Looking for opinions here. About to buy a new pair of waders. I've had neoprene waders in the past. The problem is that I am constantly hiking through heavy brush, willows, and barbwire fences. This often results in many holes and lots of water inside my waders.
Needless to say, I am looking for a new pair of waders and am considering getting breathables.
Let me know what brands you like and how well they have lasted. Any thoughts on boots would be appreciated as well. Thanks in advance.
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My last pair were orvis silverlabels. They lasted about 7-8 years about 100 days of use per year. My new pair are Simms. They are2 years old and going strong. I've had hodgeman years agoand the didn't last, and got a pair of rivendells breathable pants this summer on a good deal They leak all over the seams worn about 5 times and they don't even compete. The simms are expensive but in my opinion they are well worth it. It would have to take alot of talking and a amazing pair of another brand to get me to switch.
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I will also say, Poky is HARD on waders. I am impressed with Simms after seeing his. They still look good.
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In my experience breathables get tougher and better made the higher you go in the price range. Maybe somebody has found a great pair of cheap breathables, but I certainly haven't.
Of course no waders will hold up well to barbedwire.[laugh]
Windriver
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With the cold weather here, I'm looking at getting neoprene. I have breathables now but froze my butt off the last time out even with a thick pair of jeans on. I can't even imagine wearing them this winter.
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I wear Hodgemen neoprenes and have never had a problem with them. They are cheap enough to replace every few years, but have not had to yet and I am going on my 3rd year. They are to warm for the summer, but I have learned something along the way. Every where I go whether it be river or creek fishing I end up wandering through the thick willows and it never fails that I ended up with cockleburrs stuck to the neoprenes. I also started to keep track of how deep I was in the waters I fish and learned I never go more than crotch deep in 95% of the areas I fish. I finally went and bought a pair of regular old rubber irrigation boots that are crotch high and glued some felt to them. I have used them this summer and they make things much easier. No more cockleburrs, willows are no big deal, and fences you just have to be careful with. They are much easier to wear and put on and take off. I plan on using them Salmon fishing also since knee deep was as deep as we ever got. For me I learned that fishing in 3' or water was just as good as fishing in 4' of water and I only use the neoprenes when the temps get cooler in the spring and fall. It is just about impossible to find one item that covers everything you do. Just something to look at.
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I wear Dan Bailey waders and I love them. I have had my pair for many years. The only leaks I have had are because of bad choices on my part and nothing to do with the waders.
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[quote ChrisTheFish]Looking for opinions here. About to buy a new pair of waders. I've had neoprene waders in the past. The problem is that I am constantly hiking through heavy brush, willows, and barbwire fences. This often results in many holes and lots of water inside my waders.
Needless to say, I am looking for a new pair of waders and am considering getting breathables.
Let me know what brands you like and how well they have lasted. Any thoughts on boots would be appreciated as well. Thanks in advance.[/quote]
My advice.....you get what you pay for. I'd go for the top brands.
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[quote X2FSH]With the cold weather here, I'm looking at getting neoprene. I have breathables now but froze my butt off the last time out even with a thick pair of jeans on. I can't even imagine wearing them this winter.[/quote]
Sorry X2FSH, but I completely disagree. If you layer correctly, breathables are much, much warmer than neoprene. I threw away my neoprene waders years ago.
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[quote X2FSH]With the cold weather here, I'm looking at getting neoprene. I have breathables now but froze my butt off the last time out even with a thick pair of jeans on. I can't even imagine wearing them this winter.[/quote]
There is your problem. JEANS are cotton. You sweat, you get cold. Cotton doesn't breath.
NYLON, SYNTHETIC, SILK, that is what you need.
As mention, layer right and they are warmer than Neo as you do sweat in neo.
Spend a few bucks and buy some body armor underwear, or even try a pair of panty hose....seriously.
I wear Orvis Thin underwear, then top with scrubs on warmer days, and I have the fleece bibs for the colder days. Wool jacket and socks.
Much more easy to move in also.
One pair of waders for the whole year, just get the underwear for the colder months.
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I have hear about correct layering with breathables before. Could you educate me on this? What are the correct layers? Good materials versus bad ones, and how many layers?
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The trick to staying warm with breathable waders is to put a pair of polypropylene long underwear on first followed by a pair of fleece pants or as someone else has already suggested, use nylon pantyhose next to your skin and then go with the fleece pants. I used to wear jeans under waders and found that as you sweat and it begins to evaporate, it will make for a very uncomfortable experience. Breathable pants made from material like fleece are a much better option as well as multiple layers of socks using the same recipe, something very light like silk or nylon next to your skin followed by socks made from wool or a synthetic blend(anything but cotton) between the nylon sock and your waders.
On the original subject, I've owned Hodgman neoprene and Orvis breathables, both were pretty good. I just bought a pair of Simms breathables for this season and they are by far the best waders I've ever owned. A little spendy at around 250 bucks but in my opinion are well worth the money so far. I can't really comment on the durability aspect since I've only had them since last March. So far so good. There's also been some significant advancements lately with wading boots, as far as being lighter and offering better traction. There's a movement under way to ban felt soles on wading boots, so to be ahead of the curve you might consider purchasing a pair without the felt. I bought a pair made by a company called Cloudveil and they're as light as tennis shoes and very comfortable to wear while wading and fishing, even if you're covering several miles of river.
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[quote ChrisTheFish]I have hear about correct layering with breathables before. Could you educate me on this? What are the correct layers? Good materials versus bad ones, and how many layers?[/quote]
FG and WESTSLOPECUTT pretty much covered it.
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With or without the ventilated crotch?? Just kidding...thanks for the suggustions..I'll give them a try.
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Take a towel or some kind of material (vest?) to toss on the wire of a barbed wire fence, to protect the waders from the barbs. Took a few punctures for the light bulb to go on. You still have to be careful, but I'm convinced that this has saved the day on several occasions.
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the only kind thats ever lasted for me is simms...there more exspensive but youll get your monys worth out uf them..shop for the specific pair that fits your need they have lots of options...they even have heated ones..there worth it
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I'm considering LL Beans Helix model at the current time. they seem to be tough and it looks like ll bean has a pretty good warranty.
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Nice Chris!
The problem is, there are several models of Simms folks....and they are NOT all created equal.....just sayin'
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You can't go wrong with those. Like i told you, I'm VERY impressed with mine.
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Bean makes good stufff. You'll be happy. I have Cabela's and also Baileys....it is all relative at this point.
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