The Grundéns Bankside Wading Boots are new wading boots that are part of Grunden’s new Fly Collection of fishing gear aimed at fly fishing enthusiasts.
To get us a closer look, Grundéns sent Man Makes Fire a pair of the Bankside Wading Boots to test. Man Makes Fire gear reviewer Chris Maxcer took a pair of Bankside Wading Boots out on an Idaho river while fly fishing to test the real-world performance of the boots. To help you determine if the Bankside Wading Boots are right for you, here is what he learned and here are his buying recommendations:
Review: Grundéns Bankside Wading Boots
The Grundens Bankside Wading Boots are stable and burly — yet surprisingly flexible and comfortable.Earlier this summer, I tested and reviewed the new Grundéns Boundary Stockingfoot Waders. You can read my full Boundary Stockingfoot Waders review for more detail, but the short version is this: The Grundéns Boundary Stockingfoot Waders deliver outstanding fit, finish and waterproof/breathable performance through an excellent implementation of GORE-TEX Pro waterproof/breathable fabric. The Boundary Stockingfoot Wader competes very well against the best waders made by industry heavyweights Simms, Orvis, and Patagonia.
It makes complete sense that Grundéns would create a wading boot to go with its new waders — especially because Grundéns has been making great footwear for years. So how are the Bankside Wading Boots? Are they comfortable? Rugged? Stable? Grippy?
To test them, I wore them while fly fishing on one of my favorite Idaho cutthroat trout rivers that has cold, clear water and slick, bowling-ball sized rocks and boulders. On this particularly stretch of river, you need a stable wading boot and good traction or you’re likely to slip and fall.
Bankside Wading Boots Traction
The Vibram Idrogrip sole offers great trail and bank traction with competitive in-water traction on slick rocks.I found the Grundéns Bankside Wading Boots to be very stable, very comfortable and reasonably grippy on wet, slick rocks. I would say the in-water grip was consistent with other high-quality rubber-soled wading boots from Simms, Orvis, Patagonia, Korkers, and Redington that I’ve tested on the same river.
On dry rocks, gravel, and steep dirt trails and banks, the Vibram Idrogrip rubber outsole gave me great traction — as expected.
On slick, smooth wet and underwater rocks, the traction was good but not as good as traditional felt. In my experience, felt soles consistently deliver superior in-water traction on slick rocks compared to rubber soled wading boots. However, there are two drawbacks to felt soles: First, on dry ground on steep trails, felt soles don’t provide much traction compared to rubber-soled wading boots. Second, there are some states that have banned felt soles due to concerns over aquatic invasive species being able to hitch a ride in the felt. (Side note: Regardless of their sole choices, responsible anglers always inspect, dry and/or disinfect their gear before moving between different watersheds.)
The Bankside Wading Boot in-water traction is comparable to competitive wading boots with rubber soles.
How to Get Even Better Traction
For extra traction on wet, slick rocks, you can add screw in cleats and studs that perfectly fit key spots on the Bankside sole. Adding studs gives rubber soles in-water traction that approaches the effectiveness of felt soles.In my experience, rubber soles can deliver much better in-water traction if you add metal studs to the soles. Like other wading boot manufacturers, Grundéns has created a sole pattern that’s ready for studs — and in particular, ready for the Grundéns HEXAGRIP Alloy Cleat & Carbide Stud Puck Pack.
I did not test this particular stud pack, but you can see where the hex-shaped studs fit into the sole of the Bankside Wading Boots. In addition, Grundéns includes some more standard screw shapes that have specific installation spots, too.
I’m a fan of hex-shaped stud patterns, and I have no doubt that you’ll gain excellent traction capabilities if you install the stud accessory pack.
There is one drawback to studded rubber-soled wading boots: The studs are not good for wearing in inflatable rafts or on some boat decks. Also, to prevent damage to their floors, stream-side fly shop owners often don’t allow patrons to wear studded wading boots inside their shops.
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Initial Rugged Quality Assessment
Initial fit and finish is excellent. Note the coverage of the rubber rand, including triple stitching in high-wear areas, as well as the many drain holes for fast draining.The Bankside Wading Boots are burly and are very well made. You get a Nubuck leather upper, which is quite durable, paired with a big rubber toe-rand bumper that uses a triple line of stitches to keep it in place.
I’ve worn other boots with Vibram Idrogrip soles, and the sole delivers a good balance between traction and durability.
