Durable Breathable Waders

[tyeager]

My fiance is into buying christmas gifts that I want. Works well for me and she knows I will like what she gets. I'm looking for some advice on durability of breathable waders in the $300 range.

I've always gone with less expensive waders in the past because I tend to beat the crap out of them anyways.

The most important aspect of these waders should be bombproofness followed by comfort (convertable to pant) then pockets/extras, etc.

Thanks for the help.

 

[jdaddy]

Simms G3 convertible meet your criteria, however they come in $100+ tax over budget. Pretty rough price.

I'd probably go with a Bean wader or Simms Headwaters bought through Bean for unconditional warranty.

 

[Gone4Day]

I recommend Fisher's Motion Gore Tex waders if you can find them. I bought a pair of their stocking foot, chest highs at Bass Pro years ago on close out for about $170, regular $230 I think. I tried on a bunch of different brands and they all felt baggy, clumsy and uncomfortable, no matter how expensive they were.

The Fisher's Motion fit me like a pair of overalls. They have gravel guards and a small pocket inside. Although I hate the look of the built in suspenders, they scream GORE TEX in 2" green on yellow lettering, they're perfectly serviceable and can be used as a belt if you want to roll the waders down. Rolled up they're no bigger then a rain jacket. They've lasted years and hundreds of fishing trips for me with nary a leak.

After reading all the horror stories and arguments on here about waders, if I ever need another pair, I'm buying the same ones again, even if I have to get them shipped from Italy.

 

[RichK]

I've been using the LL Bean Rapid River waders for a couple months, and they're perfect. I bought a pair of Simms Headwaters, but the fit was funky. I'm 6'1" tall, wear a 34" inseam, a 12-13 shoe depending on brand, and weigh 190lbs. The large size Rapid River waders fit extremely well:no saggy butt, baggy legs, or cavernous chest section. The neoprene feet fit very well, and are well-built. The entire pair of waders are well-built, and dare I say built as well as the Simms?!?!?!? The Simms
had five-ply on the front section of the leg, and Rapid Rivers have
5-ply around the entire leg, and a bit up the rear seat. They look nice in the catalog, but look fantastic in person. The legs are made up of a few sections of banded material (if that makes sense), and the leg articuation is better than the Simms. I love them, and had planned to write a little review here.

The Rapid River's waist built has three loops to hold it in place, and is light years better than the Simms Headwater waist belt.
The shoulder straps are more narrow than the Simms, but they also don't feel bulky. I prefer them to the Simms. On Bean's website, the reviews are about 50/50 for leaks: half have never had any kind of leak, and the other half say there Rapid Rivers
leaked out of the box, or soon therafter. I've waded up to waist level many times, hiked in them, and walk through some nasty thorns regularly. No problems, and the fit is so good that I forget I'm wearing waders. The 5-ply legs are very tough, but very comfortable. The Simms were very difficult to remove: my foot was too large for the narrow neoprene to GoreTex section. That had to be the worst part of the Simms.....

 

[Heritage-Angler]

Rich - Good review on the RR waders. Just thought I'd add a bit of info.

Da Bean quickly became aware of the leaking problem with the first generation of the RR waders. When they leaked, they tended to leak in the crotch area. They made changes, and solved that problem. Of course, customers that got leaky waders were taken care of immediately.

For 2012, the Bean's waders have been improved again. I haven't seen them in person, but they do look good. Mid-Current did a write up an issue or two ago. Link. The big change I see is the addition of a bootfoot RR wader with the new Rivertread boot that has the Boa lacing system.

 

[tyeager]

j daddy--you say to buy simms waders through bean for
unconditional warranty.....does that mean ll bean has a warranty on top of simms warranty or in place of simms warranty

 

[dryflyguy]

No such animal IMO. I've never had a pair that lasted more than one, to one and a half years without springing a leak.

Orvis used to sell what they called "bullet proof" waders years ago. They were only on the market for a year or two, then they quit selling them. Guess they weren't so tough after all.

