Korkers All Axis Shoe Review: Best Wet Wading Shoe?

The Korkers All Axis Shoe is a wet wading shoe designed for fly fishing in warm weather. How does ‘wet wading’ differ from wading to fish, exactly?

Wet wading is simply wading in streams, rivers and lakes while fishing without wearing waterproof waders. The challenge is finding the right footwear for great traction for wet wading.

To get us a closer look, Korkers sent Man Makes Fire a men’s All Axis Shoe for testing and review. Man Makes Fire gear reviewer Chris Maxcer took it out on a lake over Labor Day weekend to get some initial experience with the build, quality, and fit. To help you determine if the Korkers All Axis Shoe is right for you, here is what he learned and his buying recommendations:

 

Review: Korkers All Axis Wading Shoe

I wasn’t able to get the Korkers All Axis Shoe in for review and testing during the height of wet wading summer season this year, but I want to share what I learned from my initial impressions during a September trip to help you decide if the All Axis Shoe — or even the new Swift Sandal — is right for you.

When I wet wade on my home waters in July and August, I usually wear two kinds of footwear: Often I’ll simply wear my wading boots with a thick neoprene sock that takes up the space usually taken up by my stockingfoot waders. This works pretty well and gives me great traction, but traditional wading boots are usually a little heavy and bulky for wet wading.

The Korkers All Axis Shoe blends the benefits of wading boots with the comfort of lightweight water shoes

My other go-to option is to wear a lightweight, general-purpose water shoe like the UA Micro G Kilchis Fishing Shoe. The benefit to lightweight water shoes is that they are nimble and agile. The drawback is that their soles are thin, flexible, and don’t give great traction compared to wading boots.

Enter the Korkers All Axis Shoe. The Korkers All Axis Shoe gives you a great, solid, stable sole with a lightweight and meshy upper.

 

The OmniTrax System

Korkers has been making high-quality wading boots for years. My favorite Korkers wading boot is the Korkers Devil’s Canyon Wading Boot, which is featured in the Man Makes Fire buyers guide to the best wading boots. The key differentiator with all Korkers wading boots is the company’s OmniTrax Interchangable Sole System, which lets you swap out different soles to match the kinds of traction you need.

For example, you could use a felt sole for great in-stream traction on slick rocks. But you could also choose a rubber sole for better on-trail traction for getting to the river. Or you could use a studded rubber sole for massive bite in all sorts of slick conditions. And then swap in a non-studded sole if you’re going to fish out of a raft . . . or walk on the floor of your local fly shop. (Fly shop owners don’t usually like customers walking into their shops with studded soles.)

The All Axis Shoe and Swift Sandals also use the OmniTrax Interchangeable Sole System.

How well does it work? In my experience, the OmniTrax Interchangeable Sole System is stable, rugged, and effective. After putting many miles in and out of the water while testing the Korkers Devil’s Canyon Wading Boots, I’ve never lost a sole or had any issues. Some users I’m aware of have had some soles detach while using the boots in very silty, sucky mud types of conditions. I can see how certain kinds of sticky mud could work its way inside the sole attachment points, but I’m guessing only after extended mud use. For mud flats, you could error toward a different shoe (see my recommended competitive alternative options below).

Build Quality

The upper is lightweight and very well-made. It has all the typical quality you would expect out of a shoe that costs more than $100. You get great stitching, meshy side panels for airflow in hot weather, and hydrophobic materials that don’t absorb water so the shoe dries fast (and doesn’t get heavy through saturation).

The insoles have drain holes that let water flow through internal drainage channels in the sole.

 

Sizing & Fit Recommendations

The right size for you is a bit different than Korkers traditional wading boot sizing. When ordering online, you’ll want to choose the same All Axis size as your regular footwear size. For example, if you’re a size 12, order a Korkers size 12. For me, I’m a size 14 and the Korkers All Axis size 14 fits perfectly — as expected compared to standard size 14 water shoes and street shoes.

(In case you’re wondering, you would typically size up in Korkers wading boots.)

Do You Wear Socks with the All Axis Shoes?

