I recently had a chance to test-fish Cloudveil’s new Crystal Creek wading pant and 8x Gripper rubber boots.  The pants are designed for shallow wading, and the non-felt boots comply with Trout Unlimited’s plea (along with many state game departments) to not wear felt-bottomed shoes, so you don’t inadvertently carry invasive species such as didymo or rock snot to other, uninfected waters.
  
I liked the pants, though I have to admit that I used them on New York’s Beaverkill and at times was thinking I should be wearing Cloudveil’s chest-high 8X waders instead. Frankly, I came real close to wading over my waist on more than a few occasions. But they were comfortable, kept me dry, had some good pockets, and having a zipper on a wading pant is very cool concept. My bad on wading too deep.

With Vibram ‘Idrogrip’ soles, a “breakthrough compound that significantly improves grip on slick surfaces,” the boots worked surprisingly well on the pea-gravel and small rocks common in the Beaverkill. I don’t know about using rubber-bottom shoes on really slippery bottoms, like the kind found on my favorite stream, the Neversink, or the upstate New York Salmon River. I’ll stay away from felt – or, at the least, designate a felt pair solely for use on the Neversink, another pair for the Salmon, and so on. But rubber soles, even first-rate ones like these, make me nervous on slippery rocks, and I’m thinking either studded boots or Corkers might be a better option. But, I’ll do some more testing before I make up my mind on this one.
   
Cloudveil is an up and comer in the fishing world, having gotten its roots in skiing and hiking and then taken that technology and brought it to fishing. Check them out at cloudveil.com. They have really solid, hi-tech gear.
   
Oh, and the pants? $375. Shoes - $150. Pretty pricey on the pants, but they’re sturdy, and should last a long time. Use them for what they’re designed for, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised. – Jay Cassell

Comments (4)

from NH Philosopher wrote 20 weeks 4 hours ago

Cloudveil makes an OK quality product - but at the end of the day they are too expensive for what they are. SIMMS and CABELAS as well as ORVIS offer better products at better prices. Cloudveil is getting there - but better products are out there.

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from Clay Cooper wrote 19 weeks 4 days ago

As for the pants maybe pretty good product. But for the boots two thumbs down because the padding above the ankles really chafes the hell out of me and will not wear them! There is only a few boots that I will wear just because of this reason.

Shoes for $150 pretty damn proud of them they are!

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from WAH wrote 19 weeks 1 hour ago

I wore the boots all last summer doing stream sampling for the MD DNR. It did not take long at all for the strap that goes behind the ankle to snap, and by the end of the summer at least 1/2 of the seams had begun to pop. They may not have been designed to take the level of daily abuse we put them through (long hikes through woods/fields to get to sample sites in addition to actual wading, daily decontamination with bleach) but in spite of this it seemed that durability was somewhat lacking.

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from Jamus wrote 18 weeks 2 days ago

thing i dont like is that thin materiel.1 pricker bush and you have a tear.the boots look sweeat though.

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from NH Philosopher wrote 20 weeks 4 hours ago

Cloudveil makes an OK quality product - but at the end of the day they are too expensive for what they are. SIMMS and CABELAS as well as ORVIS offer better products at better prices. Cloudveil is getting there - but better products are out there.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Clay Cooper wrote 19 weeks 4 days ago

As for the pants maybe pretty good product. But for the boots two thumbs down because the padding above the ankles really chafes the hell out of me and will not wear them! There is only a few boots that I will wear just because of this reason.

Shoes for $150 pretty damn proud of them they are!

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from WAH wrote 19 weeks 1 hour ago

I wore the boots all last summer doing stream sampling for the MD DNR. It did not take long at all for the strap that goes behind the ankle to snap, and by the end of the summer at least 1/2 of the seams had begun to pop. They may not have been designed to take the level of daily abuse we put them through (long hikes through woods/fields to get to sample sites in addition to actual wading, daily decontamination with bleach) but in spite of this it seemed that durability was somewhat lacking.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Jamus wrote 18 weeks 2 days ago

thing i dont like is that thin materiel.1 pricker bush and you have a tear.the boots look sweeat though.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

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All submitted comments are subject to the rules set forth in our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.