wildtrout2
Well-known member
You ONLY fish 85 days a year? I'd consider that a lot of fishing days, you're fortunate
Simms Waders - I am Done
- Thread starter Letort
- Start date
DomR
Well-known member
Yeah but a lot of those "days" are really 1 -2 hour sorties after work during the week.
TCWNY
Member
I just ordered a $76 pair of Frog Toggs. If I get a year its 3x better than the Simms
6xAdams(Jones)
Well-known member
So you're saying you fish so much that even pricey waders wear out. 😁😁
5footfenwick
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2006
- Messages
- 403
My experience with waders
$500 Simms last about a week
$500 Orvis last about two weeks
$100 Frog tog last about three weeks
I just go frog tog.
I’ve never gotten more than about three weeks out of a pair of waders. Some really unlucky weeks I’ve gone through 3-4 pairs. But I fish hard. @TimMurphy said it best. It’s a disposable item with a short lifespan. If I got even a month of regular use out of a pair of waders I’d be counting my lucky stars.
~5footfenwick
$500 Simms last about a week
$500 Orvis last about two weeks
$100 Frog tog last about three weeks
I just go frog tog.
I’ve never gotten more than about three weeks out of a pair of waders. Some really unlucky weeks I’ve gone through 3-4 pairs. But I fish hard. @TimMurphy said it best. It’s a disposable item with a short lifespan. If I got even a month of regular use out of a pair of waders I’d be counting my lucky stars.
~5footfenwick
wildtrout2
Well-known member
I actually got three years out of a pair of Orvis Ultralight Convertable waders. I'm on my second pair now. I'll be happy to get another three years from these.
tjsingle
Well-known member
I wore the Simms Headwaters Pro's for a couple of years. Two pairs over 5-6 years, granted, I was hard on them. I fish a lot, usually at least 75 days out of the year.
I had one pair that was repaired by Simms, they put new neoprene feet on them because they leaked. Ended up being a warranty claim, and they handled it quickly for me. I was happy with those, and ended up buying another pair after just because they were getting discontinued and I wanted a backup if I ever needed to send one away for repairs.
I beat they crap out of both pairs going all over the northeast fishing. Last year I got a pair of Orvis ultralights, because some of the wear on my one pair of Simms was too far gone to replace and it wasn't worth trying to get Simms to fix it.
Really happy with the ultralights, but the only disappointing thing was that heel on one neoprene feet started to leak right before a trip out west. I sealed the heel up with aqua seal, and good to go. Not sure the exact cause, but seemed like wear and tear on the seam.
I was able to pick up a new set of Simms Guide Classic waders in November for like $200. I couldn't resist the price for Gore-Tex waders. Only real disappointment with those so far is the quality isn't the same as the Headwaters Pro. Some things are nicer, like the stitching for the belt loop, pockets, and straps. But some of the other things like gravel guard hook, and the overall thickness of the neoprene feet weren't the same.
Wear and tear from briars and thorns is a given on some of the streams I fish, so a few pin holes doesn't bother me. What kind of annoyed me was that I had a leak near the front on my right foot, from what I can tell was just the neoprene separating. No abrasion issues, or anything, just felt like a anomaly in the neoprene. I ended up just aquasealing them myself, for $200 I can't complain too much. If it gets worse, I'll send them back to Simms.
Right now between my heavier Simms Guide Classic's and my Orvis ultralights, I feel pretty set on waders for a while.
Point is, if you fish a lot, your waders will wear out. I think Simms used to be better, but I know how hard I am on my gear, and have came to accept that maybe sometimes I am the problem 🤣
I had one pair that was repaired by Simms, they put new neoprene feet on them because they leaked. Ended up being a warranty claim, and they handled it quickly for me. I was happy with those, and ended up buying another pair after just because they were getting discontinued and I wanted a backup if I ever needed to send one away for repairs.
I beat they crap out of both pairs going all over the northeast fishing. Last year I got a pair of Orvis ultralights, because some of the wear on my one pair of Simms was too far gone to replace and it wasn't worth trying to get Simms to fix it.
Really happy with the ultralights, but the only disappointing thing was that heel on one neoprene feet started to leak right before a trip out west. I sealed the heel up with aqua seal, and good to go. Not sure the exact cause, but seemed like wear and tear on the seam.
