Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska what hip boots for brown bear hunt?

Bulletbutt,

Putting on breathable waders does take some time to get geared up, but if your spending most of the day fishing or hunting (which I haven't done with mine) it's not that much of an issue. I always liked the easy on easy off aspect of hip boots for short periods of fishing or hunting so I still use both types.

I've been truly impressed with the fit of lace up boots and the added thickness of neoprene booties is not an issue. There's a lot of cushion and warmth with the booties but the fit is great and there's no issues with blisters from a sloppy fit. Over the course of my life I've spent a few hundred days wearing waders or hip boots of all types and for all day comfort neoprene booties with lace up boots are the best.

It's easy enough to find a store and bring some apprpriate socks along to try em out.

fish head

For the amount of money that one spends on a Brown Bear hunt it might be prudent to get a pair custom made someplace so they fit perfectly.

Yes, fit is paramount. After 2 or 3 weeks in Alaska, whatever I take is nearly worn out when I make it home.

fish head; Are the ones you were talking about made by Simms?

I presently have some Cabela's waist high neoprene waders in a bootfoot, but they are pretty warm most of the time, and I'd love to have some lighter breathable ones because I'd wear them more, but I want to get some that will last.

The waders I got are chest high Dan Bailey and the boots are Korkers. I really wasn't familar with either when I bought them but at 40% off I figured what the heck. After I got them I looked online for reviews and they were both highly regarded and had good reviews. I bought them two summers ago and no leaks yet. Simms has a great reputation for top end gear also. My buddy has bought and used a couple pair of inexpensive Hodgman breathables and has been happy with those. He gets at least a couple of years out of them. The technology in all of them seems to work well but like any type of wader they do have a life span. I'm not an expert in all the different brands of waders.

The next pair I buy will be waist high breathables. The chest high waders are too warm in hot weather but still more tolerable than my chest high neoprenes. The two pair of rubber hip boots I have are starting to show their age and they will be replaced by the waist high breathables.

fish head

Now that I've talked to you I'm going to look into waist-high breathables with a stockingfoot. I can wear them clam digging and not get my butt wet, like I did last time with hipboots on.
I've heard that alot of people wear tennis shoes with stockingfoot waders. Have you?

I've never used tennis shoes and for fishing I wanted something heavier duty for wading in rivers. The fist two pair of lace up boots I had were simply cheap man made leather mid height work boots. Don't get boots or whatever that are insulated or with padded tounges if you do go cheap. The insulation holds water and gets very heavy. You need to buy them about two sizes bigger also. The new wading boots I have are far better.

I've been clamming before and an inexpensive pair of breathables should probably work fine. Clamming is about as rough as can be on waders etc. and I'd be reluctant to use high dollar ones. Even if you poked a hole in them it's not like your standing in water all day. I always wore my neoprene chest highs, but it was always cool or cold.

fish head

fish head

my .02 adjusted for inlation


have spent a fair amount of time in hip boots as I wore them every day for about 40 days bou/moose/bear hunting
have tried many of the recos


what I used the most was the Lacrosse Big Chief ankle fit insulated with air bob soles that have been mentioned. Have probably had 5-6 pair of them. My experience mirrors Phil's, had one pair last 5 seasons before giving up the ghost, the Chinese versions aren't as skookum but would most likely get you through this hunt just fine.

those type of boots while not perfect were my "go to" and still use them a fair amount, last falls moose hunt, running the boat I have some there whether I wear them or not.


chest or waist high goretex type waders. really like them but not for hiking. Quite a few of the guys I worked with used the chest highs. I opted for the waist highs and still love them for float hunting or on the boat, but not for any serious hiking. But on cold days, my feet did better sitting and glass in the Big Chiefs than my companeros seemed to do in the chest high waders with wading boots. And while I detest any kind of bib overall setup, if I decided this was my best option I'd reco the chest high versus the waist high. At least you can take the wading belt off and get some minor ventilation. with the waist highs the belt has to stay cinched up around your waist to keep them up, thus no ventilation and if you hike much in them you'll shortly be singing "from the window to the walls, till the sweat drops off my balls" But I do love my waist highs for float hunting during the floating part.

neoprene hippers. Only used them one season, but still have them, thought they'd be the bomb, till I went in one burn after moose, punctured them right quick it did. Break out the repair kit and patch them. Easy to get on and off, yes, comfortable yes though as Art said they are much warmer. But I could take the hip strap roll the boot down to my knees and use said hip strap to wrap around my lower leg and fasten and have knee high boots. that helped immensely. The patch has held, but I've never taken them on another hunt, sometimes they're in my boat but that's it. When I go to hunt, I want to hunt, not patch my boots.

