Any suggestions for waders on my upcoming moose hunt. Will be rafting the Selawik. I am not much of a hip boot wearer but would like some suggestions on tough waders which can hold up to the brush and be comfortable enough to wear all day.

Cabelas has several types. Get the breathable kind, as it will be in the 50s and 60s in September, and walking will get you sweated up. I'll be up there the same time.

The Alaska guys will chime in with the best advice.

Wadders & Boots

Manny of us up here have ditched hip waders in favor of waist-high gortex waders like the ones linked above; you can wear over-sized sneakers or oversized insulated boots or wadding boots, your choice depending on how much ankle support you want

Unless you plan to use them a lot, Cabela's or the Frog Togs are fine

I've worn hip boots a lot on moose hunts. The insulated ones are too heavy if you are walking a lot--fine if you are mostly in and out of the boat. The ankle fit boots can be hard to get in and out of. For hiking in wet brush, if you have good feet and ankles, stick with regular fit, uninsulated, mid-priced boots and bring along a patch kit.

I wear Cabelas BogBusters for 80% of my hunting up here. They are thin neoprene, therefore a bit warmer than plain rubber but not smoking hot, and also quieter. Their boot design gives good traction on all but wet rocks covered in tidewater slop. And the ankle straps give good support while being easy to get out of after a full day under the pack. They are kinda spendy but I've gotten over 4 years of great service out of them whereas my "Alaskan" Wally World jobs were always good for one summer and fall.

Focus on the foot bed stability and 'heavy boot sole feeling' and ankle strength........not waterproofness and upper leg stuff.

You need to feel the foot and ankle strength support that resembles heavy-duty leather boots in order to hike in these all day.

This is the 1st time I've put someone on the ignore list on the Alaska forum,,so-long Darnell!

quote:

This is the 1st time I've put someone on the ignore list on the Alaska forum,,so-long Darnell!

Sounds like you are my latest and last, infamous AK outfitter/guide?

Are you a full-time government worker and part-time guide?

It Works!!!!!!!!!!!

Huh?

I was thinking that maybe for a float trip it wouldn't matter to much what kind of wader. If you're walking away from the raft you might be able to use boots and I'd recommend some kind of alternate footwear, not just one pair of footwear, (waders,) for the whole trip.

Seems like I gradually get wetter as the trip goes on and in the end I'm just exchanging recently dried socks for the currently wet ones in the wet waders. I almost always go over the top and although I don't have big sweaty feet I guess the do sweat some and the darn waders do seem to just get damper and wetter. I also seem to always get a hole in them somehow so maybe for me the expensive models ain't such a great idea.

#1 way folks get wet feet on a float trip is getting water over the top of their wadders; getting off in deep water, tripping on a slippery rock, or rain run-off. This has happened to all of us. Doesn't happen with waist high's; plus your butt stays dry even in the rain or sitting on shore. A pair of fleece pants underneath would make for a comfortable day on a raft.

I learned this technique from a famous Alaskan BB bear guide and his assistant guide. Since they beat the Alaska bush for a living, they usually go with Sims waders. My Cabela's & Frogg Toggs have lasted for 3 years and still working.

quote:

Originally posted by Abob:
Wadders & Boots

Manny of us up here have ditched hip waders in favor of waist-high gortex waders like the ones linked above; you can wear over-sized sneakers or oversized insulated boots or wadding boots, your choice depending on how much ankle support you want

Unless you plan to use them a lot, Cabela's or the Frog Togs are fine

This is what I have moved to (wear Corkers wading boots with them) and am much happier than trying to get hipboots dry from sweat...and I used the ankle fit LaCrosse Big Chiefs for years.

Gentlemen,

I have real difficulty with the recommendations for wearing waders / rubber wellington boots for hunting in Alaska due to the wet conditions.

Please help me understand.

I would have though adequate ankle and foot support to provide protection against twisting angles etc would have ben more inportant.

Do Alaskan bear hunters mainly hunt flat areas along the beach, along rivers and river plains but do not 'go uphill', climb up into the mountains in search of bears much?

I have stalked deer in the north west Scottish Highlands. The terrain is steep, with flatter parts but always wet, boggey and uneven / slippery.

Walking in wellington rubber boots, while waterproof, providing you do not 'go in' above the depth /height of your boots, are 'murder' to walk in.

These rubber ankle boots give little / no ankle suppOrt and the footbed / soles are not particularly stiff for serious, prolonged walking over rough ground.

My preference, and what I have seen others use, is waterproof leather boots, generally Meindl, with waterproof gaiters and waterproof (lined) trousers or over trousers.

The pictutes I have seen of Alaskan brown bear hunts look similar to me: mountains, wet, boggy ground, 'grassland' with stunted bushes / trees amd lots of peat hags.

Now, wildfowlers on the estuaries here in the UK are a different matter. They walk through soft, gluttinous mud, wade water etc but the ground is pretty flat (it's the seashore afteall). They wear rubber hip boots, wading boots. Angles who stand in the middle of rivers when fishing use these chest wader baby clothing like 'romper suits'.

