Leather Care for Your Simms Wading Boots
simms guide boot g3 fly fishing #flyfishing tip texas fly fishing
Caring for leather on a wading boot can be easy if you just do it. As a former shoe-shiner-shoe-salesman, I would consider myself to have an above average interest in footwear, its quality, care and maintenance. At first I found the idea of leather on a wading boot rather against my common sense, BUT when it comes to wading boots, there’s no question for me – the Simms G3 Guide Boot wading boots are absolutely the best boots running as of this writing. Read more …
PERSONAL FOOT CHARACTERISTICS
While this article is about the care and maintenance of the leather pieces of your Simms boots, I have to tell you a little bit about my own pedal characteristics – in as few words as possible. I have small feet with significant arches. Normally, I wear a US 8.5 to 9 in medium width. I purchased the G3s knowing these would be my winter boots, heavy and with heavy socks and full waders. That took me to a size US 10. I also have a tendency to walk with a tight gait, meaning I have inflicted scratches on the toes of my boots, just like my equally expensive (but more sensitive) dress shoes. Those scratches, on my first generation boots, come from the standard HardBite Studs for Vibram. I’ll take the scratches for the kind of grip they provide in places like Beaver’s Bend, Oklahoma – a place with a well-known reputation for felling fly fishers.
What Simms Says?
It’s understandable, with all the people, all the opinions, how Grandpa used to do it, etc … that Simms doesn’t really come right out and say, “USE THIS” to take care of leather submerged in water for extended periods of time. I wouldn’t offer up much myself, other than what they do say about some care being needed when leather dries out over time. Remember that UV light is also a rapid consumer of organic leather products, so dry in the open shade not direct sun. Heat/heaters are also a detriment to the life of leather.
The results: I haven’t been to water yet, but the boots have had a couple of days to dry, and they are definitely closer in color to the original appearance. They definitely absorbed A LOT of the Sno-Seal product. Be sure to wipe off the excess, even though once they are submerged the dirt the excess collects will be washed away. Always consider dirt and fine gravel a “grinder” for leather – rapidly accelerating the wear areas of any leather product.
