Hi all,
Has anyone used the AquaStealth soles on a wading boot?
How do they do?
Ken
“The memory of a fisherman is more like fiction than journalism, that is, it doesn’t ignore the facts, but it is not entirely bound by them, either.”
John Gierach
I have a pair of wading boots with Aquastealth soles. They’re fine for hiking, but they are not as good as felt (let alone felt with cleats) when you trying to wade on truly slippery rocks.
Barracuda
I too have stealth soul, but I have sheet metal screws I put in for cleets (the way Simms makes them. Agree on the felt on snow. Yow will end up a couple of inches taller. My next boot will be the Korkers. All you want in one boot. My Simms are the Ultra lights and good ankle support, great boot and fantastic warranty. (soul came off, the whole sole, so they sent me a brand new up dated pair for $30.)
On moss-covered rocks they clearly are not
as good; so I have a pair of felt sandals that I can put over them.
Randy
I looked at the Korkers, but they are to narrow for me. I have a pretty wide foot.
I’m getting my wife a pair of them for her birthday.
DON’T TELL HER!!! 
True story about felt on mossy rocks. (I use a wading staff) One thing though, save the money for the studds and add 1/4" sheet metal screws. Saves the felt, plus, can remove them easy for boat trips.
I have used the Aquastealth soles since the first year after LL Bean introduced them in their catalog. They don’t seem to ever wear out, and most of my hiking has been on gravel or rock. They are not quite as good as felt on really slick algae coated rocks, but then even felt isn’t all that good under that circumstance. Where they have really paid off for me is when approaching the stream down a steep rocky bank. They grip far better than felt on a sloping dry rocky bank, also much better than felt with studs. Although I have slipped and fallen a few times in a slick stream bed, I feel I am less likely to be hurt falling into the water than I am when falling downhill into a heap of dry boulders. I hope you find this information useful.
Larry Compton
LL Bean studded aquastealth are solid boots. Worn them for 4 yrs now and haven’t slipped since having them. Highly recommended, and they’re comfortable, too.
Fly Goddes,
Please provide some additional details for studs…
Are you talking about 1/4" sheet metal screws from your local hardware store? And do you then just screw them into the felt (new felt)? Where, on the ball and heel?
Thanks
God Blesses!
A wing & a Prayer! ----*<(((><~ ~ ~ ~
Quinn
Regular hardware store, but if you can find stainless steel even better. I put 4 in the toe area (a square) and 2 to 4 in the heel. If it was good enough for Simms, it had to be good, Right? ;-0
Ditto on all of the comments made regarding AquaStealth.
In my collection of wading shoes I have everything from real wool felt, synthetic felt, Chota SLT studded, and AquaStealth on a pair of the Bean shoes from the first year they came out.
All I can say it depends on the stream bottom. I fish a few creeks where to a casual observer things don’t look too tricky and the AquaStealth are hairy; other places they work fantastic. The only common denominator seems to be rocks and lack thereof.
If a steam bottom isn’t too rocky and has some sandy or muddy openings between the rocks they seem to be OK. If it is an extremely rocky stream bottom I have issues with them. Unfortunately I encounter both in my fishing, hence the many different pairs of shoe I own.
I will say that I would NEVER be without a pair of shoes with AquaStealth for the huge advantage they offer when hiking or fishing in places where I spend a lot of time in the mud and on the bank. Why muck up a pair of felts when fishing a spring creek where you spend most of your time fishing from the edges and bank? Another great thing about them is the shoes dry out really fast after use.
I’ve used Aquastealth’s with studs (Simms and LL Beans) for about 5-6 years, and wouldn’t want to be without them.
The only negative I’ve experienced is that they are a bit less comfortable for walking long distances on hard surfaces, such as rock or asphalt (sometimes I have to walk along paved roadways). This isn’t a major drawback to them, however.
They also wreck havoc with the bottoms of boats.
John
Fly Goddess,
Thanks for info and details.
Quinn
God Blesses!
A wing & a Prayer! ----*<(((><~ ~ ~ ~
Quinn
Back to the metal-screws-for-studs question. How long are the screws? (I mean, do you just screw them into the felt and no farther?)
Most boot soles are about 1/2" (except some Chotas) measure you sole and then go from there, but, 1/4" works on the boots I have encountered. You definitly don’t want to go any deeper–Oouch!, but, if you accidentally do, take it out and put a shorter one in. It’s not like the boots are water proof ha, ha, ha