a dry boot, even if knee high, just doesn't work for me. wet footing i'd be over the tops every day and would have to deal with boots full of water. having your feet in water inside a non draining boot every day is a whole different story than having wet feet with a draining boot.

i think i'll try the NRS work boot if new Storms aren't available until 8/09 like i was told the other day.

fwiw:
Used  a pair of 'Altma 3LC', (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)
jungle boots going up Stuart River and out Horse River/Mudro. Wet footed all landings and waded thru several rapids. Some long portages and the climb from Sandpit to Mudro.
Lots of traction on all surfaces except moss/slime covered rocks underwater. Full shank meant walking over sharp pointy rocks and such was no trouble. Good protection over and above the ankle. Drained well. Worn with Smartwool socks. Good fit, I take 8 1/2 EEE size, bought 9 wide. Had room for liner socks and heavy hiking socks. Dried out overnite, faster than the wool socks.
A bit heavy, but are now my paddling boots of choice.

butthead

Having not had a chance to read all of the above (though I read the first few pages last year) here is some of my two cents:

Chota's Breathable Mukluks:  I got a pair of these two years ago for a fall trip into Quetico (9 days).  My then girlfriend got a pair as well (hers have held up better than mine, but she uses them less and weighs 80-100# less than me).  On the second day, one of the laces tore through one of the loops.  On closer examination later, it turned out that the loop is made of one piece of tough nylon covered with a second piece of cosmetic fabric.  The actual loop that the shock cord was supposed to go through had been epoxied closed and the cord simply ran through the cosmetic stuff.   I later fixed this.  I wore them again the next spring on an 8 day trip.  By the end of the second trip, the soles were worn almost smooth and had almost no traction on many surfaces--I slid out a couple of times (to be fair, I am a big guy and have a bit of a limp, so between Q granite and my weight I put a lot of stress on boot soles--still I would have hoped the soles would have lasted longer).  Another friend who was wearing the same boots (for the first time) wiped out on a rock race and was badly hurt (we got lucky and were able to air-evac him thanks to some other canoeists with a SAT phone).  Granted he was moving too fast on a slippery surface.  I had a local cobbler put a material called Aqua Stealth on the soles for this spring.  It's a rock-climbing sole material.  This stuff was awesome and gave me better grip than almost anything I have ever worn and seems to have held up well to a fair bit of abuse this past year.  My right boot has leaked since mid-way through the second trip.  Not terribly, but the whole point of these things is that you are going for dry feet.  This fall, an entire lace loop tore out of one side of the boot when I was lacing up.  The boots have very little arch support so I found it necessary to us a pair of Super Feet insoles.   
All in all I am unimpressed.  Considering that the boots cost over $100 initially I found the construction to be somewhat shoddy.  With resoling and inserts, they cost me about $70 more.  Not enough bang for the buck.  The only real plus is having (mostly) dry feet and warmth.

NRS Storm boots:  I am generally a wet-footer except for the serious cold water season.  Because I am usually paddling solo, I find it very advantageous to be able to get wet to the thighs if need be at difficult landings, etc.  The Storm boots have worked very well for me.  Traction is good, as is ankle support.  I did use a better insole (again, the Super Feet) which I think helps.  I also had the local cobbler add an additional loop on the back of the neoprene booty and reinforce the stitching between the booty and the back of the boot to prevent the booty from tearing away from the boot itself when pulling it on.  I would recommend this.  Used with a polypro or silk sock liner they are pretty comfortable, though after a long day in them I'm usually looking forward to getting them off and de-pruning the feet.  A bad rock/root snag did catch and tear one boot above the toe (a dumped me headlong--pack, canoe and all) which will need a repair, but they held up admirably otherwise.  They've stood up to 70-80 days of use in the lake country since last fall and will take a lot more.
 
That is my (long-winded) opinion.  Probably more like a dime than two cents.
Cheers and happy portaging,
GP

solotripper wrote on Mar 12^th, 2007 at 9:08pm:


ST,

I know we've already discussed this this concept of strengthening your ankles, and I took the side of high tops aiding in support...

Though I have to stand back a moment and tell you I was at a friends place the other day and he was showing his house to a few of us.  Well wouldn't you know, he had one of these ankle rockers you speak of.  I asked him what this odd contraption was.. he informed me of what it was,  and that he attests to it's value.  I'm not saying I'm going to run out and purchase one today.. but may eventualy.  I stay fairly active and ankle conditoning is not at a high priority today... though things change.

Turns out you had a good point.

k

To strengthen your ankles - here's what a Physical Therapist told my son to do after a high-ankle sprain:

balance on each foot (lifting the other off the ground) as long as you can.
repeat.

The wobble board adds additional range of motion, but just balancing on 1 foot strengthens all the muscles involved in balancing. 

If you're a wet-footer, look for rubber soled wading boots or boots for wet-foot fishing on coral. The original Patagonia 'marlwalkers' are what I use - and I don't just use them canoeing - I wet wade for smallmouth in them.

The chota mukluk soles are horrible on every surface, wet or dry. Like the warm feet when the waters cold, but they are slippery on everything.