For myself, anything shorter than hip waders wouldn't work. While hunting or fishing around here I commonly have to cross water taller than a leather boot and wider than I can jump.

They do make those waders that are slim or snug around the ankle and foot to add ankle support but as I mentioned before, since I commonly go over the top of my waders and my feet do seem to perspire at least a little, the moisture inside tends to make them hard to remove.

Its generally held here that there is no such thing as water proof leather. If leather is exposed to enough saturating water for enough time it will absorb. Rubber not so much.

In a couple weeks I'll be moose hunting and I anticipate doing quite a bit of the work standing in water.

quote:

Originally posted by robthom:
Gentlemen,

I have real difficulty with the recommendations for wearing waders / rubber wellington boots for hunting in Alaska due to the wet conditions.

Please help me understand.

He said he is going on a float trip where most of his time will be on a river. He could pack hiking boots if he plans to get very far of the river to stalk or pack. That being said, many of us have no problem hiking rough terrain in low top shoes.

Another vote for the Simms breathable waders. Your pretty much bomb proof in the things and you can go anywhere. Usually, my hunting buddies that question why I wear them, end up getting a ride on my back when we hit a swamp, bog, river, etc... I can think back to several animals that I would not have connected with if I were wearing anything different. They just give you a lot more options...

Thank you gentlemen for the explanation.

As I mentioned, I stalk / hunt in wet conditions in Scotland. On the flatter parts, especially lower down, the ground is either like a sponge or boggy/mud. Once you begin side lining the hills and mountains, the 'game' changes, and good stiff hiking boots are needed.

Similarly, the time I spent hill walking in the Hardanger (spelling?) Plateau in Norway was very much like the Scottish Highlands but more broader, shallower streams.

If you are not going to be standing in deep water / kneeling in soft mud, I find the combination of water proof trousers, or over trousers with water proof gaiters on top with watrproof boots like Meindl works well.

Waterproof oversuits are a tradeoff, for sure, however, many farmers use the sealflex brand of anorak and overtrousers.

I can recommend the Black Islander gaiters, a mixture of the tougher, abrasion resistantant bottom part and breatheable uppers. These form a tight / close fit around the boot. I have not had problems so far using these.

I think if i am ever able to achieve my dream of a bera hunt, I will either go to the interior or Canada were it is not 'quite so wet' as Alaska! I will also take along a pair of of those waterproof overboots I have seen advertised occasionally.

One of my biggest concerns when out and about the mountains is twisting an ankle etc. I spoke with one stalker who managed to wrench / dislocate one if his knees. He had to crawl in pain for many miles to get help.

Thanks again

Wel I hope you reconsider your hunt location. The coastal brown bears are the biggest and the coast offers some really neat scenery. If your hunt was actually out on the beach/ ocean around here you could encounter whales, walrus, seals and a variety of bird life as well as moose and caribou. Wolves are around and beach combing western AK can yield all kinds of treasures.

If you hunt a coastal river for salmon eating bears you could see lots of moose, carbou, the birds, and participate in some phenominal fishing.

http://www.cabelas.com/product...74680%3Bcat104108580

This is known as the Alaska sneeker and I have had a pair for 20 years that still do not leak,after 15 hunts in Alaska!
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Have to disagree with the man from Texas; Alaskan sneakers are Xtra Tuffs

Alaskan sneakers

quote:

Originally posted by Abob:
Have to disagree with the man from Texas; Alaskan sneakers are Xtra Tuffs

Alaskan sneakers

I yeald to the man who lives there, but for twenty years the ones I posted have been called that by most hunters who hunt Alaska from TACO land (lower 48)

In any event the waders are cast iron for wear.

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Simms G3 Guide Pant Gore-Tex worked perfectly for my husband and myself on my moose hunt last year. We ordered them via Leland Fly Fishing store. They were pricy but perfect.

Best regards, D. Nelson

quote:

Originally posted by twilli:
Any suggestions for waders on my upcoming moose hunt. Will be rafting the Selawik. I am not much of a hip boot wearer but would like some suggestions on tough waders which can hold up to the brush and be comfortable enough to wear all day.

Buy American. If it's good enough for our troops, it's good enough for me.

And he'll make them any way you want them.....

https://usia.com/shop/waders/

Two coastal bear hunts done in Reddington lightweight breathable stocking foot waders and Sims rubber soled boots. Won't hunt the area in a different get up, most of the guides wore Sims waders as well but I could not justify the additional 400 bucks on something that I may wear 10-15 times in my life, although for long term use I would do the Sims. Never got wet and in cold rainy weather stayed much warmer with the waders, several times walked through water that would have come over hip boots and the boots gave more than adequate support for the few hikes we took of any distance, just be cautious on moss covered rocks, but the same can be said of any footwear in that situation.