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[zap brannigan]

been running the freestones felts and have had no shrinking issues, their warm, grippy, supportive, comfortable, and i'd recomend them over anything ive used including g3 guides.

[rustybee]

Considering the potential for transporting invasive aquatic life from river to river, I'm surprised with the number of people still buying felt boots.

http://www.stopans.org/Felt_Bans.htm

[greyghost]

Considering the potential for transporting invasive aquatic life from river to river, I'm surprised with the number of people still buying felt boots.

http://www.stopans.org/Felt_Bans.htm

Did you ever think that maybe most of the guys that still buy felt boots still take the time and clean them properly! You will bite it one day with your Vibram soles. Maybe ask yourself why people add studs to there Vibram soles. Answer, They are JUNK on the coast flows without studs!

[rustybee]

Did you ever think that maybe MOST of the guys that still buy felt boots still take the time and clean them properly! You will bite it one day with your Vibram soles. Maybe ask yourself why people add studs to there Vibram soles. Answer, They are JUNK on the coast flows without studs!

All it takes is just ONE.
Besides, I don't see why it is so difficult to add studs to Vibram soles (especially if it something we can do to help our fishing environment)....

[Spawn Sack]

Thanks for all the tips guys. I've decided to get the Simms guide boots (felt soles). They fit my foot better than the Freestones and other boots I tried on. And, according to the staff most of whom have tried all the Simms boots and other boots they stock, the Guides are the way to go, the warmest, although they're a bit heavy (doesn't bother me).

I'm wondering, should I go with the size 10 or 11? I wear a 9.5 street shoe. I'm leaning towards the 10 as it fit fine with my waders on and a regular sock. I'm going to go back and try them on once more with what I usually wear which is a liner sock and a heavy wool sock.

On a related note...I had a spey lesson yesterday and was standing in the water for 2-3 hours at a time (between shore breaks to pee, eat, etc). My feet F-R-O-Z-E. I normally don't stand it in the water in the winter for this long and this is why. Maybe it would have helped if we weren't standing stationary for so long. I had my thin liner socks on and heavy wools over. I also had "little hottie" adhesive toe warmers on the top of each foot between the liner and wool sock. The warmer pack definitely heated up in my boot before entering the water, but once in the water it didn't seem to do a damn thing. Anyone have any tips? I know Simms etc makes a wading sock...worth the $30? Perhaps my new boots will make a difference over the crap Cabela's ones I currently have

[Stratocaster]

Thanks for all the tips guys. I've decided to get the Simms guide boots (felt soles). They fit my foot better than the Freestones and other boots I tried on. And, according to the staff most of whom have tried all the Simms boots and other boots they stock, the Guides are the way to go, the warmest, although they're a bit heavy (doesn't bother me).

I'm wondering, should I go with the size 10 or 11? I wear a 9.5 street shoe. I'm leaning towards the 10 as it fit fine with my waders on and a regular sock. I'm going to go back and try them on once more with what I usually wear which is a liner sock and a heavy wool sock.

On a related note...I had a spey lesson yesterday and was standing in the water for 2-3 hours at a time (between shore breaks to pee, eat, etc). My feet F-R-O-Z-E. I normally don't stand it in the water in the winter for this long and this is why. Maybe it would have helped if we weren't standing stationary for so long. I had my thin liner socks on and heavy wools over. I also had "little hottie" adhesive toe warmers on the top of each foot between the liner and wool sock. The warmer pack definitely heated up in my boot before entering the water, but once in the water it didn't seem to do a damn thing. Anyone have any tips? I know Simms etc makes a wading sock...worth the $30? Perhaps my new boots will make a difference over the crap Cabela's ones I currently have

My size 10 simms guides fit a tiny bit too big for me so what I do is wear a wool sock, then put on my g3 waders and then find the biggest sock you can find and put that over the neoprene stocking foot before putting the boot on.  Helps with the wear and tear on the neoprene and was noticeably warmer when I was wading knee deep in the chehalis.

[BladeKid]

I like to use Vibram with stud. I found it grippy for any condition except for on the boat or indoor.
For Stud, I found a cheaper alternative to simms stud.
I use Kold Kutter Traction Screws. they coming in many different size and are usually found in racing motor bike/ATV on snow ground.
250 studs = $19, or 1000 studs = $58 which work out to be no more than $0.076 for a stud. so that is less than $2 if 10 studs on each boots. Nothing to loose

Hey there Fishing4salmon,

I was wondering if you had some of the studs to spare and sell. I'm leaving for a trip on the 2nd and don't have time to order them.

