Haven't wet waded much. Anybody have a recommendation for shoes. I was looking at the Simms wading shoes and sandals.

Check out the Teva line.

There are multiple good brands. My only suggestion would be to make they're more than ankle high in order to keep rocks and sand from getting in so easily.

Thanks. I have a pair of Korker guide boots, but people have told me they o in Keen sandals or Chacos

I use two different shoes for wet wading. I have the Simms Rip Rap and also I really like using the Vibram Five Fingers. The Vibrams give you a "closer" feel to what you are crossing.

I was wondering about the rip rap shoe vs the sandal. Thought it would be easier to get rocks in the sandal, but also easier to get them out as well.

When you are shopping for "wet wading SANDALS"... Think about walking aroung at home with all the lights off!!! YEP... The first thing that comes to mind is the first thing(s) that find the chair leg in the dark!!! Protect them lil' piggies!!! If you're going to wear sandals, make SURE they have toe-caps!!!

I will suggest going to a SCUBA dive shop & buy you a good pair of SCUBA booties. I have a pair of zip-up SCUBA booties that are very sturdy. They're made of neoprene, and they have GREAT grips on the soles.

ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS use a wading staff!

JR

I own a pair of Patagonia Flats Sneakers I like.

I am also fond of my hand me down MiOn sandals. Look like alien life forms and are (fortunately? unsurprisingly?) discontinued, but are remarkably comfy and functional otherwise. Cap toe too. Might be worth trolling EBay for... I dunno.

Heed split cane's advice above, or practice up on your cursing so you're ready when you stub all your toes subsurface in a simultaneous manner. Even with an enclosed toe you're going to stub them, but at least you will be able to find them in the shoe and present them to the orthopedic surgeon for reattachment later.

I bought a pair of el cheapo (shocking I know) Body glove brand water shoes at Academy a couple of years ago for a couple of days of central Texas river wading and they did a decent job of protecting my feet. However they dry at approximately the same rate as a used towel balled up in the corner of a Louisiana Super 8 bathroom. I have kept my eye out for something to replace them with and just haven't seen anything I wanted to spend the money on.

The Rip Rap shoes look pretty good and the price isn't bad. We'll know they're great if Simms discontinues them at the end of the year. That is what the fate of any water shoe with really good reviews seems to be. Someone made a flats sneaker a couple of years back that was all the rage here on the intarwebz, but they disappeared like Kaiser Soze at a Police Union Convention.

I would match up where you'll be wading most to the kind of footwear you decide upon. For instance, I've never tried the Five Finger Heart Punch of Death shoes from Vibram, but from looking at them I'm not sure they'd stand up to those oyster bars the salty folk are always talking about. Apparently oysters get surly when they drink.

I had some Simms wading sandals made by Keen and hated them because I'd get little bits of gravel stuck between the sandal and the arch of my foot that would shred my foot. I've switched to the Simms Rip Rap shoe and like them.

Had the Simms pursuit and the shoe had too much volume in the shoe despite being the right size. I have a pair of Merrel water shoes which are ok but don't keep stuff out. I recently bought the Patagonia flats stalker for a song and have been wearing them. Get them with a pair of long socks let the long dock come up you calf a little then double it back down covering the whole opening of the shoe and it is impervious to sand and gravel.

Awesome tip! J.

Simms makes some wet wading socks. They are some polyester non cotton blend that doesn't hold water or get heavy, but they are $20/pair

So what are the big differences between the Rip Rap and Flats Sneakers from Simms?

FLATS SNEAKER


RIPRAP