Alternative to Korkers...
 

We all know korkers are a must, but I hate the idea of the 2-pounds of rubber I strap on my feet to simply put a few studs under my feet. I dont like Korkers boots with interchangeable soles... the things fall off... an besides, i dont want to change the soles! I want spikes at all times, minus the extra weight... I think my winter-long quest may have ended. narrowed it down to 2 brands of screw-in carbide spikes that go directly into the sole of your boot, and stay there... (even when you walk into mobil for a coffee... sorry Dan!) The choice comes down to wearbars, or best-grip spikes... Wader Stud Info
the best grip have a super-wide thread that looks like they will stay put. Anyone use either of these? My new boots have felt soles with rubber spots for provided "stream screws" which are garbage, but will hold the ones I hope to buy. If anyone has any first hand experience, please share... I hope my days of surfcasting with Richard Simmons ankle weights will come to an end, and my mile long walks will be a bit lighter... I'll let you know how things go. Then I'm going to burn my korkers like those hippy broads burned their bras in the 60's!
http://www.wearbars.com/images/Product/TLS500B-48.jpg
These are the wearbars... the best grips look even better

hmm u got me maybe regrettin my purchase.....

I've been using Korkers brand studded felts for a long time now and been pretty happy with them.

Korker boots are better than anything I've tried out there.

the upside of the sandals is I can pop them off, make the mile walk and then put them on when I get to my spot.... saves your spikes, especially on the hard granite around here.

Never had that problem of wearing them out? :confused:

Even long canal hikes.

hike the ganset shoreline enough and they wear down.
Eben can fill you in on the walk he, John and I used to make....

I know what the ganset shoreline is like.
But the Korkers studded soles have survived 2 1/2 years of Canal/Newport hiking
And now a year of MTK hiking.

click click click

I'm keeping my current set of soles and throwing them on new guides.

i just like the idea of having spikes minus the heavy rubber sandal... running back into the house after gearing up because I forgot something might be a problem though!!!

Ted..
One other component... you are a bit under the Eben/Rockhound weight class... :smash::wall: might contribute to it...

Lately I've been using Simms G4 vibram soled guide boots with screw in Simms carbide spikes.

Don't go that route. They weigh a ton, they are very wide (which throws you off balance in bad footing), have too much ankle padding for good support, and the hard soles and stud pressure make them very uncomfortable to stand still on a rock for anything more than a few minutes. Cost a ton as well. Seem like they will last much longer than felt, but the misery involved leaves me unsure it is worth it.

korker alternative
 

Ive been through nearly everything out there and feel as if I'm finally getting close. Last year I used what was in the picture which is wearbars stud screwed into chota stl plus boots and they were excellent...except once the boots get wet the leather and padding soak up water weigh a ton and never seem to dry out completely. Why would a company make wading boots that absorb water? I was very impressed with the studs, zero loss, no studs worn out. This year trying a new light weight Simms boot that is made to accept a screw in stud.Simms also has a carbide stud but they dont look long enough to get through the weed on the rocks but they may be good at the canal or a jetty. I have found that nothing grips the rocks like a carbide tipped stud.
The other system I use if Im walking a long way to a spot before getting in the water is to carry my Korker 1100 plus lace up sandals and tie them to light wading boots when I get there.
The complaints I have heard regarding Korker boots are not enough stud, not durable, rusting hardware and the boa system locking up with sand.
Now if someone would make breathable bootfoot waders that would last more than a season.

Thanks for this advice,,,, Was thinking about this but not now,,,,

I have the Korker Ultra Lites... Not a problem with them at all and had them all last season,, I wore for them for 7 nights at Cutty and many trips to Block, lots of walks in the sand to Naps, among all my other fishing,,,,,,, No problems with durability or the soles falling out,,,,,, It was easy to keep a spare set of spike soles in the car just in case but never needed them,,,

The only thing I did not like was it seems like they need just a few more studs on the sides around the wide part of your foot,,,

agree... not enough spikes on the korker inserts... I think I am going to try the wearbars... if they fail, I'll remove them, and go back to my ankle weights (k-5000) but I have to try...

I second this. The bowling ball size rocks around where I fish beat the heck out of the studs.

When I used to put them on and leave them on I could go through almost a full set in a few nights. Now that I have the 5000 series and can quickly remove them I go through about 75 to 100 studs a season. All depends on where you fish.

But I also agree with the weight being a drag.

My boots
 

last season i ran into the same problem.

I bought a pair of korker torrent shoes with the studded soles. Plus side is they weight nothing and are very comfortable. great for wetsuit fishing and swimming to rocks.

Bad side is sand gets in the soles and pops out the middle section making them very uncomforatble and not enough studs on the edges, and no ankle support.

so i bought a pair of hodgeman/frogtoggs boots from one of the major sporting good places for like $25 on sale, I went with the lug boot sole, boots weigh nothing and dont absorb water. then went to home depot and bought a pack of hex head metal tappers in stainless. Went home and drilled them in.....instant korkers.

its a cheap way out and works great. i only lost one screw all season.

Damn fatties. :hidin:

Pick your feet up. ;)

I did the same exact thing with my korker felt sold boots. I drill the screws right into the felt sole, so now I have the felt and the studs. work good.

Some of the places I fish I need to be quiet going in so I don't wants studs crunching asphalt by people's homes. Need to be quiet.

Here is a link you might want to look at:

Wader Boot Modifacation

I can't the sandles weight to much.:biglaugh:

GET OFF MY LAWN!

just wear an iPod or something of that nature while walking, it's a miracle, but the clanking sound disappears ... you just have to remember not to sing, as that will wake up everyone around. :jump1:

its funny, because as vague as your statement was John, I actually think I know what spot youre talking about... but my keyboard will never tell...

IP, my partner and I have used the same concept all last season. Block, Cutty, Squibnocket and local. Zero problems and convenient. I used the cabelas guide boot and he the Chotas. I added 7 more studs to the felt soles. total 21 spikes. These spikes are carbide and are used on snow machine tracks.Wear like iron. No signs of wear. Heck i'd be putting new studs in Korkers if they can be threaded twice ina season. I too had issues on long walks w/ 2 lb sandals. I did ss bolt route in the corkers soles also but the weight was a killer. You won't be dissappointed. I actually wrote an article for our club's newsletter this month on this concept. If you look at the cabelas Ultra-lite boots they now come with stud insert receivers. These are 1/2 the weight of the leather wading boots. I used these with the unreplaceable studs and they were very comfortable. I wish they came out b/4 I went and bought the leather ones. Either way this is a great improvement over the sandals.

How long are the screw portion of the studs, I have ll beans riversomethings with studs and could use some more.

I don't care what I use, it will wear out or some will rip out. So for those screwing into the sole, how does the hole hold up with repeated replacements?

The studs come in various lengths. I bought 3/4" thread length because they were out of stock on the 1/2" length. I used the full length in the felt w/o the recepticle and snipped off a 1/8" to thread in the stud receiver. 1/2" is the size to use but the longer ones seem to really lock into the plain felt sole. The reason the 1/2" is reccommended is the chance of a breach through the sole. I did have a slight breach after a couple uses and took out the ones that I felt under foot and ground off an eigth or so. I'm telling you these studs hold well in the sole. My partner is big and rough on korkers and they have held up for him. I far as the thread portion holding up on repeated replacements time will tell but the way they wear you may throw out the boots b/4 you replace them all. Be careful installing the studs so you don't over tighten them and strip the plastic slug. I use a controlled speed electric drill to drive them down but stop b/4 they bottom out and finish the install by hand with a 3/8 nut driver.