LaCrosse Waders, Hip Boots and Chest Waders

Who LaCrosse is

LaCrosse began in 1897 in La Crosse, Wisconsin, as the La Crosse Rubber Mill. According to Wikipedia, the company moved its headquarters to Portland, Oregon, in 2001, merged with Portland's Danner Boots in 1994, and was bought by ABC-Mart, a Tokyo-based retailer, in a deal announced in July 2012 and finalized that August. The article says the rubber boots for farm and hunting are manufactured in Asia. It does not mention waders, so the wader range comes from the maker's product pages and the Amazon listings.

That history explains the catalogue. LaCrosse is a rubber-boot maker first. Its waders look like boots with a longer shaft: bootfoot, insulated, built for standing in cold water, farm work and hunting. That is a different animal from a fly-fishing wader, and I'd say so up front.

What LaCrosse sells on Amazon US now

At our last check (October 2026) we track 14 LaCrosse listings. They fall into four groups.

Rubber hip boots. Five listings: the Grange Hip Boot 32 inch, the Premium Hip Boot 32 inch, the Economy Hip Boot 32 inch ST, the ZXT Irrigation Hip Boot 26 inch and the Insulated Storm Hip Boot 31 inch ST. All are men's rubber bootfoot, per the Amazon listing, and the Grange lists a cleated rubber sole and no insulation. These are for shallow, still-water work: irrigation ditches, ponds, feed lots, and edges of a marsh. Our hip boots page lists other options.

Rubber chest wader. The ZXT Insulator III is a men's insulated chest wader in rubber, listed by the maker for work. It is the only rubber chest wader in our data.

Neoprene hunting waders. Six listings: the Super Brush Tuff 1200G, the Brush Tuff Extreme ATS 1600G, the Mallard II 1000G, the women's Estuary 1200G, the Youth Mallard II 1000G and the Wetlands Insulated Waders 1600G. The number in each name is the boot insulation in grams. Most come in Realtree Max-5 camouflage, except the Wetlands, which the listing gives in Mossy Oak Bottomland.

Breathable. Two listings: the Alpha Agility Select 1600G, a breathable chest wader, and the Alpha Swampfox Breathable 1000G, listing data only.

If you see a dash in the table, the value is not confirmed. "Maker" means LaCrosse's own page states it; "listing" means the Amazon listing says so and the maker page does not.

The main series and who each suits

Alpha Agility Select. The most detailed pair in our data. The maker lists a breathable chest wader, 1,600 g boots and an optional removable 120 g quilted liner. Third-party coverage describes a waterproof nylon upper with double-stitched, taped seams and a top that lowers to convert to waist height. That versatility suits a hunter who starts the morning cold and ends warm. It is heavy to walk in.

Mallard II and Youth Mallard II. Neoprene bootfoot waders with 1,000 g boots. The maker lists the adult Mallard II at 3.5 mm neoprene, with a weight of 140.8 oz, about 8.8 pounds. The youth version is listed by Amazon as a kids' pair. This is the series for cool, still water.

Brush Tuff and Super Brush Tuff. The Brush Tuff Extreme ATS is 5 mm neoprene with 1,600 g boots, per the maker. The Super Brush Tuff 1200G is a chest wader in neoprene with 1,200 g boots from the listing. These are colder-weather neoprene options. "Extreme" in a product name is an adjective, not a spec. The figures worth reading are 5 mm and 1,600 g.

Estuary. A women's pair, 3.5 mm neoprene with 1,200 g boots, listed by the maker for hunting. See the women's waders page for other options.

ZXT, Grange, Premium and Economy. The rubber line. Simple, durable and unglamorous. The materials are rubber per the Amazon listing, which means no breathability, no stretch and no layers to count.

How to read the LaCrosse rows

The first rows in the table are LaCrosse pairs. Four columns decide most purchases.

Height. Hip boot, chest or waist. A hip boot ends at about the top of the thigh, and the water line is where it ends. Our how to wear hip waders guide explains how deep is too deep.

