Purchasing waders...

[Tinyflies]

I was fortunate to live on the Frying Pan River for a couple of years. During that time I waded the chilly waters in the winter. At the time I had a pair of Simm's Neoprene Waders. On leaving the Colorado region I gave the waders to a guy who lacked financial resources who exhibited a keen interest in flyfishing, so I gave him my waders and a rod and reel to launch him into the hobby.

I'm contemplating moving to another state, other than Texas. I seriously miss flyfishing for trout. Warm water species simply do not do it for me. I have considered moving back to the Rocky Mountains: Colorado or West Yellowstone. I have even considered Pennsylvania.

My question. My own financial resources have changed over the last 7 or so years and I visited several websites and I have complete confusion in deciding which waders to purchase. I noticed some waders are in the price range ($700) of high end graphite flyrods and some of the more fashionable reels in the marketplace (gulp)!

So what are your thoughts on good serviceable waders for use during the warmer time periods that easily transition into the colder months of the year when snow blankets the ground?

One brand I have not seen in the past is the Patagonia line of waders. If you have experienced with their products and brand, I would be keenly interested in your comments on their product and the function of the product during the calendar year.

Thank you in advance.

Jeff

[northcountryman]

Wish I could help ya there but I haven't shopped for a pair of waders in probably 6-7yrs. Mine are pretty shot themselves right now so we'll see what kinda responses come in on this thread cause I'm gonna have to go shopping myself!! ;D ;D

[Troutastic]

Well, if you're going with all-purpose waders, I'd still stick with the breathables and layer up during the winter. I'm living in CO myself and I used my breathables all last winter without being too cold... I may get a pair of thermal fleece pants this year...

Anyways, Patagonia does make some nice waders and their warranty is one of the best... Can't go wrong with Simms either. One thing I've found is that the Gore-tex waders are so worth the money. They are much easier to patch than the step below, such as the Orvis Silver Labels (I own those as well but never use them anymore). Orvis did a crappy job when I sent mine back for a seam leak, as they just globbed a bunch of glue on the seam. The taughtness of the glue glob caused one of the interior layers of the wader materials (the one that keeps the water out) to rip right along their "patch job." Whereas I was very easily able to patch a gaping hole I put in my Simms Goretex waders from sliding down a granite slab in Cheesman Canyon on the S. Platte. So, that is another thing to consider.

I think with waders, you get what you pay for. After owning my mid-range Simms waders for 3+ years now and putting around 50-100 days on them per year, I don't think I'll change up a good thing. Easy repairs, and they last you a long time. I paid $280 for them, and I still feel they were well worth the money. Why buy a couple sets of low-end waders every year and a half versus a good pair of Simms for 3-4 years, maybe more?

[SherpaB]

I agree somewhat with Troutastic...but there are some options in the $200 range, I own a pair of Simms and they are good and have gotten me through 4 or 5 seasons but they are loaded with patches from the last couple years. I have heard very good things about both the Simms Freestone($200), the Redingtons and the Dan Bailey Lightweights. A shop owner friend stocks the Baileys and has only had two returns this year out of a 150 pair sold. They Bailey lightweights are around $200. There are some waders coming out next year by both Redington and others that look very promising in the mid range of cost. Yes Goretex Simms are great but I dont think they are worth an extra $200 per pair over some others. I've heard great things from Aaron about the Hardy/Greys stuff as well. You probably want to stay away from the department store brands (caddis and hodgeman). Orvis is a mystery..both my brother and I have owned Orvis waders with good results...

[biotstone]

I've used many brands of waders over the years, including Orvis, Hodgman, Cabelas, Simms, and Redington. I keep coming back to Simms. Cost is not a big issue to me, so I buy Simms G3s.

This spring, after 3 years of heavy use (1000+ hours of use), my most recent pair of G3s began to leak in the crotch. After several attempts, I was ultimately able to stop all the leaks using AquaSeal. Meanwhile, I picked up a pair of Redingtons, which I didn't like much. The booties were so much wider than my feet that the sides bunched up inside my boots. Happily, one foot sprang a leak within 6 weeks, so I was able to return them to my local fly shop (Ray Schmidt, Wellston, MI -- a great guy) as defective. Instead of a replacement pair (which I really didn't want), Ray gave me a store credit (which I used up in no time).

I have since ordered a new pair of Simms G3s from Bob Marriott's Fly Shop in CA. You just can't beat G3s. Maybe Simms less expensive models are good, too. I can't say, because I haven't tried them.

[Esopus Guy]

I've yet to find a pair to last me more than 1 year. I hav'nt bit the bullet on Simms yet but that looks like where I'm heading. I'm rockin Dan Baiily's now. 9 months and I have a soggy right foot. Always seems the first place to blow out on all my waders.

[wwelz]

I fish three or four days a week. I have not had a pair of waders last a year. My advice is buy the guarantee not the wader. I have a pair of ll bean waders that I have returned four times. No questions asked. I cannot believe a pair of $600.00 waders will last longer than six pairs of one hundred dollar waders. We should challenge the manufactures of waders to an angler test of their products. I blew through two pair of waders in Montana. I had used both pair intermittently all year. Both pair died at the same time.

[SherpaB]

Esopus...your foot stink might be the problem...
kidding...

[davechina]

For what it's worth I purchased a pair of $300 Simms Headwaters Stockingfoot waders early this spring. After 3 or 4 uses I developed tiny leaks, which I had to seal. Most leaks seemed to appear on seams, mainly behind the knees. I don't really beat these things up so it was surprising to me. I had to seal a new set of leaks again this past weekend. It's really not a big deal but I never expected failures this quickly.

[AaronJasper]

I've had some breathable waders leak after five minutes. One pair had a leak in the connection between the boot foot and the Gore Tex. It's a crap shoot of sorts. The pair that leaked the worst cost over $400 so it's not a price vs quality issue.

Did you contact Simms? They might take care of it.