Fusion Drysuit, What Boots do You Use?

[Taath]

What boots do you use with your Fusion drysuit? If it's not already on the poll, feel free to drop a comment and I will get it added. By all means feel free to expand on your answer with a reply and explain why you like your boots.

Edited: Either there is no way to let users add their own answer or I'm not forum savvy enough to figure it out, lol.

 

[runsongas]

evo3, good grip on wet rocks at butterfly house and that slimy ramp at pt lobos

 

[decompression]

I've used Fusion, Evo's, wetsuit and CT's.......hate the fusions, like the rest.....

 

[Aqua-Andy]

Bare Trek boots.

 

[Taath]

I've used Fusion, Evo's, wetsuit and CT's.......hate the fusions, like the rest.....

Any issues with Evo3 and frog kick? I've heard mixed opinions on this matter......

 

[boulderjohn]

I no longer dive with a Fusion, but I do have a history.

1. My original Fusion was from when they were first invented. They came with boats specially designed for them. They put my feet into the ScubaPro no man's land of Jet Fin fitting, so I had to get Turtles (before they were sold to XS). The boots sucked. When the lacing broke and I asked Whites how to repair them, they said, well, um, they can't be fixed. If the laces are broken, you have to throw the boot out. (I'm serious.)

2. Whites did away with that boot model and gave me a free pair of their upgraded big, heavy, clunky boot. The good news is they fit my Turtles. The bad news is they were big, heavy, and clunky. I hated them. I hated the way my feet felt when kicking.

3. After that I went to a pair of Converse All Stars. My Turtles no longer fit, but I could now fit (barely) into XL Jet Fins. (I eventually went through several procedures to try to stretch out the foot pocket so they could fit a human foot-I have no idea what species they were designed for.) I of course had to buy them oversized to make room for all the socks (etc.), but I guessed wrong on that size, and after a while I started to have pain in my feet because of the compression. It turned out I have Morton's Neuroma in my right foot, and I need a spacious shoe fit. The tight fit in the Jet Fins was not helping.

4. I bought a nice roomy pair of wet boots and sold the Jet Fins. I used them for a while, but I was not happy. The zippers kept coming open during the dive, and they wore out quickly where the fin fits across the instep. It was during this period of time that I switched to a different dry suit. I could have bought it with built in boots, but I was afraid to do it. I was buying from a dealer over the Internet, and I had no place to try it on first. I was very afraid those boots would be too tight for my foot, and I did not want to be in pain.

5. I bought another, roomier pair of Converse All-Stars, and that is what I am using now, with the wet boots still sitting in the dry suit bag in case I need them. They are OK, but I find them to be a PITA, to be honest. It takes a long time to get the shoes on and laced up, probably in part because I am too inflexible and should probably try to get back to my fighting weight.

In short, I have not been happy with any of my choices and would be glad to hear a good suggestion for something else.

BTW, I still have my original Fusion, size L/XL, with the Si-Tech Ring system, a Bullet skin, and a P-valve. I also still have the Turtles. If anyone is interested.....

 

[Trailboss123]

I primarily use the fusion boots and didn't care for them at all initially. I purchased some fin keepers and put those on my boots when suiting up and it made a world of difference in terms of how my feet felt in the boot. Prior to the fin keepers, I felt like I had all of this excess room in the boot and like my feet were squirming around while diving. I have a pair of the Evo boots as well. I only use those when shore diving very rocky entry/exits and they required me to purchase the Hollis F1 fins to have a large enough and comfortable foot pocket.

 

[tech3324]

I found that zippered wetsuit booties worked so well with my Fusion that I didn't look much further. I briefly experimented with Pinnacle lace-up hard sole boots and Fusion boots, but too cumbersome to bother with and offered no real advantage over wetsuit booties for boat diving. For approaches over rocks or irregular surfaces I'd likely be using hard sole boots like the Pinnacle.

 

[Doby45]

Wetsuit booties, work perfect and cheap to replace. Mine have a Velcro strap that keeps the zipper from unzipping unless I want them to.

 

[decompression]

Any issues with Evo3 and frog kick? I've heard mixed opinions on this matter......

no issues at all........I would think that anyone that does may have a physical issue verses an equipment issue. that said, the evo boot is fairly stiff so a wetsuit boot is far more flexible and might be easier for some.