Sizing recommendations bring up some questions, like should you wear socks with the Korkers All Axis Shoes?

You can, and I have. I’ve worn cotton socks and wool socks with the All Axis Shoe for wet wading. But I also like to wear them barefoot.

The interior is barefoot-ready — smooth and comfortable. Very nice, in fact. I appreciate the soft bumper in the heel, which reduces slip when your feet are wet.

You can also wear the All Axis shoe with a relatively thin neoprene wading sock. Standard neoprene wading socks that are 3mm or thicker will likely be too thick to wear with the All Axis Shoe (but are great for wet wading in traditional wading boots). For the All Axis Shoe, which fits more like a street shoe, you’ll want a thin neoprene wading sock.

The Korkers I-Drain Neoprene Wading Sock is 2.5mm thick and might be thin enough for you. Alternately, the .05mm Orvis Neoprene Wading Sock is the thinnest I’ve ever seen and would almost certainly be a good fit for the All Axis Shoe.

Drawbacks to Wet Wading Shoes

There is one annoying drawback to wet wading shoes — sand and debris. When you’re wet wading, sand can get inside your wading shoe. It’s a mild annoyance but not a deal-breaker for most wet wading enthusiasts.

You can choose a wet wading shoe that has a built-in guard sock to prevent sand incursion, but the drawback is a shoe that is warmer and not as comfortable in and out of the water in the summer.

Competitive Alternatives & Options

There are several competitive wet wading shoes designed specifically for wet wading that might also meet your needs. If you’re interested in the Korkers All Axis Shoe, you might also consider these alternative options I can recommend:

Korkers Swift Sandal — Like the Korkers All Axis Shoe, the Swift Sandal uses the same Korkers OmniTrax Interchangeable Sole System. The key difference is the open sandal design. You get the same great stable footbed but with a lighter sandal-like upper. Choose the Swift Sandal if you want awesome traction with an airy, cool design for really hot weather fishing.

Simms Flyweight Access Wet Wading Shoe — The key benefit to the Simms Flyweight Wet Wading Shoe is the high-top design with an ankle-height integrated gasket seal that helps keep sand and debris out. The key drawback to the Flyweight Wet Wading Shoe compared to the All Axis is that it’s warmer and less airy for hot weather fishing.

Orvis PRO Approach Shoes — The Orvis PRO Approach Shoes are sort of like a hybrid hiking shoe that’s capable of wet wading as well as cruising trails or hanging out on your boat. Like the Simms Flyweight Access, the PRO Approach Shoes also include an integrated sock design to prevent sand and debris incursion.

Under Armour Micro G Kilchis Fishing Shoes — The primary benefit to the UA Micro G Kilchis Fishing Shoe is the ultralight, comfortable design. They’re versatile for all sorts of water play, including standup paddleboarding and recreational kayaking and canoeing. The soles grip well on docks, boats, and slick rocks — but the soles are fairly flexible, so they’re not as great on some rocky riverbeds. I’m a big fan — read my full Kilchis review here — but they’re not my first choice for hard-all-day fly fishing in rugged conditions.

The Bottom Line

All in all, the Korkers All Axis Shoe blends the stable sole of traditional Korkers wading boots with a summer-ready lightweight upper. If you’ve been looking for a very stable do-it-all wet wading shoe that’s light enough to wear to the beach and wear around camp on hot summer days, the Korkers All Axis Shoe is hard to beat. Very highly recommended.

Get the Gear:

• Korkers All Axis Shoe — men’s
• Korkers All Axis Shoe — women’s
• Korkers Swift Sandal — men’s
• Korkers Swift Sandal — women’s

Check pricing, availability & buying options:

Amazon | Aventuron | AvidMax | Trident Fly Fishing

Our Gear Review and Tester’s Specific Related Experience:

Chris Maxcer has tested and reviewed dozens of wading boots and wading shoes for Man Makes Fire. He’s personally worn wading boots while wet wading while fly fishing, as well as used water shoes as wet wading shoes while fishing, including from rafts. He’s also tested neoprene socks designed for wet wading in traditional wading boots. 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.

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