Rambling Review – Korkers Hyjack Wading Shoes

Rambling Review – Korkers Hyjack Wading Shoes

Why:

Living in Arizona, I start wet wading as soon as the snow is gone. Generally that means by the end of April or early May, I am lucky enough to leave the bulky, smelly waders at home and don a pair of cargo shorts to hike the small streams in our high country. Typically, I wear my regular wading boots with a pair of sock and a wading booty, but even with all of that material in the boot, it generally is a little loose. I came across the Korkers Hyjack Wading Shoe and thought I would give them a shot. They seemed like they would fit my style small stream fishing perfectly.

First impressions:

The Changeable Soles – The new Korkers design is ingenious. The OmniTrax system is so simple to change out the different soles that they offer. Most any combination that you can think of is available for the bottom of the shoe.

The Fit – The Korker Hyjacks fit wonderfully. I am a size 10 and these shoes in a size 10 fit perfect with a 2mm booty.  Truth be told I tried them on barefoot and they felt pretty good too.

Field Use:

I have spent the past couple of months tromping around the Mogollon Rim splashing in small creeks chasing wild trout and I love the Korker Hyjacks. Typically what I have been doing is wearing the regular Kling-on soles during the hike and in the water with the felt soles in my pack just in case I get into a really slippery round rock creek. What is truly amazing about these shoes is the ease of changing the sole. It really is simple and quick and no time is lost in the process.

These boots are extremely light weight and comfortable to hike in. The Korkers site boasts 100% waterproof material which makes sure these shoes stay nice and light. Korkers added a nice touch with the “Quick Cinch” lacings which cuts down on the standard shoe laces which retain water and weight. The Hyjacks drain quickly and there is none of the heaviness when stepping out of the stream that comes with the bulky wading boot. Overall these boots are lightweight and “grippy” making them pretty much awesome.

Most of the time at the end of a long day sliding around in the stream, my feet are aching and ready for a break. The Hyjacks gave great ankle support even for a “low top” shoe and protected my ever weakening arches. There were several instances where it would have been nice to have higher ankle support, but overall these performed very well in the gnarly backcountry of Arizona.

Pros:

Lightweight

Waterproof material

Quick and easy OmniTrax interchangeable soles

True size fitting

Cons:

Different soles sold separately.

Kling-On Sticky Soles started to wear around the edges after several hard hikes in the field.

Durability of the mesh sidewall

Prognosis: The Korkers Hyjack Wading Shoe is the ultimate small stream wet wading shoe. A must have for the creek stalking fisherman.

 

***Update 8/17/13 – The Korkers Hyjack Wading Shoes have served me well. My first pair gave up the ghost after a year of hard abuse, and because I liked them, I bought another pair. The second pair lasted about a year as well and ultimately blew out. Although I like the concept behind the Korkers model, durability seems to be a weakness.

 

 

 

 

* Disclaimer:

The reviews at Arizona Wanderings are my honest opinion. Arizona Wanderings is not sponsored by or associated with any of the stated companies and is accepting no compensation, monetary or otherwise, in exchange for this review.  The Korkers Hyjack shoe was purchased at the “pro” rate price for the purpose of this review. My independent status may change in the future but, as of the date of publication, no relationship other than described above has been pursued or established.