"Wet wading" booties - request (and rant)

[yikes]

iI'm looking for suggestions for replacement for my "wet wading" neoprene booties/gravel guards. If I could get another pair exactly like my last ones, the Simms Gray-and Orange size large, I'd be a happy man.
Yes, I know the booties are made for summer wet-wading and are not designed to keep your feet dry and warm, but the old-style Simms actually did a pretty good job of it in the spring and fall.
I fish some very skinny waters, and in 8-10" depth, the old-style Simms kept my feet dry. If I got deeper, water entered from the gravel guard seam and calf level, but the water trapped inside and warmed up - - just like a traditional diver's wetsuit.


Here's what I'm missing in the newer booties:
Fast-forward to last month, where I finally wore out my old booties, and I bought the latest Simms. I step into the water 3" and immediately feel wet.
It turns out that the new booties have additional holes in the foot every 1/2" on center to ensure water moves in and out.


I know these are supposed to just fill out boot space and keep gravel out, but I miss the old features that also kept me sometimes dry and always warm during the shoulder seasons.
Does anyone either know where I can either: (A) get the old ones in size LARGE, or (b) know of another brand that doesn't have all the holes and will work more like a traditional wetsuit bootie inside my wading boots?

 

[tcorfey]

Well that is a bummer, I like the older style Simms booties too, great explanation you made about how they keep you warm even with water in them. Like you I wear them late spring into fall if the water is only around knee high. When I am in waist high water or the air temp is too cold to wet wade I switch to waders.

Perhaps the Chota hippies are an option. I bought a pair but have not tried them yet. But they have a standard neoprene boot and can be worn at calf high then can be extended to be hip boots as needed.

Regards,

Tim C.

 

[MarsB]

What you are looking for are socks made of closed cell neoprene. Closed cell is what wader booties are made of, vs. open cell (traditional water-permeable style) like wetsuits. A quick google search didn't return much, it appears most of the major brands use open cell like your newer Simms.

 

[ivory arrow]

Didn’t realize I have the old pair. Thank god I do! I use them just like you. Keeps my feet dry until water goes over the top.

Plus they dry out quick too. I take them off and put them inside out in the sun. 15 minutes later they are dry and I put them back on. My boots are soaked but I can’t tell because of the dry waterproof sock. With holes in the sock it will just soak right through again. That is miserable on a long hike.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bigfly]

I wore the old ones for years.
The warming water is not good if worn long enough......Trench foot and stink was the outcome....poached foot..
So, I used a knife on them...now they drain....to each his own...maybe my feet are different....I do wet wade more than 8" of water.....

 

[myt1]

[Perhaps the Chota hippies are an option. I bought a pair but have not tried them yet. But they have a standard neoprene boot and can be worn at calf high then can be extended to be hip boots as needed.

Regards,

Tim C.[/QUOTE]

Chota hippies are great.

I routinely backpack with them around my knees and then snug them up to my hips when it is time to fish.

They also have great customer service.

 

[mcnerney]

Yikes

I have a size large old style neoprene wading socks and love them. Sure wish I knew that they were being replaced, I would have bought a backup pair. Now I need to check with our local fly shop, maybe they have the old style still in stock.

 

[Matt4.0]

I have the Patagonia ones that I believe do what you’re looking for, i.e. hold water in. Maybe check those out?

(I’m not a huge fan of that side affect so tried out the new Korkers booties that are designed to drain...I prefer it that way but that’s another thread).

 

[darkshadow]

Yikes,

I didn't know they made them with holes now. I know exactly what you mean that during wet wading, the old version was pretty much waterproof. Unless you stayed underwater for prolonged periods of time, they would repel water pretty well.

I'd say that a lot of fly shops will have tons of deadstock considering that this is a new model bootie, so it pays to make some calls.

For example, I found a Small of the older orange model (I have size 8.5 shoes) at Bass Pro Shops.

 

[clsmith131]

I had some Magellan (Academy's store brand) wading socks that were like that. But I hated them because they didn't have enough stretch to get in and out of them easily. There's nothing worse than being exhausted and having to fight with your gear to get out of it. I also have some patagonia socks that are designed for surfing, that have a little bit of grip on the soles. They do not have gravel guards, which I never found particularly useful anyway. The problem I have with them, is that for some reason, the big toe is molded separate from the rest of the toes, which I'm sure you can imagine, is not very comfortable. They do stretch nicely and have a comfortable liner, but my toes get chafed. I normally just wear some wool socks, but just ordered the Korkers brand, and am supposed to receive them today. We will see how those fare, but they do have perforated soles, so not the answer for you. There are a lot of people that make them: Cabela's, Hodgeman, Frogg Togg, Redington... You should be able to find some that suit your needs. Good Luck, I hate when they fix stuff that ain't broke.

 

[el jefe]

As an alternative, have you considered wet wading socks? Your feet will get wet in those, but I prefer that setup now, with Simms Riprap shoes. It seems to avoid the trenchfoot a bit better. The problem is that they will not take up excess room in your wading boot like the neoprene wading socks do, and if you are using wading boots sized based on bootie waders (that sounds oddly inappropriate), that may be a problem.

 

[woolyworm]

I have a friend that uses nrs socks year round.
NRS Boundary Socks with HydroCuff at nrs.com

 

[yikes]

UPDATE: It turns out the Patagonia Neoprene booties pretty much meet my requirements.
I tried them this weekend, and after a full day of fishing, my liner socks were damp in the foot box, but warm. It could've been from a slow infiltration, or it could've been my own foot sweat, but either way it was way more effective than the Simms at functioning more like a traditional wetsuit bootie.
They also roll up to just below the knee, so they kept me fairly dry as I waded through the stream.

 

[mcnerney]

Yikes

Glad you found something that will work for you.
I think I forgot to post this, but after you did the initial post I went down to our local fly shop to see if they had any of old style Simms wading socks still in inventory, but they were all gone, just the new style. The guy at the counter told me they had sold they last pair about a week prior.