I was able to pick up a new set of Simms Guide Classic waders in November for like $200. I couldn't resist the price for Gore-Tex waders. Only real disappointment with those so far is the quality isn't the same as the Headwaters Pro. Some things are nicer, like the stitching for the belt loop, pockets, and straps. But some of the other things like gravel guard hook, and the overall thickness of the neoprene feet weren't the same.
Wear and tear from briars and thorns is a given on some of the streams I fish, so a few pin holes doesn't bother me. What kind of annoyed me was that I had a leak near the front on my right foot, from what I can tell was just the neoprene separating. No abrasion issues, or anything, just felt like a anomaly in the neoprene. I ended up just aquasealing them myself, for $200 I can't complain too much. If it gets worse, I'll send them back to Simms.
Right now between my heavier Simms Guide Classic's and my Orvis ultralights, I feel pretty set on waders for a while.
Point is, if you fish a lot, your waders will wear out. I think Simms used to be better, but I know how hard I am on my gear, and have came to accept that maybe sometimes I am the problem 🤣
CRB
Well-known member
The wear on the neropream could be from poor fitting wading boots.
tjsingle
Well-known member
Possible, but my boots fit well. The issue with the Orvis ultra lights I found was the gravel guards aren’t made of neoprene and tend to let sand/gravel in. That was something that was a constant battle since they weren’t tight around the boot.
First time around was a warranty issue with the actual seam between the wader upper and neoprene. The latest leak was pretty random because I usually make sure there’s no gravel or sand in my boots between outings, although it’s possible the leak was a small puncture.
5footfenwick
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2006
- Messages
- 403
I should have clarified I was referring to how many days of fishing it took until I got a wet spot or a small leak. Also I’m talking actual fishing time. Like 84 3 hour trips , 42 half days or 21 full days of fishing is what I’m calling three weeks. I should have worded it better. When I get a leak in waders they aren’t getting thrown out right away. I patch etc. if it keeps up I just stop using them in deep creeks. Even the leakiest waders work pretty well for really small creeks. Unless it’s in the foot haha. Kinda nice not to have to worry about brush and jaggers since you are in a pair of waders that already leaked before. I feel less guilty about walking brushy creeks in pairs that are on the their final hurrah.
~5footfenwick
wildtrout2
Well-known member
In three years of wearing my Orvis Ultralight waders, I NEVER had any sand/gravel get into my boots, not once. If that does happen, I could see small holes allowing the booties to leak.
dudemanspecial
Well-known member
I also have issues with gravel getting into my ultralights. In my case I am using the ultralight wader with the newer style pro LT boots, and I don't think they are designed to work well with each other.
tjsingle
Well-known member
Interesting, that’s like the first thing I noticed about them. The gravel guards just didn’t want to stay connected or covering the top of my boots. Ive been wearing them with the Simms Flyweight Access boot. Some of the streams I fish have a sandier bottom than others so that might be it as well.
I ended up needing to attach the gravel guards clip to the lowest lace on my boots to get it to actually stay and work. Thicker laces helped too
wildtrout2
Well-known member
Maybe my luck with not getting debris in my boots is a result of me fishing streams that mainly consist of a more rocky, less sandy/gravely streambed. Either way, it hasn't been an issue for me, thankfully.
wildtrout2
Well-known member
I did that exact same thing when connecting the clips to my boots, maybe that was the difference. But, I often noticed that the clip would still come free of the lace, so I'm not sure.
The new Orvis Ultralights have this new button/snap set-up to connect to the boot. I'll see how well it works.
Attachments
dudemanspecial
Well-known member
I do the same with the lace but it comes off. I keep meaning to devise a better system but it's one of those things I forget about until it happens. Maybe thicker laces will be my first try. Thanks.
tjsingle
Well-known member
That's a cool design from Orvis. Seems better than the typical metal clip.
wildtrout2
Well-known member
I'll let you know how cool it is, if it works. 😉
I have a pair of Orvis UL waders and did not have any sand or gravel in my boots when I wore them with an older pair of Orvis wading boots. The Orvis boots were shot and I bought a pair of Patagonia Foot Tractor wading boots (the old model) and found sand and light gravel in my boots every time I wore them. I believe the sand and gravel infiltration issue is more likely caused by the drain holes allowing sand and gravel to enter. This issue is a sure way for wear to happen on the neoprene booties. Btw, the Foot Tractor boots are great for wading but the sand issue is a problem.
