. I guess I’ll go to Cabelas and check out the korkers sneaker.
Thanks
Another vote for the Patagonia Marlwalkers. Wear a light sock under then and they feel like wearing running shoes and offer great support and protection.
I see there have been two votes FOR Patagonia’s Marlwalkers. Unfortunately I have had problems with mine. I have had two pairs (now on my third) and in each case the soles have fractured and broken apart - particularly the area under the heel. To be fair I am using them on hard (dead) boulder coral and despite these tough conditions the good folks at Patagonia replaced them. Patagonia have acknowledged “some” quality and design issues with them and perhaps they are not good for particularly tough substrate. But full credit to Patagonia for standing by their sales policy.
For wading flat sandy bottoms I use KEEN sandals. I like them as they are tough, with toe protection and are comfortable. Even when I hit some sticky clay-like substrate they held firm and I could drag my foot out without them pulling apart. The KEEN sandal features have now been copied by other companies and are selling at much lower prices i.e. $US30-$US40 verses $US70-$US95.
SKECHERS Journeyman?Safaris sandals
(http://www.skechers.com/catalog/browse.do?function=displayProductList&gender=M&catId=-1&index=0&viewAll=false&sort=newest&prodId=8886)
Hadn?t worn sandals in forty years, bought the black for knocking around, liked them so well I went back and bought the Brown/Tan, too, just in case they were discontinued
? smc ?
JR Hartley,
How’s the blister situation with those sandals? I like taht price better.
JKilroy
Until I read of people having blister issues I was not even aware of it until this thread. Maybe I have been lucky but i have not had ANY blister issues with the KEEN’s.