Riprap Review

I've been searching for lightweight wet wading shoe for a while and Simms ponied up. I've rocked the Simms Riprap shoe all summer last year and I can't believe I fished so long without them.

The Riprap is a full shoe, as opposed to a sandal that allows your feet to get beat up by the river bottom all day, that provides full protection for your feet. I wear it with a sock usually as well. The uppers are synthetic leather and perforated nylon that allows for quick water drainage but keeps rocks and junk out. A TPU heel cup, like in Simms boots, joins the fun and the soles feature Vibram's Streamtread.

Now a lot of anglers whine about Streamtread but I love it, and I used them on some notoriously bad waters. To be fair, I put a lot of metal on the bottoms of my Simms boots and I think the Streamtread is only mediocre without studs. While the Ripraps will accept Simms studs and cleats I wouldn't recommend it. I studded mine up but I could feel the screws with every step and took them out about two days later. No sweat though, they still grip decent in the water and far better than felt on the trail anyway. So yeah, if you're a wet wading fan go support your local fly shop and buy a pair of Riprap shoes.

PS-Don't wait 'til July to do so, your local shop and most dealers everywhere will probably be low or out of stock. They move quickly and sometimes Simms gets backordered from the factory too.

PPS-I tried to attach a picture of these things but my computer is being obstinate so instead check them out here.