The Adventures of a South African Fly Fisherman: November 2014

As I mentioned in my article on 21 February 2014, I will give you feedback on the performance of Vision Loikka Gummi and Stud boots. In that article I mentioned various criteria I will use to rate the boots and I have given ratings below out of 5 with a brief discussion.

Comfort (5/5): I found the boots to be very comfortable due to the light weight synthetic materials. This is the first pair of boots I have used with built in studs and my first assumption was that I would experience stud. The foam padding on the outer and inner soles are however sufficient to prevent stud pressure and are very comfortable. During a full days fishing I do not experience foot fatigue with these boots.

Feet Protection (4/5): These boots have decent ankle support and are heavily padded on the inside, which prevents your ankles from over extending and protects them against bumps from rocks etc. The toe tips are fairly soft, however I found the rubber covering to be sufficient protection if the boots are worn with thick wool or neoprene socks. Due to the light weight of the boots I also found them to be quite comfortable while hiking on river banks.

Sole Grip (3.5/5): Personally it took some times for me to get use to the Gummi and Stud sole configuration. As with all wading you have to be careful with your foot placement to prevent slipping. The tungsten tips do slip on occasions and will slide a few centimeters before gripping hard into the rock. I found the grip to be sufficient in all my wading conditions which ranges from still water fishing, the Vaal River and Small Streams throughout South Africa. The tungsten tips really come into their own while wading in rivers with rocks covered in algae, which is often the case while wading the Vaal River

The tungsten tips really help a lot while hiking on the banks of dams and rivers, this is normally where for example felts soles will often slip on wet grassy banks. The only situation where I felt the grip was not sufficient was on smooth, iron-rich boulders while climbing out of river beds. Care has to be taken in these situations and can normally be overcome by taking slow well placed steps.

Sole Durability (4/5): I have been wearing the boots since the beginning of March 2014 and have fished various venues ranging from the Bushmans River (KZN), the Broederstroom River (Limpopo), the Crocodile River (Gauteng), the Vaal River and some local streams and dams.

Up to this point the tungsten tips and their fittings have shown virtually no wear. The Gummi soles have a circular grip pattern, some of the grip points do tend to wear off on the side of the soles. The soles show little wear towards the middle sections.

Exterior Material Durability (5/5): The exterior materials of the boots have really impressed thus far. There is virtually no visible wear and tear visible on the exterior of the boots. The rubber layer on the toe part of the boots is still firmly glued onto the synthetic materials. I do advise to wear decent gravel guards with the boots to protect the neoprene sections at the top of the boot and the laces. Up to this point these section of the boots have also shown virtually no wear and tear, however I do think these section will get damaged without gravel guards.

Lacing System Durability (5/5): The nylon laces and rings still look brand new, and the lacing hooks shown no signs of rust.

Interior Material Durability (5/5): The inner soles have a strong nylon material and show no wear. The neoprene and stitching on the interior of the boots also still look brand new, I suggest wearing thick wool socks or neoprene wading socks to help protect these materials.

Weight (5/5): These are some of the lightest boots I have felt in hand and they proved to be even more comfortable while wearing them inside and outside the water.

Value for Money (4/5): These boots are quite expensive, however they are similar priced to boots in the same quality range.

Longevity (4/5): Up to this point the exterior of the boots have shown great durability and very little wear and tear. The soles have shown some wear, however that is very understandable. Normally the exterior of wading boots determine their longevity, my previous boots completely fell apart after a year and the soles where still intact. At this point personally I think these boots will at least last another 2 to three years.