I guess I forgot a couple of the finer points about my boots. I use a strap at the top to create tight seal, to hopefully avoid much water infiltration. Also, they have a good lug sole for good traction.

I would never advocate 'cement overshoes'.

I've found OTB's pretty good for "non-recreational" swimming.  Couple with neoprene socks (e.g., Sealskinz) for cold weather tripping, if you like to dry-foot.

dd

Quote:


Anyone who fishes in moving water or water deep enough you can't see holes should wear a good snug waist belt/back support to prevent that from happening.
A good snug waist belt on either neoprene/fabric will trap air and make you semi-buoyant if you take a dumping.

Last spring on my spring fishing trip to the Muskegon river which has real heavy current, I saw a guy wearing a manual waist belt PFD along with his wader waist belt.
I think that guy had some firsthand experience with holes/swift current and down the road I plan on getting one myself up

I used to wear neoprene footed/nylon hip waders with a water shoe.
They worked great but after reading Jimbo's cautionary tale, and a little experiment at the local beach, I realized I would be in the same boat if I dumped as he was.

Haven't given up on them entirely for cold water tripping. I think I could come up with a Velcro strap on top that would fit snug enough to keep the water out without cutting blood flow

Jimbo,

A very good point on the knee high boots.  It depends somewhat on the type of boot.  I have knee high Lacrosse "Alpha Burly" knee high rubber boots which I wear hunting.  They are made of wetsuit material, and fairly tight fitting to the knee, so if water goes over the top they don't fill with much at all.  They are not cheap, $90 on sale.The cheaper, loose fitting knee high rubberized canvas knee high boots boots will act like buckets filled with water on your feet.  That is why people have drowned wearing the old style rubberized fabric loose fitting waist or chest high waders when fishing.  A guy I went to high school with drowned in a small pond wearing those old style waders.
9 days to Copia,

quentin

Old Salt wrote on Feb 27^th, 2013 at 5:09pm:


Not the ONLY possible drawback.

Seventeen years ago during one Spring trip, I pulled a young man out of frigid froth in Sturgeon Narrows who was wearing such boots when his canoe flipped over.  He could barely keep his nose above water despite wearing a perfectly functional life preserver. Later, after he stopped convulsing from the shivers and recovered his voice by our fire, we heard no end of curses for his knee-high rubber LaCrosse boots which had completely filled, nearly dragging him under & drowning him.

Two behaviors changed that day.  He STOPPED wearing knee-high rubber boots.  My brother & I STARTED wearing our life preservers.

I think such boots are fine on the portage trail.  I have a pair myself that I'll occasionally use... but I'll never wear them in the canoe.

Just a thought.

Jimbo   

Last year I became a convert to rubber knee high boots. I bought a cheap pair in AK that ran $20 or so. Nothing fancy. They are pull ons. Only possible drawback would be the mudsucking bogs, which were not on last years menu.

"Who made the older Abyss OTB boots that have the reliability problems?"

not sure, but I think it was the first group put out by NB

The original company was OTB Footwear, LLC formed to produce boots for the military - supposedly, the Abyss and Odhin were designed for the Navy Seals ("Over The Beach" - hence, the name).   All of the reviews were very positive for the first several years.  I bought my first pair direct from them (and still use them).  Then in 2010, they apparantly sold the rights to produce to ? New Balance? I guess - at that time, OTB was bacisally selling thier remaining inventory - first pair I bought was $115 + Shipping;  the pair I bought via the 2010 close out was $69 + - somewhere about that time, the reviews started to go downhill - either at the end of the OTB production, or the beginning of the NB production.

I'm so confused.......New Balance is a good company and I bet these are a good boot. Certainly the price is right and I like the 8" height.

Who made the older Abyss OTB boots that have the reliability problems?

I'm looking at the New Balance 220 Abyss II 8" OTB Tactical Water Boot.   It's advertised as an 8" boot but the only difference compared to the 6" boot that others crow about is an additional lacing strap.  It would seem to function as a 6" boot by not using that top strap.

Does anyone have these boots?  Are they any different (other than height) in function or fit from the shorter model?

Thanks,
Dave

knafelc wrote on Feb 26^th, 2013 at 1:54am:


Anything that works for you and holds up for at least enough time to pay for itself may be old school but who's keeping score
I have LL Beans that are 25yrs+ plus and still going strong although I don't use them canoeing.

Only thing about the Bean, is the tread on the sole. I'm not sure on slick/wet granite that it would give the traction you'd need to stay upright with a heavy pack on a incline/decline

If that's not or hasn't been an issue for you wearing them, I wouldn't change something that's been working for you.

As others have attested too, some of the more recent/expensive Chinese made footwear are less than satisfactory.