I've used a variety over the years. I've been most happy with 'jungle boots' such as the OTB Abyss (no longer available, as far as I know) and Rocky SV2 Jungle boots. They give good support for portaging and also offer good ankle protection when wading through rocks when lining/pulling up rapids. On my last trip my feet wedged into rock crevices on more than one occasion when walking up rapids and it was painful enough with the ankle protection.
The boots have drains in the soles and are made of a breathable material so they don't hold water but you can expect your feet to be wet from morning to night. This can lead to cold feet in chilly weather on days without portages (to get the blood flowing) but it's great in hot weather. While my boots and socks might be wet they never feel steamy, swampy or stagnant since the water is flushed clean every time I step out of the canoe.
I've never had a problem kneeling with those boots but I don't kneel for long periods of time, only in rapids or large waves.
I kick around the idea of taking plain leather boots. Jungle boots have absolutely no resistance to water and will wick it up through the soles even if it's less than an inch deep. It would be nice to have boots that could resist enough water for those quick splash-throughs. On days with only one or two portages it could be possible to have dry feet all day long if the boots offered just a little water resistance.
I've never tried neoprene other than local paddles in cold weather. It seems too uncomfortable to have my feet encased in neoprene all day and I worry it could lead to fungus issues over the course of a few weeks.
Alan
The boots have drains in the soles and are made of a breathable material so they don't hold water but you can expect your feet to be wet from morning to night. This can lead to cold feet in chilly weather on days without portages (to get the blood flowing) but it's great in hot weather. While my boots and socks might be wet they never feel steamy, swampy or stagnant since the water is flushed clean every time I step out of the canoe.
I've never had a problem kneeling with those boots but I don't kneel for long periods of time, only in rapids or large waves.
I kick around the idea of taking plain leather boots. Jungle boots have absolutely no resistance to water and will wick it up through the soles even if it's less than an inch deep. It would be nice to have boots that could resist enough water for those quick splash-throughs. On days with only one or two portages it could be possible to have dry feet all day long if the boots offered just a little water resistance.
I've never tried neoprene other than local paddles in cold weather. It seems too uncomfortable to have my feet encased in neoprene all day and I worry it could lead to fungus issues over the course of a few weeks.
Alan