Material: Flexible rubber with foam lining
High Rise: 16 inches (can be rolled down)
Outsole: Slip-resistant, nonmarring black rubber with quarter-inch-deep chevron-tread pattern. Three-eighths-inch heel.
Insole: High-density contoured EVA foam
Moisture/Odor Protection: 2 mm EverDry with DuraFresh
Color(s): Dark green only, which could get hot on a sunny day.
Weight: 2.6 pounds per boot (heaviest of the group)
Comfort Rating: 8
Comments: A bit tight, especially if you have wide feet or high arches. If you wear thick socks, step up a size.
Price: $134.95; shoebuy.com
Material: Flexible rubber with felt lining
Medium Rise: 11 inches (can be rolled down)
Outsole: Slip-resistant nonmarring tan rubber with mini grooves to channel away water. Quarter-inch heel.
Insole: Shock-absorbing, contoured foam foot pad.
Moisture/Odor Protection: Removable foot pad lets you air out the insole after a long day on the water.
Color(s): Black or white, the preferred color for warm climates
Weight: 1.95 pounds per boot
Comfort Rating: 9
Comments: Plenty of room for heavy socks. They live up to their rugged name.
Price: $69.99; basspro.com
Material: Flexible polymer reminiscent of Crocs
Low Rise: 7 inches (can’t be rolled down)
Outsole: Slip-resistant nonmarring tan rubber with mini grooves to channel away water. Quarter-inch heel.
Insole: Shock-absorbing contoured foam foot pad
Moisture/Odor Protection: None
Color(s): Gray or tan, both good colors for warm climates
Weight: 0.8 pound per boot (lightest of the group)
Comfort Rating: 8
Comments: These run on the large side but offer plenty of room for heavy socks. Great for boaters with wide feet or high arches.
Price: $74.99; tackledirect.com
Material: Neoprene upper with flexible rubber below, lined with neoprene
High Rise: 12 inches (can be rolled down)
Outsole: Slip-resistant nonmarring blue rubber with one-eighth-inch trade pattern. No heel.
Insole: Shock-absorbing contoured foam pad
Moisture/Odor Protection: Removable foot pad lets you air out the insole between trips.
Color(s): Dark blue or black/gray upper
Weight: 1.57 pounds per boot
Comfort Rating: 8
Comments: These new-generation Xtratuf deck boots run on the small side, so step up a size or two.
Price: $99.99; xtratufboots.com
Not all boaters wear deck shoes or flip-flops. Some don deck boots. This is particularly true of boating anglers in cooler climes where keeping your feet dry is important. Yet so is comfort.
To help you decide which waterproof deck boots are most comfy, we compared four brands all in size 11 (the author’s size), each in the course of a winter’s day on the boat. Our subjective comfort rating is on a 10-point scale, 10 being best.
