Need advice on hip boots/waders

I live in the desert and will probably never use these but if I ever wanted to walk in ankle-deep water, I'm not very well equipped.

I figure that I could use neoprene boots that slip over existing shoes and come up past my knee. I don't need any insulation, just the basics.

Anybody have a brand name and model number that is reasonably priced and very durable?

I wade in streams (up to chest deep) at work almost every day... I use Cabelas chest waders and LaCross hip boots - both are excellent. Regardless of what brand you end up purchasing, I highly recomend that you get felt soles. They give much better traction on slippery river rocks than rubber soles do.

Of course for water that's only ankle-deep, all you really need is waterproof hiking or work boots. But a cheap pair of Gor-Tex lined hiking boots is about the same price as a set of chest waders, so I guess you might as well go with the waders or hip boots, right?

Why would you need both waders and hip boots?

I thought that waders were an extended (in height) variety of hip boots.

I use hip boots for when the water's up to 2.5' deep, and chest waders for water that's 2.5' - 4' deep. Neoprene chest waders are HOT in the summer, so I only wear them if I have to.

Ditto to what vtunderground said. I use the same stuff, Cabela's wader's hold up the best I've seen in their price range. The Lacrosse waders might be as good or better, but on average they're more expensive. For hip boots Lacrosse all the way, they last and last and are more comfortable to me than any other pair I've had. Hip boots have an advantage over waders that you can wear them folded down also if its really hot and the water is not too deep. I reccomend neoprene waders for comfort as they're more flexible and fit better than the old style nylon/rubber deals. The fit can be a big deal if you're trying to move fast or do a lot moving around. They also keep you warmer in my experience, thought that may not be an issue for you where you live, lol. Like vtunderground said, neoprene gets hot in the summer.
By the way if you do get hip boots, be careful about holes, if you fall in one deeper than the boot they fill up mighty quick and they can hold a lot of water. I've seen the Lacrosse boots three times they're size in the thigh with water in them and if the water had been deeper my dad may have had to shuck the boots or drown.

It doesn't sound like this will be an internet purchase since size might be an issue. I want to try them on before buying them.

I don't know if they're even sold in the Palm Springs area but I'll check with some sporting good places. The area is prone to flash flooding so they may be more available than I think.

Any other features that I should look for?