 

[Lonewolve]

Take a peek into Redington, Look first for a pair of CPX if you can find them they are discontinued but from friends i have out in the Pacific northwest that are also guides they swear by them,these guys were Simms only till they tried these.
If you can't find Cpx, Definitely look into a pair of Redington Sonic Pros , i have a pair the best fit i have even had in a breatheable wader,and they are available in either chest wadrs without the waterproof zipper or chest proof with the water proof zipper.
I can vouch for the zipper i consistently wade above my waist sometimes almost over the top....The damn zipper works beieve it or not and is 280 bucks cheaper than Simms G4 pros with that zipper,also have all the sam bells and whistles too.My last pair of breathables were Redington Barrierflex, they are 14 years old an only started gettin pinholes two years ago, I still have them an use them for Smallmouth trips also places where theres alot of black berry brambles devils club and barbed wire. They were always a bit baggy but since i tend to do a bit of steelheading into november they allow room for layering and they are comfy ...obviouslywhen it gets to low single disgits or twenties to negatives i only wear a pair of Hodgeman Lakestream 5 mm thinsulate bootfoot that had lug soles i dround off an put a Korkers replacement carbide studded felt kit on.
I can also attest to the LL Bean Rapid River waders my buddy has had a pair when they first came out..they are sort of like light canvas and wear like iron, they have been all over Maine {He Lives there} and to New York Tribs for Salmon /Steelhead/Brown Trout trips, as well as to Idaho/Montana,British Columbia,and New Zealand for a year. he hates the newer Rapid River waders cause hge prefers the light canvas ones..go figure, but IMHO form first hand witnessing they are probabaly Bean's best wader hands down.
Tight Wraps & Tight lines
Rick Wallace, any questions on the redington waders Pm me ill be glad to help.

 

[tyeager]

Redington Waders are of nylon construction with a DWR finish.

I'm just wondering how long the DWR finish holds up. Gore Tex has always been my go to waterproof fabric for skiing/hunting/rain wear and I've never had a problem with it wearing out.

Either way a hole in both fabrics will let water in.

 

[Heritage-Angler]

tyeager wrote:
Redington Waders are of nylon construction with a DWR finish.

I'm just wondering how long the DWR finish holds up. Gore Tex has always been my go to waterproof fabric for skiing/hunting/rain wear and I've never had a problem with it wearing out.

Either way a hole in both fabrics will let water in.

You can reapply the DWR finish, or even add it to items that never had it. For waders, Revivex works well. Simms has the instructions on how to do it on their site.

For non-waders, like wading jackets, Nikwax TX-Direct works great.

Both Revivex and Nikwax make fabric cleaners that should be used to clean items before applying the DWR finish. It's important to use these to prevent residues from interfering with the breathability of the fabric.

When water stops beading up on the surface of these fabrics, it's time to reapply the DWR finish. The fabric looks "wet", and this affects breathability.

Breathable waders all have some sort of "membrane" bonded to the exterior fabric. Goretex is the best, but there is a gazillion other branded versions. The DWR on the exterior fabric allows the interior barrier to "breathe" more effectively.

 

[pcray1231]

I'm now on my third pair of Orvis Silver Labels.

Longevity: First 2 pairs lasted almost exactly the same, 2 years to first leak, then 6-12 months of playing around with fixes before biting the bullet and replacing. Now, I'm VERY hard on waders, with lots of hiking, crawling, climbing, and brush. I consider this longevity pretty good compared to what I've had in the past, but of course I can't speak for every brand and model.

Price: $240ish, under you're $300 limit, but not cheap.

Convertable to pants: Probably moreso than any other chesties, seriously, way more than most. 2 piece construction, think they call it "roll down". Just take off the suspenders and fold down the top piece inside, you have waist highs! Good belt and belt loops.

Other niceties: Chest pocket. This is a major consideration for me as I don't wear a vest and need somewhere for tippet/keys, phone/shot. Most chesties either don't have a chest pocket or it's too high and interferes with my Richardson. Such a wader wouldn't work for me. What I really need is a "stomach pocket", which is pretty much what the Silver Label gives. I'm open to a new model next time, but this here isn't a minor thing, it's a major "go, no-go" feature.

 

[csoult]

If you are patient enough you can get Simms for around or under that price. I watched the big E for over a month and it paid off, I got a pair of G3 guide special edition for $305. I absolutely love them!