Dave

Half way to Buffalo IMHO. The Aluminum cleats should do the job as the more rocks one steps on the rougher the surface will get and hence grab.

The place these boots fall down, and again, IMHO, is in the height of the boot. And it's not just these, most are the same height.

Speaking as an "experienced" broken leg critter my own self I can say with great certainty, there is no way in Hell I'd be walking around after just 4 weeks if it were not for the LL Bean boots I was wearing when I went down. Now granted, they are not wading shoes/boots, but I learned a very valuable lesson from those boots.

When I first got them they sucked as they were so tight they were to the point of painful. I wore them off and on for some 2 years and believe I broke them in last year when I used them in a pair of Huron snow shoes. After that they became as comfortable as bed slippers, but they were still stiff in the uppers. The boots are 12 inches high and offer some great support, But because they are so stiff in the uppers they acted like a ski boot when I went down.  There is no doubt in my military mind that had I been wearing anything else I'd have gotten a lot worst out of that fall.

With that said, I think the best design in a wading shoe/boot should be one that allows for the least amount of damage in a fall.  Let's face it, we wade on rock strewn streams, we're gonna go down sooner or later. The stiff uppers on a 12 inch boot I think would be a great addition to any line.

Trust me when I say, it's somewhat of a Bitch to be learning to walk again at 63. Rule one, prevent the fall and breakage. Rule two, if you go down, keep the damage minimal