Briar/Brush proof wading pants recommendation

[nOObmaster]

any recommendation on Wading Pants that can withstand briars, rough terrain and also good for cold weather?

 

[Swattie87]

Generally speaking, most waders aren’t very good at that. Your best bet is probably to just go with cheapo’s and a tube of Aquaseal and some sticky patches for when you get a puncture. When they get too bad, toss them, and get a new pair of cheapo’s. I run two pairs of waders anymore. My “good” pair for larger streams, and my “beater” pair for brush busting/Brookie fishing. I try not to spend much more than $100 on my beater pair, and I’m not brand loyal. Whatever is on sale or close out when I need a pair. If my good waders start leaking a little, but not catastrophically, they become the beaters, and get a new good pair.

And/or, wear a pair of snake gaiters or chaps over them. That will help with the brushy stuff, and getting hot in them is less of an issue in the Winter.

 

[nOObmaster]

Saw Briar Wading Pants | Immersion Research

Made from heavy-duty nylon taslan, these burly wading pants are built for the most demanding fishing conditions. Backed by a lifetime guarantee and 1 year of free repairs.

immersionresearch.com

Session GD Wading Pants

The DRYFT Session GD wading pants are your new go-to waist high fishing waders. The DRYFT Session Wading Pant waist waders are on point.

dryftfishing.com

i found two that may fit the bill, anyone tried these?

 

[nOObmaster]

Ended up buying Immersion Research's Saw briar wading pants. Dryft pants seem real baggy by looking at the size chart [in my size]. will see how they will hold up.

 

[Broodstock]

Ended up buying Immersion Research's Saw briar wading pants. Dryft pants seem real baggy by looking at the size chart [in my size]. will see how they will hold up.

Let us know how you like them. I’m looking for a summer pair of pants to wear instead of my waders.

 

[BruceC2C]

Tho def not a one piece solution..

Another , fairly inexpensive, option might b oversized Military Supply/ Camo/ Ripstop nylon.

I recently started wearing my Camo jacket as top layer, over down/fleece.

As hoped, it proved to b valuable punching thru some gnarly river access points.

 

[nOObmaster]

Let us know how you like them. I’m looking for a summer pair of pants to wear instead of my waders.

I waded in yesterday (high 30's) and fished for about 2 hours.. they are very sturdy, felt like even better than my Simms G3 Waders. materials seem top notch.

They used latex socks instead of neoprene. After talking to the customer support, the recommended way of wearing these pants is to wear a neoprene socks or some other socks OVER the latex socks to protect them. the durability of latex socks, time will determine but with proper care hopefully they will last long enough.

They are currently on sale for 99$ [blackfriday], which is a no brainer in my opinion. I paid full price [250], i called them today and since i recently bought them they price adjusted and refunded the difference. which was very nice.

 

[nOObmaster]

Well. after wearing it 3 times. These pants are fantastic, EXCEPT the built in latex socks are 1 size too small for me and crushing my feet. pants are my size, just not the socks. i will probably get a different brand.

 

[CRB]

Thanks for the review do they have bigger feet or is that the limiting factor for someone with a size 12-13?

 

[nOObmaster]

Thanks for the review do they have bigger feet or is that the limiting factor for someone with a size 12-13?

they do have bigger sizes.

to give you an idea, i bought size small which is my normal size, the velcro socks are no more than 7 or 7.5 size. i am an 8.5 or 9. I would have to bump up to may be medium or even large pants to get the right socks but then the pants will be overly large for me.

i just purchased Adamsbuilt Green River Waist Wader, waiting for it in the mail. fingers crossed.

 

[nOObmaster]

Adamsbuilt Green River Waist Wader:

I fished a new local class A stream, that i have never fished before. decided to try the waders. This is a narrow stream, little over a mile was just not easy to navigate and covered with lot of bushes and thorns every step of the way. Glad i went there in winter rather than summer. Caught brookies there, not as big as the other stream that i usually go to. but still fun. Also glad i went there before these heavy rains.

overall the wader survived. no holes. time will tell if it will holdup the abuse.

 

[nOObmaster]

welp. waders lasted exactly 3 outings. they are leaking. what a waste of money.

 

[dudemanspecial]

welp. waders lasted exactly 3 outings. they are leaking. what a waste of money.

Not a total waste....it gave you the opportunity to give us a review!

