Which booties for lightweight float tube hiking?

Josh

Josh

Dead in the water
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I know that some of you guys use neoprene booties over your wader feet as a lightweight option for flippers instead of hiking in wading boots or carrying both boots and hiking shoes.

Which booties do you like and how far past your normal shoe size do you have to upsize so that stockingfoot wader feet fit in there?
 
Have some old hodgeman booties I use at times. Sizing is a personal thing. At least one but maybe two sizes up. I’m a size 10.5 for most shoes. But a couple brands I go 10 and others I go 11 especially red wing. I have size 12 booties. I went with these years ago because they have the front zip/ rear strap for adjusting ankle pressure, but mainly I had a friend recommend them. Very durable and were about 30.00 bucks back then. Purchased at the old Eds Surplus in Lynnwood shortly before they closed.

IMG_0395.jpegIMG_0394.jpegIMG_0393.jpeg
 
Like everything else these days, prices are increasing and you may well find this boot cheaper at someplace other than Adamsbuilt but these boots are the real thing. In years past, I've hiked my float tube in a mile plus wearing these (anymore, a long hike and my waders are in the backpack and I change up lakeside), good stuff: https://adamsbuiltfishing.com/product/knott-creek-neoprene-booties/

One size up from my foot size.
 
Most of the time I use neoprene booties but they are a pain in the Butte Montana to remove after 8 hours of fishing. Not fun to walk in too.
Recently started using an old pair of Crocs. 1 size larger than normal shoe size fits over waders and slides in easily in Force fins. Crocs also provide a little better foot protection than neoprene booties.
 
Porter2 said:
Have some old hodgeman booties I use at times. Sizing is a personal thing. At least one but maybe two sizes up. I’m a size 10.5 for most shoes. But a couple brands I go 10 and others I go 11 especially red wing. I have size 12 booties. I went with these years ago because they have the front zip/ rear strap for adjusting ankle pressure, but mainly I had a friend recommend them. Very durable and were about 30.00 bucks back then. Purchased at the old Eds Surplus in Lynnwood shortly before they closed.

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I use these as well. For me, two sizes over my normal shoe size works so that my toes aren’t pinched in the waders.
 
I wear a size 11.5 street shoe. I bought a pair of 3XL Seasoft Ti Stealth neoprene boots online. They're built with a supportive midsole that provides good arch support, and deep lugs for use by military and commercial divers.

SEASOFT STEALTH™ 6 mm Booties – Seasoft Scuba

seasoftscuba.com seasoftscuba.com
Unfortunately they were too small to fit correctly over waders.
Then I got a pair of 4XL Seac Pro HD boots which are a similar build and are a comfortable yet supportive fit.

Seac Pro HD 6mm Boots with Side Zipper

Seac Pro HD 6mm Boots with Side Zipper The Pro HD 6mm Boot from Seac has an extremely impenetrable molded sole with excellent arch support which works with the heel air bubble to reduce stressMoulded sole Heel air bubble to reduce stress6mm double g
www.divers-supply.com www.divers-supply.com

SEAC Pro HD 6mm Neoprene Wetsuit Boots with Side Zipper Black https://a.co/d/0e8NI4jx

I understand that Seasoft is in Chehalis. You might be able to call them and ask if there are any local dealers that have any stock that's 3-4 sizes larger than your street shoe size to try on with waders

BTW, my 4XL Original Force Fins fit very nicely over the dive boots with waders.
 
I bought a pair of barely used regular black suede high top Vans for $25 off ebay. 😁 I bought 2 sizes big, probably could've gone 2.5. They work well for short hikes under 2 miles over my Patagonia waders. They are great for fins.

I was tired of looking at over-priced, uncomfortable neoprene booties and thought...what are tough comfortable shoes I could get for cheap?
Vans are some of the toughest I've ever had. I've had a couple basic canvas pairs that obtained nearly legend status among my friends. Haha!
One pair had been to Mexico at least 4 times, Hawaii twice, countless rafting trips where they were essentially my wet wading/camp shoes and 4 years of regular street wear before that. Some mtb rides in there too.
They finally met their demise on the carp flats a few years ago when a buddy forgot his wading boots. He wore them 3 days straight and they didn't break. I threw them away after that. RIP
I think they were 8 years old and only on their 2nd batch of laces.

We'll see how long these "new" ones last. And how many more conversations they start. 😁
 
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