When buying wading boots....

[flytire 0]

....do you buy your street shoe size, the next size up or even larger?

my street shoe size is 8. do i buy size 9 or 10

i ask because the neoprene bootie on non custom waders are so big for my foot size i have to stuff all that extra bootie in the boot

[Val Schmaus 0]

I take my waders with me to the local fly shop and try them on.Guess if your using a mail order that's not possible.My latest pair are Korkers and are one size larger than my normal shoe  size.Waders are Frogg Toggs with neoprene on the foot.Good Luck and Good Fishing.

[cphubert 0]

take the waders with you if your going to buy local. street size 10.5W in korkers I'm in size 12 some of it may be the extra material in the waders.

[tjm 0]

The above advice is where I'd be.  I think that fit will vary with brand and style, I will only buy foot wear in person after try on, but I know from online window shopping that Orvis & Simms in the styles I shopped said 1 size bigger than street size, and Cabela used to say street shoe size unless otherwise noted,  the cheapies I got at Academy are marked so that the shoes in my street size  are  about a size and a half bigger, giving quite bit of room for the wader. I've also had import shoes that two pair of the same model fit close to the same when the size was marked a full size different.

Maybe if you specify the brand/model someone will have experience with that in particular.

[Guest]

$.02. I found a pair of stocking lace up boots with zippers on the side.   Sure makes a difference getting on over my pot gut.   Problem is don’t see them for sale much....Hodgeman model T142  size 11 cuz shoe is 10.   They got felt soles with studs.  Lotta waders are L,M,S so not true to shoe sizes. One size up still I have lotta extra foot but it crams in alright   You go too big they pull off in mud ducking and having to plod along.

[Steeldrifter 0]

I always get one size bigger. I wear a 12.5 - 13 street shoe and always get size 14 wading boot. I like to wear a thick thermal type sock over my stocking foot of my wader because it protects the waders plus cushions the feet after fishing all day. So one size up helps with that.

[MckinneyLonghorn 0]

As some others have said, it is going to depend on the brand of boots. My old Hodgman H3 boots are a size larger but my current Simms G3 boots are the same size as my regular shoes. Obviously it would be best if you could try them on in person, but with that not necessarily possible right now, I would just order them from somewhere where you can return them for a different size if needed. 

[flytire 0]

mckinney just raised another question

are boots already sized larger to accommodate the neoprene booties on the waders?

to all: i am fully aware of having the waders to try on the boots is the best scenario and i'll have to wait until shops reopen their doors

another problem of being short is the inseam. i'm 5'5" tall and my inseam is about 25 inches. most waders have inseams that start around 30" so that means for me alot of extra leg material. at 67 years old my growing taller stopped a long time ago 😞

[WJG 0]

Extra leg is better than too short.  If you can fit your feet and belly first is best for off the shelf wader sizes.  Sometimes it's a bit of a dance.

Some boot companies size to accommodate the neoprene, others don't.  Contact the manufacturer before deciding on a size to order.  

[flytire 0]

yup extra leg is okay but the blow up like a balloon 😀

[niveker 0]

The way I bought a pair online was to go through all the reviews, making note of any that mentioned how they fit with waders, and made my decision that way.  So, I went full size  bigger.  I triy to err on the side of a little too big, as I'd rather have smelly,  sweaty feet with an extra pair of sox, than cold, cramped, numb feet due to decreased circulation. 

And, since I wet wade throughout the summer, too hot is rarely an issue. 

 

[tjm 0]

6 or 8" of extra leg is not ideal, actually it is painful all waded up and causing you to waddle rather than walk, an inch or three is ok, but with my shoe size most companies want me to buy 36" inseam rather than my 28", since I'm just under 6';  I guess the wader designer must be about 7' + tall.  What does shoe size have to do with leg length any how? or hat size?

11 hours ago, flytire said:

are boots already sized larger to accommodate the neoprene booties on the waders?

That is the point I was trying to make above, I believe my Academy boots have the extra size built in and apparently Cabelas' does too, yet Orvis and Simms (at least when I was looking at their sites) called for buying a size larger, apparently because they don't build the extra in.

 

[robow7 0]

I've owned countless different wading boots over the years but always size up 1 size.  Street shoe size 9-9.5 max., wading boot size 10.  Like stated above, I did have two pair of Cabelas wading boots, same model and size and yet there was one size difference between the two, only time I've ever had that happen.