In all seriousness bummer about your waders. I have always been an orvis guy for my main waders and buy Cabelas for my winter and beater pairs.

 

[5footfenwick]

3 outings is pretty good, could have leaked on the first outing. All those trout on outing 2 and 3 are bonus. Glass half full!

 

[Wild_Trouter]

I've really come to like these. I got three years out of the last pair. I think it's an excellent product for the money, and I wear them year round: https://www.avidmax.com/redington-escape-wader-pant/

 

[Swattie87]

I've really come to like these. I got three years out of the last pair. I think it's an excellent product for the money, and I wear them year round: https://www.avidmax.com/redington-escape-wader-pant/

I’ve had better luck too with Redington’s bargain line stuff than any other brand’s (in that price range) for my beater small stream pair. Picked up a pair of something or other model maybe 6 months ago on a close out for like $80. Still have them new in box.

I used to call a budget pair of waders $100. Now it’s more like $150 a lot of the time probably. If you see a pair you like on a good deal, buy them, even if you don’t need them yet. You eventually will. Waders are a consumable.

 

[nymphingmaniac]

not meaning to offend anyone but reading wader threads for the past, IDK 15 years, makes me think people expect too much out of waders.

 

[Swattie87]

not meaning to offend anyone but reading wader threads for the past, IDK 15 years, makes me think people expect too much out of waders.

Agree. Water is a worthy adversary.

I don’t really care if my small stream waders leak a little, which is why I buy beaters for that purpose, and when they get too bad, I just toss them. You’re usually not ever in water above your knees, unless you’re retrieving a stuck fly. And other than maybe from say Thanksgiving to Opening Day, you’re generating enough heat from all the hiking involved to where you don’t get cold, even with a minor leak. I’d say I average about a year of use out of my beater pairs, though the two pairs of Redington’s I had got me at least 2 years. One pair might have made it 3 years. Hoping for the same from the yet unopened $80 pair I got last year.

On big water, especially early and late season, I absolutely do care if my waders leak. You’re moving around less and generating less heat. And standing thigh deep in cold water is way different than standing ankle to knee deep. This is why I keep a pair of nicer Orvis or Bean waders around as a “flagship” pair. (But even those I still try to find on sale or close out, or with a coupon code.) When my nice pair begins to leak enough to make me uncomfortable on bigger water, but not yet catastrophically, they get demoted to the beater ranks to finish out their life.

For me, the barometer is whether I can wring water out of my socks at the end of the day. Once that happens, unless it’s a very isolated acute leak that can be easily patched, I toss them. Aquaseaing all the seams on the waders when they start to go will buy you a little more time, but it’s a PITA, and when you get to that point, the end is near anyway. I used to do that, but just toss them now. Again, waders are a consumable. Like tippet, or tires on cars.

 

[nOObmaster]

not meaning to offend anyone but reading wader threads for the past, IDK 15 years, makes me think people expect too much out of waders.

title of the thread is "Briar/Brush proof wading pants recommendation",

based on your response, such a thing does not exist?

if so, i might have to follow @BruceC2C 's recommendation to wear a lightweight ripstop material pants over the top of my wader pants, which seems like a sensible idea.

 

[Swattie87]

title of the thread is "Briar/Brush proof wading pants recommendation",

based on your response, such a thing does not exist?

if so, i might have to follow @BruceC2C 's recommendation to wear a lightweight ripstop material pants over the top of my wader pants, which seems like a sensible idea.

There is no such thing as briar-proof waders, even if some company advertised a pair as such (I’m not sure of anyone that does).

Your best bet IMO if you’re that concerned about it is to get a pair of snake gaiters or hipper chaps to wear over them. I wear gaiters in the Summer, for when the undergrowth is tall and you can’t see where you’re putting your feet all the time. But a nice side effect of them is they protect your waders.

Honestly, I think you’re putting too much thought into it. From my experience, small punctures or tears from thorns or briars in the body of the waders actually patch and seal up pretty nicely. Buy a tube of Aquaseal and a patch material kit (you can sometimes find them as a combo) and if you find a tear or puncture, just patch it. I’ve never had a patch in that scenario not otherwise outlast the waders. Seam and/or bootie failures are much tougher to repair and have it last. When you have those kind of leaks it’s the beginning of the end. But, again, in my experience those kinds of leaks come from stretching of the material over time from hiking in them, not from acute punctures or tears from thorns/briars/sticks/etc.