Pete Tyjas takes a look back on his season and wearing the Vision Loikka wading boots and gives his feedback on them.
I have had the Vision Loikka wading boots just over a year now and thought a proper long term review might be of interest to readers of ESF.
In that year they have been used pretty much every day on everything from a short walk down to the river to a long hike in to a secret stream.
I have worn the boots in a variety of rivers from easy wading silt bottomed streams to Scottish salmon rivers via moss covered boulder-strewn streams and the fast running mountain streams of Montana too.
So, it is quite fair to say they have been properly road tested!
I decided on the Gummi and Stud option to give me a good grip on the variety of surfaces as listed above and have found it to be the right choice. I know some anglers prefer having no studs, feeling the crunch of them on stones can put off fish but I prefer to have the added insurance as I am not the rock hopping trout angler I used to be.
A long walk in to a stream in heavy boots can really make a difference and I have made some pretty long walks to spots to fish and have found the lightness of the boot, not quite training shoe like, but not far off. They are also very comfortable to wear. When it comes to sizing, I went for one size bigger than my shoe size which has been perfect, allowing me to wear a standard pair of wading socks but also I have found I can add a pair of thin insulating socks too without any discomfort. The boots are not too narrow, something I have found in other brands in the past.
The biggest issue I have is with wear and tear of wading boots. I am out just about every day of the season and my boots never get dry. I don’t leave them in the back of the car but place them in a sheltered area outdoors if it is raining or if it is dry just leave them out overnight but most times it isn’t enough for them to dry completely.
In the past I have had boots with a bonded sole fall off completely after 6 months or so of hard wear. When it come to the Loikkas I have watched the front end of the boots or the rubber shield as Vision call it protects the toe area and although a good idea, could easily get stubbed on rocks and end up being a weak point as it works loose.
Mine started to do this and to be honest I thought it would be a matter of time before the rest of the sole parted company with the upper. I have been pleasantly surprised this hasn’t happened and although there is a slight gap as yet it hasn’t worsened or looked like falling off.
The Gummi soles are prone to wear if you do walk long distances in them, I guess they are a little softer to help adhesion when wading, but this probably sounds like a minus but it isn’t if you have the studs too. The reason for this is that as the soles wear it exposes the studs some more offering more grip and I have found the traction is just as good.
The upper is still in pretty good shape and has a few splits but only small. I did need to change the laces as mine rotted, another consequence of them not drying properly but that is about it.
I reckon these will last me a good while yet and I have also noticed a fair few of my “fishing bum” friends are wearing them too. I take this to be a thumbs up for a keenly priced boot that is well thought out, looks a little different and does the job perfectly.
It doesn't feel like these boots are likely to give up anytime soon but when they do I don't see any reason why I won't go for the same again.
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