This post is not a review or an onslaught against Chota. I'd just like to show how my boots have held up in the year and half I've owned them. I bought these boots in May 2012 mainly because of the recommendations from friends. The reputation was that the boots were very durable and will hold up for several years. I fish about 60-70 days a year. 95% or more of these trips involve wading. The other 5% involve fishing from shore or a boat.
The first thing to go on the boots was the inner soles. After two trips the inner soles came unglued in both boots and started to slide around. It became such a nuisance I ripped the soles out. In about 8 months the lace on one of the boots started to come apart. Eventually it got so bad I had to replace the laces. Around the same time the leather on the front of the boots has slowly deteriorated.
You can see overall the boots just look really bad in the front. The rest of the boot has held up pretty well. I was hoping to get a few years out of these boots and I think I can get at least one more. The felt still holds up really well and the part where the leather is splitting isn't so bad that the boot is physically coming apart. Ice skating wax laces have taken the place of original ones. You can get these fairly cheap, $5 at DicksSportingGoods.
How long do your wading boots normally last? How long do you think they should last?
