Felt Sole Wading Boots and Gortex Waders - Around $225?

[FlyGuyFromPa]

Is this at all possible? Wife gave me permission :lol: to buy some waders and wading boots, but limited me to a $225 budget. Anyone have an idea on where/how to make this happen?

 

[McSneek]

Not likely to get Gore-Tex waders and decent boots for $225 total. Some extensive internet searching may produce something though.

Felt sole wading boots are also getting tougher to find as more and more manufacturers are going to rubber soles.

Sierra Trading Post probably has some and may have waders too.

 

[Foxgap239]

Try these from Cabelas. I have two pair of these waders and I love the boots although I wore out the boots in 15 months but then again I fish quite a bit. Not sure if the waders are gore-tex but they are breathable and they wear pretty well. $204 for the combo also is not hard to take.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Footwear/Mens-Footwear/Mens-Waders/Mens-Fishing-Waders%7C/pc/104797980/c/104747580/sc/104674680/i/103926780/Cabelas-Premium-Dry-Plus8482-Breathable-WadersUltralight-2-Felt-Wading-Boots-Combo-Tall/722595.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Ffootwear-mens-footwear-mens-waders-mens-fishing-waders%2F_%2FN-1101197%2B4294769798%2FNe-4294769798%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_103926780%3FWTz_l%3DSBC%253BMM%253Bcat104674680%26WTz_st%3DGuidedNav%26WTz_stype%3DGNU&WTz_l=SBC%3BMM%3Bcat104674680%3Bcat103926780

 

[RCFetter]

I have the Cabela's waders Foxgap mentioned. Got them last year and so far very satisfied with them.

 

[dryflyguy]

The cheapest gore tex waders that I know of, are the simms headwaters - which sell now for $350

 

[FlyGuyFromPa]

Going to A&G tomorrow. Called an spoke to Greg today and he has a sale going on for waders and boots. Will spend about $30 over budget, but it will be worth it to have the gear I want. Waders and boots for around $250.

 

[albatross]

If by "gore-tex", you really just mean breathable, then there are many good options. LL Bean has some very good inexpensive breathable waders.

Link to Bean Wader page

 

[pcray1231]

Yeah, gore-tex vs. breathable. If the Gore-Tex brand isn't a must, and other brands of breathable are acceptable, then you could get away with $150 and have respectable gear. You can get viable waders for around $100 and viable wading boots for $50. LLBean, Cabelas branded stuff, Hodgeman, and the like. Even the lower models of the "better" brands aren't that much higher than that.

From my experiences, that class of equipment would last me about a year. I can spend double, and it's better stuff, it'll last 2 years. Spend triple, and it may last 3 years.

Probably a little longer all around since I fish less these days. But the point is that I still haven't found anything which noticably moves the dollar/hour fished needle. Going cheap and replacing more often remains a viable option for anyone.

 

[copterdoc9]

Check FOGG TOGGs for waders. They sell a set of gortex waders for about $120. That should leave you with enough money to spend some dollars on a good wading boot like Korkers,
Simms, or LL Bean.

 

[Fishidiot]

pcray1231 wrote:
Yeah, gore-tex vs. breathable. If the Gore-Tex brand isn't a must, and other brands of breathable are acceptable...... But the point is that I still haven't found anything which noticably moves the dollar/hour fished needle. Going cheap and replacing more often remains a viable option for anyone.

Agreed.
I can usually get 2-3 seasons out of a pair of Cabelas breathables (and I'm very tough on gear) but many of my trips I just use cheapo hip-boots and save the waders for bigger water.

 

[TimMurphy]

Dear Flyguy,

I definitely share the opinion of pcray and fishidiot.

Waders are a throw away item to me and one place where increasing the amount of money spent rarely yields a corresponding increase in lifespan of the product.

I'll stick to $ 200.00 waders and look for even cheaper ones but my problem is I'm a tall fat slob and I have limited choices. If you are average sized you will have a lot more options.

Regards,

Tim Murphy

 

[FlyGuyFromPa]

I ended up spending a little more than planned and bought some waders from my local Orvis shop (A&G Outfitters). While I didn't want to go for the "Orvis Poster Boy" look, I figured that not only am I supporting my local shop, I got gear that will last me a few years, if not longer. I'm pleased with the way they fit, and I didn't have to drive 2 hours (Cabelas or BPS) to try them on. If I ordered from the internet, I was thinking the fit might not be great. I wear a fairly large shoe size, and I'm short, and fat. Not a great combo for a simple things like shopping for jeans, but this set fits perfect, and I got to try them on in the store.

 

[hendeylathe]

They may not be Gore-Tex, but Madison River Fishing Co. has Patagonia Rio Gallegos ($299.00) and WadeMaster ($199.00) waders on sale. Might be worth a look.