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I bought these boots for my recent trip to Quetico the week after Memorial Day. They performed fantastically on over 50 portages. They have exceptional traction and are very comfortable to wear all day. I used smartwool socks in them and they kept my feet warm on the cold and rainy days. Even on the warm days when my feet were sweating the smartwools kept my feet comfortable.
I did go to mid-thigh in muck while carrying the canoe on one portage. I was worried about losing the boot but found out there is little chance of that happening. After strugling and finally extricating myself and looking like the swamp thing I left a mucky trail the rest of the way to the water's edge. When I tried to remove the boat to clean it out I could not get it off without sliding my hand down the inside to break the suction. It's very unlikely you could lose this boot in a mudhole.
I ordered them from Shoebuy.com for $71 including two-way shipping!
Best equipment purchase I've made in a while. These boots were so comfortable that I'm considering dry footing even in the summer. I like the fact that during a lengthy paddle they can easily be kicked off in the canoe. And they might even be a solution for those pesky ankle biters.

Timely discussion! 

I'm in the market for new boots and am looking for something light.  I like the Chota line of boots, and am looking at the Chota Breathable Mukluks.  Did either of you looked at these boots?  One obvious problem...they're damn expensive...$134.  So I may check your boots out, although I'm not a big fan of camo.  I noticed LaCrosse sells what looks like the same boot in green.  Did you look at these?

prouboy

Mike and Dan here are some answers to your questions. The LaCrosse boots are not what I consider light. I don't think there are any neoprene boots that would fall into the lightweight category. I know my feet sweat in them on the warmest days but using them in combination with the Smartwool socks my feet never felt wet. I dried my damp socks in the warmth of the sleeping bag during the night and then back into the boots in the morning and all felt warm and dry. They are available in black but I would have had to pay about $20 more to get them from a different vendor. Yes the Chota line of boots are overpriced IMHO but as with any boot the key is the fit. The La Crosse boots give me a perfect fit and I could hike all day with them. The foot bed and sole are fairly soft and flexible. The grip is the best I've ever had in ANY boot. When I took them out of the box I had major reservations about the traction because the soles are made from a kind of spongey rubber but they work/grip better than anything I have used so far. I've decided to wet foot on my next trip leaving this Friday and I know I will have to be a little cautious at first because my NRS Storm boots do not have very good traction by comparison.

jmma wrote on Jul 5^th, 2009 at 2:25am:


I wonder what the footing would be like on a rugged portage. Looks like there could be some moving around between the two boots. They are probably not stretchy enough to get a tight fit.

Last several trips I've used Rocky hiking boots. Can't remember the model, but they worked great. This year I slipped and for the first time I can remember I felt one of the lugs catch on a rock and caught myself. Good footing counts for a lot.

Tim