Chota Hippies

I usually "wet" wade when fishing small streams.  I guess I should really say that I try not to wade through small streams, but when I have to I usually wet wade. I wear waterproof leather Wellington boots by Georgia Boot and they do a great job until I step into a hole deeper that 12 inches.  That is were the "wet" comes in.

This year I wanted to try to keep my feet drier so I thought I'd go for a pair of hip waders. Then I came across Chota Hippies and thought that they would be perfect.

Chota Hippies are marketed as wading socks but you can expand them into three different lengths: below the knee, above the knee, and hip waders. They are built from three ply breathable laminate attached to a 3mm thick neoprene sock. There is a neoprene band with a cinch strap that fits just below your knee. These help keep the sock from sliding down. They also protect against a sudden filling of your sock if you overstep your depth limit. There is a built in gravel guard as well. All seams are tape sealed. The sewing and materials appear to be high quality. They are a little spendy at $119.95, but most of Chota products are on the upper end of the price scale. Chota does have a less expensive product called Caney Fork Breathable Knee High Wading Sock. I did not buy this product because I do on occasion need to navigate through deeper pools.

Neoprene band and cinch strap

Neoprene sock and gravel guard with hook

Attached to the upper portion of the sock is a black elastic shock cord. It helps in adjusting the length of the sock and can be used to secure the sock to your belt when the sock is in its full "hipper" position.

To use the below the knee length, just tighten the shock cord somewhat and pull the top to the sock down to the boot. Then roll up to the knee. It stays put.

Knee length

To use thigh length for deeper water, just unroll and pull to sock all the way up. stretch the shock cord to your belt and secure.

Hip length -- I need to loose some weight, what a belly!

Finally,  if you need something in between, just roll them down to above the knee. They are a little baggy in this length but they are affective. I use them mainly in the "below the knee" length and full hip length.

Above the knee length

So, if you are like me and don't like to wear full waist high or chest high waders for fishing small streams, or of you don't already have hip boots, then consider Chota Hippies. They are quite cleaver, high quality,and very effective.