“In
a World of Chaos … Vibram Reigns”
By
Chris Frangiosa
I have been working
in fly-shops for most of my life,
and throughout that time I have gotten
used to selling things in a certain
way. After all, if you do the same
thing enough times it becomes automatic.
So up until recently whenever a customer
would ask about wading boots I would
always say something to the tune of
“go with a felt sole, it has
the best grip on rocks by far.”
Selling a rubber soled wading shoe
was always rare despite the fact that
most of my staff and I had been wearing
them for years. This all changed recently
when I entered my 2009 buyers meeting
with Simms Fishing Products out of
Bozeman Montana. The first words out
of their mouth were “we will
be using exclusively Vibram rubber
soles on all of our wading shoes by
2010.
This concept/environmental
stand had been in the works for some
time and is long overdue in the industry.
Simms had been working diligently
to develop a Vibram rubber sole that
would grip as well as felt and would
at the same time greatly reduce the
spread of mud snails and other aquatic
nuisance species to our streams. Felt
despite all of its positive attributes
harbors many invasive species and
tracks them from one stream to another
as the angler travels. The Vibram
rubber soles although not a total
fix of this problem allow the angler
to more easily clean the viral hitchhikers
from the tread.
Simms has always offered
a great selection of products across
their entire line. These boots called
the “Stream Tread” are
no exception. The consumer has five
boots to choose from in the Vibram
line all of which accept screw in
studs to add traction. The G4 Guide
Boot ($219.95) is a full synthetic
boot that is super heavy duty and
will last a lifetime. The Guide Boot
($199.95) is a nubuck leather boot
that is our most popular seller and
offers all day comfort. To complement
the two higher end offerings are the
Rivershed Boot ($179.95) the Headwaters
Boot ($149.95) and the Freestone Boot
($129.95)
With all of these
new Stream Tread boots, Simms has
made something for everyone. This
is a product line that I am very excited
about and I suggest that everyone
stop by one of our three stores or
website to check these out. In the
end, a dedication from Simms and our
fellow anglers could save some of
our most beloved rivers and streams.
Click
here to see more Simms Vibram Boots