Neoprene chest waders, I only use in very cool temps for fishing, much too hot to consider for bear hunting ime.


sooooo long story short, were I in your shoes but still had my experiences, I'd opt for the Big Chiefs. It's like raingear, ain't none of it perfect but you just settle for what's gonna serve you best for the type hunt you're going to do. Pizzes me off to buy $120 boots that you know won't be around next season possibly. but would still be my choice

I did notice your guide recoed uninsulated ankle fit hippers. Surprised me. I've always liked the insulated versions. not much colder ime, than a rubber type boot on a cold day.

regardless of what you choose, get some of the toe or foot warmers to have on hand. If you have to hike and then stop and glass for hours, you'll be sweated up and you can literally be miserable because of your feet. I like the toe warmers versus the whole sole, but they must have the adhesive for me.
You'll thank me for this advice if you need it.

I've spent way too many miserable days afield before those found their way into my kit.

1akhunter,

Interesting comments and experiences. I hadn't thought about the excessive sweat issue with sealed up waist highs. Your right, no openings to help them breathe. I will say though that with a heavy pair of socks, neoprene booties and with lace up boots I've had no issues with cold feet and they're very comfortable to hike in. My feet just didn't fit right in the ankle fit big chiefs so I never used them. My friends did though and they liked em a lot. When it was warm in the afternoon it is nice to slip out of the easy on/easy off hip boots to cool off after a hike.

My biggest issue with some of the hip boots I've had is they were fine for hiking until I started going up and down hills. I could walk for miles with them but some didn't offer good enough support on inclines.

Just added thoughts and I'm not disagreeing with anything you said.

fish head

all I can tell ya fishead is none of it's guesswork.

I've tried em all


but I only know for sure what works best for me.

one man's junk is another's treasure, nada wrong with that at all

1akhunter,

Ease up a little on the negatives. Geez ! ! !

The only guesswork I made is with the waist high breathables. That's the ONLY type I haven't owned. I too have tried every other kind over the last 45 years, when I got my first pair of hip boots.

junk/treasure ? ? ? How bout just difference of opinion?

Different feet, different experiences with different brands, etc.

I was trying to pay you a compliment on your experiences.



fish head

evidently I'm not very good at expressing myself with the written word.


I tried to get across that we're on the same page, we've both found what works best for us, but that doesn't mean what works best for me, is gonna work best for you or what works for either of us will be the grail for anyone else.

we can get ideas from other folks on gear that might work for us and it can save us time and money in doing so but in the end each of us must find out if our gear selection really is applicable to our own needs

I try NOT to rant on about things I know little of, but will talk at length of things I have actual experience with, whether it be footwear for the field, or trading commodities.

junk/treasure??? case in point I've a few pair of high end, expensive boots that many sheep hunters rate highly, but my faves that I USE would crack many folks up and they cost less than a 1/3 of what my high end boots did. Does that make them the right choice for everyone else? Or does it mean anyone that uses those high end boots is wasting their money? NOT A CHANCE

I just know what works best for me, but it has certainly been with trial and error and experimentation.

that's all I meant by it's "not guesswork"


didn't intend to slight you by my post at all. but if I did, I offer a humble apology which I hope you'll accept.

sometimes I get lucky with the written word and get my point across, sometimes not so much, seems it was the latter this time. My bad, sorry.

No problems 1akhunter,

Thanks for the response. Apology graciously acepted and appreciated. It was just a misunderstanding of words on my part, so no big deal. And yes, I understand your point on junk/treasure. I have have and use some low end stuff others may scoff at and I own some high end stuff that people brag on and sometimes the low end gear is just as good if not better than the expensive gear. Fishing gear as one example. The status symbols mean nothing to me when it comes to what works.

Best wishes,

fish head

yep just as I figured we're on the same page.

Now you know why I don't write for a living...grin

All depends on the weather! If its a cooler wet spring, a pair of waist high breathables with a real hiking boot mixed with a Helly Hansen Impertech guide coat or Jacket would just about be paradise, If your trying to stay dry, then you might as well stay dry. If its a warmish sunny spring, then things like Hip waders, be it Cabelas or Lacrosse ( I have owned both) and some fleece type breathable pants would also be paradise. Heck even the NEOS river trekkers paired with your favorite hunting boots would work great. It all depends on the weather though.

A tip for all you new to rubber hip boots, dont store your hip boots rolled down, learned that lesson the expensive way, much better to hang em soles up and not create any folds in the rubber to allow cracking to begin in the off season.

great points Cub, specially on hanging boots.

but certainly you bring up another very valid point, what time of year you hunting?

I do very little spring hunting, almost nada the last 20 years when I think of hunting, it starts in August for me and ends by the first week in October. IME springtime hunting certainly lends itself more to keeping heat in rather than fall when most of the time I'm worried about overheating, at least till I stop to glass.

Yep. Boot hangers are money well spent.