Foot. Everything is bootfoot. That means the boot is attached, you cannot choose it, and the sock you wear matters as much as the wader.

Material. Rubber, neoprene or breathable. Rubber is durable and simple. Neoprene is stretchy and warm. Breathable fabric lets vapour out and suits active use. The breathable vs neoprene guide goes through it.

Insulation. Boot insulation in grams. LaCrosse's numbers run from 600 to 1,600. A higher number is a warmer boot, with a stiffer feel and more weight.

LaCrosse hip waders versus hip boots

The brand name draws searches for hip waders. In our data LaCrosse's equivalent is the hip boot, a rubber boot with a tall shaft, not a breathable hip wader with gravel guards. Hip boots are simple and durable, and they are fine for wading in water below the knee or just above it. They are a poor choice when you may step into a hole. Water over the top does not drain, and a boot full of water is heavy.

LaCrosse neoprene and breathable chest waders

The chest waders split into two camps. The neoprene models (Mallard II, Brush Tuff, Estuary, Super Brush Tuff) are the cold-water answer for a hunter who sits for hours. The Alpha Agility Select is the breathable answer for a hunter who moves, then sits, then moves. If you are choosing between them, the useful question is how much you will walk. The more you walk, the less neoprene helps.

Warranty

LaCrosse's warranty article guarantees products bought from authorized retailers against defects in material and workmanship. The standard term is one year from purchase. The Alpha Agility Select waders get two years. The article says it covers the original purchaser only, and gear used for occupational work has a shorter period. I found this article through search and could not open the page directly, so read the live article for your model before you buy. Keep your receipt where you can find it.

Sizing LaCrosse waders

Bootfoot sizing has two jobs: boot, then body. Start with the boot. If the boot is too tight, the insulation will not do its work, because compressed insulation is cold insulation. Allow for the sock you will wear in the cold. Then check body fit: chest circumference, inseam and, for chest waders, the length from crotch to chest. The maker's size information is on lacrossefootwear.com. Our wader size chart guide explains the measurements, and the youth wader size chart covers kids.

I did not find reliable data on whether LaCrosse waders run large or small, so I won't say.

LaCrosse and children's waders

The Youth Mallard II 1000G is the only youth LaCrosse pair in our data. Everything about it comes from the Amazon listing: kids' fit, 1,000 g boot insulation and reinforced knees. If a child will wear waders, keep an adult within reach, and use the kids waders page and the youth size guide. Waders are not flotation, and a child in moving water needs close supervision.

LaCrosse compared with other bootfoot makers

LaCrosse competes for hunting dollars with Drake Waterfowl, Banded and Frogg Toggs, all of which have pages on this site. See Drake, Banded and Frogg Toggs. In our data their bootfoot waders are mostly breathable, with warranties of one to four years. If you want to compare LaCrosse's duck-hunting waders with others, the duck hunting waders and insulated waders pages put them side by side.

Choosing between the LaCrosse groups

Ask three questions, in this order.

1. How deep will you stand? If the answer is below the knee, a hip boot is enough. If it is above the thigh, you need a chest wader, and with a chest wader you need a wading belt cinched snugly, because the belt limits how much water enters in a fall.
2. How much will you walk? Standing in a blind or on a bank points to insulated neoprene. Moving between spots points to the breathable Alpha Agility Select or to a stockingfoot pair from another brand.
3. How cold is the water? The boot insulation figure matters most here. The data runs from 600 g up to 1,600 g across LaCrosse's insulated pairs.

Rubber hip boots and neoprene waders need the same care. Rinse off mud, dry them inside out away from heaters and direct sun, and store them without sharp folds. Our guides to cleaning waders and storing waders have the detail.

Where to go next

Start with waders for the overview, then bootfoot waders, neoprene waders and hunting waders. For a written selection rule applied to duck-hunting pairs, see best duck hunting waders.