Orvis Wading Boots

Wade safely and comfortably. Choose the Orvis wading boot that is right for you.

Trout streams to the tropics, this is where you?ll find the wading shoe to give you the optimum in comfort, support, stability, and traction. We stock a full line of wading boots: Orvis Easy On Battenkill Brogue, Streamline Wading Boot, and Clearwater II Wading Boot. Plus, check out the Korkers Interchangeable River Guard Ultralight, River Guard Easy On Battenkill Brogue with EcoTraX soles, River Guard Navigator Wading Boot with EcoTraX soles, and River Guard Ultralight Wading Boot with EcoTrax soles.

Are you concerned about felt soles and their future?

Invasive Species, Felt Soles, and the Future

Invasive species are a real threat to our fisheries across the globe and it?s encouraging that all companies that manufacture wading gear are looking at alternatives to felt soles and other fabrics that prevent these aquatic hitchhikers from moving from one place to another. Orvis is working on this problem from many directions, and below is an explanation and clarification of their position on the subject.

Are felt soles becoming obsolete? Will I have to throw away my felt-soled wading shoes? Should I even buy a pair of felt-soled wading shoes or waders?

There is no doubt that felt, along with porous fabrics in wading shoes and laces, help transport invasive species without proper care (http://www.orvis.com/intro.asp?subject=3591). However, if you always fish the same watershed, felt soles are not a problem. Aquatic birds and mammals transport far more spores that you can on your felt soles. Thus, you can keep your felt-soled waders reserved for a specific watershed. In addition, you can greatly minimize the threat by cleaning, drying, and inspecting (http://www.orvis.com/intro.asp?subject=3591) your felt soles after each fishing trip. Trout Unlimited has called for a ban on selling and producing felt-soled wading shoes by 2011 but it?s doubtful that we?ll see a wholesale, government-regulated domestic ban on felt soles like the ban New Zealand has implemented, anytime soon. So, if you are used to the idea of wearing felt soles and will use them on the same watershed, rest assured your current or future felt-soled wading shoes won?t be obsolete.

What is Orvis doing for the future?

In their continuing effort to be an industry leader, Orvis has partnered with Vibram to develop the new EcoTraX? wading boot outsole. The sole has been added to a new wading boot, as well as, some of the existing styles, creating the River Guard series of wading products. Using Vibram?s? innovative Idrogrip compound, which offers 30% better grip on wet surfaces, Orvis created an exclusive tread pattern that offers a high percentage of sharp leading edges for maximum grip while helping to keep the pattern clean of mud and debris. Additionally, by incorporating tungsten-carbide screw-in studs, anglers can achieve a level of grip that is comparable to the felt-soled boots they have used for years. This sole was designed primarily to help mitigate the spread of Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) such as didymo, mud snails and the whirling disease spores. While the sole is designed not pick up excessive amounts of stream debris it is still important that anglers follow a few basic steps to help reduce the chance of spreading aquatic hitchhikers.
1. Remove all mud and vegetation from your equipment prior to leaving your fishing location.
2. Eliminate as much water from gear as possible before transporting.
3. Clean all your equipment with hot water (>104?F/40?C).
4. Thoroughly dry all your gear before entering a new body of water.

What about chemical equipment?

While true that some chemical treats, such as 409 and chlorine bleach, will kill ANS like mud snails and didymo, they are harsh on equipment and harmful to the environment. Can you imagine what fishing access sites, riparian zones and river water would look and smell like if everyone got out of the water and doused their gear in 409 and bleach? For more information on ANS and what you can do to help stop the spread, visit orvis.com/invasivespecies.