shoes for wading?

[stella fella]

Hey folks, as the title suggests I'm curious as to what shoes people wear for wading creeks. looking for something light, comfortable and supportive.

[BloodWorm]

I use these

http://www.keenfootwear.com.au/Produ...-Golden-Yellow

[stella fella]

I'm looking for something a bit more enclosed that won't give me grief hiking into spots as well.

[woronora]

SF,
Funny you ask, I have been researching this for a few weeks. If you look for wadding boots, you will get a fair bit of info. The Patagonia Maulwalkers get good reviews, and appear to be used extensively by both guides and fishos alike in the Xmas Islands, and elsewhere across America. Simms and Orvis are another two that seem to be common. It seems common practice to live in them day in day out, in the water or not.

This may at least give you a little to investigate.

[Breamingwithjoy]

Merrell have a decent shoe. I also use a pair of Columbia boots with the drainage in the sole for more rugged areas.

[yellow door 1]

Originally Posted by stella fella

Hey folks, as the title suggests I'm curious as to what shoes people wear for wading creeks. looking for something light, comfortable and supportive.

I've always just used waders, running shoes or crocs.

I wouldnt recommend crocs in area's with deep mud. They slip off your foot too easy. They also allow your foot to shift and slip around while shimmying down a bank - the holes in them allow sticks to slide in and you are forever taking them on and off to get rocks, sticks and gumnuts out of them. So while it can be done - I wouldnt go with the croc option

Running shoes are pretty good. You can tie them up nice and tight so they dont come off. Only problem is there is no ankle support or protection. If you like to stomp your way down a creek and there are round slippery boulders, you can roll an ankle or just slip off the side and graze your ankle. Depending on how many hours/days in a row you plan to wade this can be an issue.

Waders suck - I'm built like a walrus - so even in the middle of winter I'll work up a sweat trudging around in those. When I take them off at the end of the day my tracksuit pants are usually saturated with sweat anyway. They are alright for sedate lake work. But plastic waders and strenuous walking dont mix as far as I'm concerned.

I've tried Colombia's low cut wading shoe and didnt find them much better than running shoes. But they did have a reinforced toe section which I liked. You're toes can cop it when wearing runners.

Or if its a sand bottom you know intimately - you just go with what god gave you

[stella fella]

Thanks for your help fellas, I'm thinking something similar to either of these may be what I'm after, as yellow door mentioned I do want a relatively supportive shoe, that doesn't have holes in it.

http://www.keenfootwear.com.au/Produ...hitake-Brindle

http://www.keenfootwear.com.au/Produ...---MagnetBlack

[stella fella]

I'm wading mostly in bass creeks on the central coast so I tend to encounter a good mix of rocks sand and mud, and in murky water I would feel a lot less concerned about the welfare of the old hooves in something sturdy.

[silver]

Just looked at the keen shoe in your link above and noticed it is waterproof this is the opposite of what you want in a wading boot.

I use a semi-enclosed river sandal style shoe, also made by keen. There is a lot to be said for river sandals. The only thing they aren't suitable for is long hikes.

I've never felt the need to buy proper wading boots or shoes but there are heaps of styles and brands out there for around $100. If I was walking in long distances up bass creeks, like you are, I'd go for something like that, but for my general estuary work it's unnecessary as sandals work fine.

[stella fella]

Originally Posted by silver

Just looked at the keen shoe in your link above and noticed it is waterproof this is the opposite of what you want in a wading boot.

I use a semi-enclosed river sandal style shoe, also made by keen. There is a lot to be said for river sandals. The only thing they aren't suitable for is long hikes.

I've never felt the need to buy proper wading boots or shoes but there are heaps of styles and brands out there for around $100. If I was walking in long distances up bass creeks, like you are, I'd go for something like that, but for my general estuary work it's unnecessary as sandals work fine.

What's the problem with a waterproof shoe? the only thing putting me off the hybrid sandals is the holes in them. they're going to to be mud/stick/rock magnets.

[stella fella]

... I'm guessing that the shoe filling with water may have something to do with it

[silver]

Yes, no drainage when they fill with water, but also it would take weeks to dry them out once you take them off.

[stella fella]

http://www.keenfootwear.com.au/Produ...--Bombay-Brown

these would be perfect, if they didn't have holes in them.

[silver]

Yeah, those are the same style as mine. Used to be called Keen Taos. I found some on sale a few years ago for $20 a pair and bought four pairs

The holes aren't ideal as sticks and pebbles can get in, but they dry and drain fast and because they are sandals it's easy to slip them off to shake out any stones. As I said earlier the only thing they aren't very good for is long hikes. That's pretty much what the Keen description says too.

Just had a browse on e b ay and there are heaps of good specialist wading shoes. Sizing could be hard work though, some are deliberately oversized to accomodate waders, so you'd need to do your research

[stella fella]

Originally Posted by silver

Yeah, those are the same style as mine. I found some on sale a few years ago for $20 a pair and bought four pairs

Far out! where'd you find them?