William Joseph W2O Wading Boots

[Phil Lilley]

Gear Review: William Joseph W2O Wading Boots

By Ken Morrow

I’ve probably spent as many hours of my adult life wearing wading boots as I have wearing hunting, hiking, and work boots. And that is a lot of hours, let me tell you! My quest for the perfect hunting boot ended a few years ago when I found a wonderful pair of Irish Setters. Alas, they discontinued that model the next year. I’ve still never found a work boot I’m completely happy with because there seems to be some inherent give and take in the protection versus weight equation. And while preferences and theories of hiking boots vary, I have personally found a couple of models that strike the appropriate balance for me. But wading boots have always fit into one of three unsatisfactory categories for me: too heavy, too flimsy, or just plain junk. Until now!

This past winter, I got a box from William Joseph that contained a pair of their new W2O Wading Boots in my size. I had read a couple of reviews on-line and seen them on their website. But upon first examination I was very impressed. The looks were “as advertised,” very sporty and fashionable. In their catalog, WJ suggests that the ideal wading boot should not be so ugly as to cause other anglers to kick the wearer’s butt. In my experience, there are three fashion sensibilities among fly anglers: the Elmer Fudds who try to look ridiculous, the LL Bean crowd who try to look wealthy, and the good ole boys who mostly want stuff to work well without making any fashion statement. Of course, they have developed a non-descript fashion signature all their own in spite of themselves. Elmers won’t like these boots because they aren’t stupid looking. Beaners will find their looks acceptable to the point where performance is the key. And the good ole boys will love them because they can get away with looking good, but not draw scorn from their buddies in the parking area or fishing camp. WJ says you’ll be tempted to wear them around town with your street clothes. While I suffer from no such urge I can see what they are talking about.

Hefting the boots out of the box, I was instantly impressed with their featherweight status. These are by far the lightest wading boots I have ever personally touched. They weigh about the same as a pair of sneakers when dry, or a wet pair of jogging shoes when you walk out of the stream. So I immediately began checking them for safety and durability indications. Sneakers they are not! Constructed of pre-shrunk leather, Hypalon wraps, a mountaineering insole, and combination rubber-felt soles; the W2O boots mean business. They have an articulated heel high-top ankle that gives added comfort to the angler who covers a lot of ground like a good hiking boot or athletic high-top would. They employ a flawless speed-lace system combined with a positive traction industrial Velcro leather ankle strap. The toe and heel of the sole are capped in extruded rubber plates resembling steel taps on a pair of dancing shoes, and the rest is high quality felt. I stepped on the toes, squeezed the sides and tops and tried to bend the boot heel-to-toe to check flexibility. Using their style of dense material design WJ often employs in their products, they have come up with an incredibly light and amazingly rugged wading boot. Eureka!

Try as one might; however, the only real and meaningful test for any footwear is actually wearing them. And a lot of specialty footwear products these days have some interesting little quirks that you only discover from extended wear. Nike joggers and cross-trainers, for example, are great for me when wearing them for the sport they were intended for. But if I sit down in them, or wear them for regular daily “street” wear, they hurt my feet – badly!

Well, I have worn these WJ W2O’s now for several months in ice cold waters, rocky bottoms, silty/sandy bottoms, weedy streams, asphalt parking lots, grassy campsites, over rocky and broken mountain trails, and on a 2 mile road march from one fishing hole to another. And I’m in love! I will say this about them though, if you are fishing extremely cold waters in a cool climate, give some preparation to keeping your feet warm. These boots do not offer much in the way of insulation on purpose. But I never needed more than a pair of thick wool socks under my waders and then the boots…even when standing pretty much in one place in sub-50 degree water all day. But the next time I do that, I’m taking a set of Grabber Warmer toe warmers to stick on the toes of my socks. I wasn’t uncomfortable enough for it to matter, but I was uncomfortable enough for it to be noticeable after several hours.

As usual, when you add the unconditional, no BS warranty that William Joseph backs all of their products with, the W2O Wading Boots are simply an amazing value for anyone who cares more about the weight of their wading boots than they do the insulation factor. I personally think that all hike-in and pack-in anglers should have a pair or two of these boots. That is the application for which I believe they truly shine their brightest. And if WJ ever decides to discontinue this model of boot, I’m going to order three more pairs for my future use. You can find the WJ W2O Wading Boots and all of the wonderful William Joseph fishing gear on-line at http://www.williamjosephfishing.net or at many fine fly shops around the world.

[Kansas Fly Fisher]

Good review. Thanks for the "heads-up." I'll have to check them out the next time I'm in the market for a new pair. Unfortunately, I just bought a new pair so it may be a while.

John