Thanks for the advice guys. Bigfisher, thank you for the offer, medium would not have fit though.
I bought frogg togg waders and boots today. Couldn't wait to try them out so I ventured down to the Vedder. I had no idea how nice fishing in waders is. Honestly don't know how I fished with out them.
Sort of a side note. A riveted metal lace buckle popped out when I tied the boots up. I'm not concerned at all at this point, if that boot can't be exchanged because I used them in the river, no big deal I'm sure that's a quick fix for a shoe repair shop. It does however, that makes me wonder if I should have spent a little more and gone sims.
Where did you buy your boots (& waders)? I'd take them right back to the shop and ask for an exchange. There's no way that a boot buckle should fail on the first trip right out of the box.
I don't know much about Frogg Toggs, but I can say that Simms stands behind its products. Several years ago, I bought a pair of Simms Guide boots and used them hard for a season. At the start of next season, the fabric (mesh) part of the boot came apart from the sole. I showed the folks at M&Y (where I bought them), and with no questions asked I was given a new pair of Simms Guide boots right off the shelf! Again, I used them hard for the season, and the same thing happened the following year. Again, I brought them back, and I received a brand new pair of guide boots - except that year, Simms changed the design of the boot. Apparently, there was a design flaw that somehow resulted in the fabric tearing away from the sole. I've used the third pair of guide boots for many years, and I still have them as a back-up to a pair of Freestone boots (vibram soles) that I bought a couple of seasons ago. Both my Guide and Freestone boots are in good shape, and will hopefully last for years to come.
One quick note about vibram soles...do not, I repeat, do not attempt to walk on slippery logs or rocks with algae using these soles. They are very durable, but on some surfaces, like those I just described, vibram = death slip!!! Just ask Stratocaster who has witnessed me taking a spill on more than one occasion. In fact, I'm going to go back to felt soles on my next pair of Simms boots.
Good luck and please give us an update on how you resolve your boot problem.