Would I be able to swing by and purchase some off of you.

Feel free to email me.

Thanks, Michael

[tburns]

Here is quite an interesting article on how to turn a pair of old rubber soled boots into Patagonia aluminum bar rock grip comparables.

http://www.yellowstoneangler.com/staff-articles/slick-to-stick-add-aluminum-bars-to-your-wading-boots

[Spawn Sack]

tburns, interesting link! A bit more bite than I need right now, but a good idea to keep in mind.

I emailed Simms and asked them what length screw one would buy for the felt soles if not buying Simms studs. There reply was "...the length of the threaded portion of a Hardbite Felt Stud is 5/8..." So for anyone looking to get the Kold Cutte studs for their felt waders, go for the 5/8 screws.

After a hot of humming and hawing today I bought the guideboots in size 11. The 10 fit fine with a regular sock on and the wader bootie. However with a thicker sock they were a bit snug. I decided I would rather have them fit right in the winter and be a tad big in the summer than fit right in the summer and be tight in the winter, likely leading to restricted blood flow and colder feet.

I also bought a pair of Simms "Extream wading socks." They are THICK and apparently quite warm/good. They better be for $30 plus tax! Thanks again for all the tips on this guys

[HOOK]

You will also notice that once the Guide boots get worn a few times the leather will shrink some when it dries. This leads to a tighter fit when they are dry but once they get damp or wet they loosen again. I also own those Simms socks and love them paired with my liner socks, if I'm standing still in the river for hours my feet get cold however it doesn't happen much over the winter because I am always moving downstream every few casts


I wear size 12 guide boots but I'm going to grab another set of boots in a 13 for winter fishing because I need a bit more space

[Spawn Sack]

What liner socks do you wear HOOK? Shop where I bought the socks had them for about 20 bucks but I figured okay...although these Simms socks look awesome I'm sure I can get liner socks much cheaper from MEC, REI etc that are just as good but way less $.

[HOOK]

Simms liner socks have something called "CoolMax" technology. I went into Wholesale Sports and got the exact same type of liner socks for $10, they also had a different kind that were a dark green that didn't have the CoolMax which I didn't buy because I figured they would be warmer and I don't want my feet to sweat. I have been battling this cold feet issue for many many years trying everything and this is the best sock combo I have found so far and have been using it a few years now without complaint. I may go buy the other liner socks to try them out though

when my feet get too cold to tolerate while standing in the water then I just get out for a bit and they warm up pretty quickly with a little movement. Make sure your liner socks AND heavier socks will wick away moisture, this is what keeps your feet staying warmer longer. I have taken off my waders many times to have my heavy socks feel pretty wet from sweat and my liner socks are bone dry.

Making sure you have enough room to wiggle your toes in your wading boots is crucial. If your boots are too tight then there is no sock combo that will work like it should. Proper layering to keep your legs and body warm also helps to keep your hands/feet warmer

[Spawn Sack]

Cool thanks for that. I have a few old pair of liner socks from MEC... BUT someone on this site commented that a longer liner sock is desirable as it wicks the moisture up and out of your sock...or something like that. The ones I have are short. I need a few new pairs anyway they are getting pretty thin. I'll check out WSS, REI, MEC or wherever I end up first. I think Wigwam makes a Coolmax liner sock sold at MEC.

Something like these:

http://www.mec.ca/product/4003-526/wigwam-ultimate-liner-pro-socks-unisex/?No=0&h=10&f=10&q=liner%2Bsock

I'm also gonna pick up a pair or two of the thick wool BAMA socks from Marks that was reccomended on another thread.

[Spawn Sack]

I took my new Simms Guide boots out yesterday and WOW what a difference compared to my bagged out old Cabela's boots. The old boots felt like worn out slippers, whereas these new boots acually feel like proper hiking or work boots. Lots of support, very comfortable.

I notice the boots do not come with any insoles. I think I might stick a pair of insoles in them with good arch support, like Superfeet or something like that. That being said the boots have pretty good arch support considering there are no insoles in them. I noticed with my work boots I swapped out the factory junk insoles for good arch support insoles and noticed a big difference in how sore my feet were at the end of the day and less of a sore back if I stand in one spot for a long time.

So far I'm just running the straight felt soles, if I think I need them I'll buy the studs. Thanks everyone I apreciate the help in decideing on these boots. Night and day difference from the old ones

[Tommybuckles]

Mark's sells a Merino wool sock called Smart Wool. They are pretty warm and wick away the moisture and sweat well. Get the longest ones you can and hike them up or else they will scrunch down and into your boot.