korkers or simms ?

[maxwink]

Hi

I am thinking about upgrading my wading boots have a mate coming out from the states in March and he has agreed to bring me a pair. I was looking at the Simms freestone boots but I see that the Korkers have also had good reviews stateside and I am intrigued by thier interchangeable felt and rubber soles and was wondering if anybody on the forum has owned a pair or tried them out?

[JadeDsantos]

Just simms and only simms. Where do you fish mostly?

[Kevin James]

+1 for the Simms.

I'm very hard on my boots and have had inferior makes and models literally fall apart on me.
Not much fun when you're into your 3rd day of a 10 day back country walk.

I fish my Simms hard and they are not bad.
The sole has just started to peel after less than 3 months near the toe, but I'm keeping an eye on it and will more than likely fix it without too much drama. I've got the Guide Boots and am happy FWIW.

[firephish]

+1 for Simms, into my 3rd vaal season with same pair now.

[Stephen Louw]

Has anyone actually tried the Korkers?

[Kevin James]

Yes - that's why I suggested Simms.

[Gerrit Viljoen]

I've had numerous Simms boots and Korkers with the "cable system" can't remember what it was called. Both boots were fantastic!! One beef I have with Simms is that eventhough they're indestructable, I found them to be very heavy. I don't wade a lot anymore so any of the "lesser" brands will suffice "for me". Depends on your needs & requirements at the end of the day.

Ps. I wouldn't go for Chotas (brown felt) at all, the two batches I had were awefull, the soles fell of within a month. I quite like the new Stealth and Redington jobs. I tested a newer version of the Chotas for Explorer in 2017 (grey boot) and they were much better, I don't know if they ever made the mass market I'm out of the loop a bit wrt new tackle on the market.

Good luck!

[Gerrit Viljoen]

BTW I see there are some great looking Korkers available from Jandi at the mo. The proof is in the pudding though....

[Stephen Louw]

Thanks - I have the Simms in both felt and Vibram soles. The felt is brilliant. I find the vibram incredibly slippery on even the smallest rocks, and dangerous.

[maxwink]

That's interesting I was thinking about going with the simms in vibram, mainly because I will be visiting NZ in May and as far as I know felt is not allowed over there anymore. I also find the felt on my current boots is great when wet in the river but not so good on the hike up to EP4 and the sole keeps coming off. I don't mind slightly less grip on the boots for something more versatile that I can use to get to the start of the beat.