I expect the Grundéns Bankside Wading Boots to last multiple seasons for most fly fishers. Initial quality appears to be excellent.
Bankside Wading Boots Fit Recommendations
Despite their burly out-of-the-box appearance, the Grundens Bankside Wading Boots have surprisingly good flex while maintaining support and stability.The Grundéns Bankside Wading Boots are more comfortable and flex better in person than they might seem just looking at them. I was pleasantly surprised at the flex. Many competing wading boots that are this burly and are made of similar materials often flex less and are less comfortable.
The interior is smooth and Grundens has designed a small heel cup to help keep your heels from slipping.
That said, I think the overall fit is a bit large. I wear a size 14 in most shoes and boots, but my foot is a bit closer to a 13.5. Because no footwear manufacturer that I know of makes a 13.5, I usually wear a 14.
I believe I could easily size down to a 13 and get a better overall fit. There is enough length and room in the toe box for me personally to size down. Of course, the thickness of your socks and the thickness of your booties in your stockingfoot waders can make a difference.
If your regular shoe size is a half size, we believe you can likely size down for the best fit in the Bankside Wading Boots.
For me, wearing standard cotton socks with the Grundéns Boundary Stockingfoot Waders, I’m nearly certain I could size down to a 13. With that experience, I believe that men with half-size street shoes will get a better fit if they size down. So if you’re a size 12.5, I would recommend that you order a 12 in the Bankside Wading Boots.
If you’re an even size, you might be able to go either way.
Grundéns has an online size chart on its Bankside product page that shows you how to measure your feet. When I measure the length of my foot using the Grunden’s size chart, it says I’m a size 14, which is the size I tested. I still believe I could size down and have a better experience (unless I planned on wearing thick wool socks).
Competitive Alternatives & Options
If you’re considering the Grundéns Bankside Wading Boots, there are some rugged competitive alternative options that might also meet your needs. These wading boot options noted below have similar builds, but there are also lightweight wading boots options you could consider in our guide to the best wading boots, too:
Simms G3 Guide Wading Boots — Simms makes a wide variety of wading boots, including the very pricey G4 Pro Boots, but the G3 Guide Wading Boots have a more similar build and price compared to the Bankside Wading Boots. They share a similar Nubuck leather upper with a big scratch rubber rand. For improved traction, you can add studs, but Simms also offers a felt-sole version.
Orvis Pro Wading Boots — The Orvis Pro Wading Boots have a rugged build like the Bankside Wading boots but the Orvis Pro boots use a synthetic upper construction. The key benefit is a lighter upper that sheds water well, but the drawback is that synthetics don’t crease and mold to your foot like leather boots can. Like the other rubber-soled options noted here, you can add studs for extra traction. Orvis also offers a hybrid rubber-felt sole version.
Korkers Devil’s Canyon — The Korkers Devil’s Canyon wading boots are surprisingly lightweight and comfortable for their rugged build. The key difference is a BOA lacing system and the OmniTrax Interchangeable Sole System that lets you change out the entire sole to change the traction characteristics. The system works very well, but isn’t quite as good in soft and silty mud.
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The Bottom Line
The Grundéns Bankside Wading Boots are burly boots that are surprisingly comfortable. Even though they don’t look like it out the box, on the river they deliver great flex over rugged terrain. The build quality is excellent and the price-to-value ratio is very competitive. We think the fit is slightly large and believe that most half-size customers could successful size down rather than up. Grundéns only offers one wading boot for fly fishing so far as part of its Fly Collection, but if you’re a Grunden’s fan and have chosen the great Boundary Waters Stocking Foot Waders, there’s no reason to stray. Very highly recommended.
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Chris Maxcer has tested and reviewed many pairs of wading boots for Man Makes Fire. He’s personally worn wading boots with stocking foot waders while fly fishing in rivers in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Colorado, Washington and Alaska. He has tested wading boots for fit, traction and stability on steep banks and trails as well as in-water traction on slick rocks. Of course, Maxcer has also written hundreds of in-depth outdoor gear reviews, including independent, first-hand reviews of fly fishing gear, camping gear, hunting gear, backpacking gear, and beach and water play gear. He believes the best way to understand a product is to use it in the real world for the kind of activity it was designed for.
Man Makes Fire publishes independent gear reviews, unencumbered by any requirements from any gear brand or manufacturer.
