Help: tired of cracked rubber boots

[BRONZ]

I have been wearing rubber knee-high boots for years, but they always crack and are no longer waterproof.   My last pair didn't even make it 12 months.

I need suggestions for something that would allow me to wade creeks to my stands, is less than $150, and is durable...  

Thanks in advance!

[dnovo]

I have a pair of Muck boots in the Woody Max and really like them. I'm on my 3rd season with them and going strong. They are a little more than $150 but worth it. Unless you are in a lot of thorns or brush that would rip a boot open.

[rastaman]

i second the Muck boots!

[Good Stuff]

I have Mucks and like them but they crack too.

[LV2HUNT]

Well, I have a pair of lacrosse knee highs that are close to 20 years old and are not cracked and still plenty waterproof.

That said, I wear muck boots now and am on my second pair. My first pair I got 5 years out of but wore them out from the inside out. I have the Woody Sport now and had the Wetland previously. As long as you remember that you have neoprene uppers and use some common sense they will last a long time.

[TxAg]

I've a pair of snake proof rubber boots. Whatever makes them snake proof also makes them tough...they're great

[limbolt]

Muck Wetlands,second season and going strong.

[2madjacks]

Lacrosse Alpha's, you can catch them on sale at the BP for as low as $89 normal price is $129

[Rik]

Well, after 30 years, I finally headed east to hunt white tailed deer.

They told me to wear rubber-bottom boots, I don't know why. Seems Daniel Boone and a few others did well with leather.

. . . so I split the difference. I wore Schnees. Out west, men don't wear rubber boots, we wear Schnees or Whites or Kennetrecks, but nonetheless, we wear something with leather. Seems the least we can do.

Back east for the first time? My Leather-upper Schnees did well. Kilt three white tails with a Howard Hill bow, two of them bucks. Not too bad, outside of their element, eh?

My toes stayed toasty warm and dry the whole time.

 

Pretty sure I could do the same in leather moccasins. Only time will tell. . .

[Earl E. Nov...mber]

Store them in a cotton bag while not in use.. My LaCrosse boots are about 6 years old and still going strong..
My waders are older than that and still keep chucking

[Rik]

Oh, I forgot to mention, my Schnees are seven years old, and hard used.

Might have to replace the bottoms in a year or so. Maybe five.

[David Yukon]

Xtratuff ruber boots, they are cheep, tough, and last a long time!! my first paire lasted me wellover 6 years...You can get them insulated or not. Made in the USA.

[Rob W.]

Mucks are great! Older lacrosses are also tough.

[Jim Wright]

I am using a pair of ankle-fit rubber Lacrosse boots I purchased in 1982. They received very light use for about 20 or so years and have been occasionally treated with "Armor-all" but the cinch straps still work and there is nothing wrong with them. Did you by chance buy inexpensive "bargain" rubber boots which don't always turn out to be such?

[Hot Hap]

Do not store rubber boots by electric motors. The ozone given off will crack the rubber. Hap

[Looper]

I second the Schnee's. I absolutely love mine. Xtratuffs are a great boot, too, but they never fit my feet right. I have a high arch and they were too tight across the top of my foot.

[gonzoso]

Originally posted by Hot Hap:
Do not store rubber boots by electric motors. The ozone given off will crack the rubber. Hap

Rubber breaking down is the result of a two step chemical process.  The first requirement is Ozone, or 03 which is produced by many electric motors or outside during thunder storms.  It's kinda present in low concentrations everywhere but is more present in higher concentrations.

The second requirement is a weak acid, which is usually comes in the form of acid rain which is what used to eat car tires.

If  you're walking around wetlands and bogs and such they tend to be very acidic which would contribute to the breakdown of your rubber boots.  A simple solution to this would be to wash your boots thoroughly after every use.

In the future when considering purchasing boots if cracking is a problem call up the boot company and ask what kind of antiozinant they put in their rubber boots to preserve them.  For years tire manufacturers and other rubber related industries have been experimenting and improving various chemical additives to rubber products to slow their breakdown.

[mrjsl]

Lacrosse burly classic. Store them standing up, even if you have to stuff them with something to train them to stand on their own. After a while they will learn. If your boots are cracking around the ankle area, it's because they bend there. If stored standing up, no cracks.

The burly classic is cheaper than the fancier burly models and will outlast them. Chevron sole is better on slippery ground too. For where I live - in Louisiana - if you don't wear 18" rubber boots, you will have wet feet eventually. No matter how nice they are, no leather boot is made for walking around in a foot or so of water day after day, which is routine here.

[Ragnarok Forge]

Bogs.  $70 and the same thing as Muck Boots.  Mine are two years old and look like new.

[Uncle Buck]

have you tried Armor- all? I use it on almost all of my vinyl or rubber stuff, from hunting boots to Jeep dashboards.