Holy wow - expensive waders!

Big-Bass

Big-Bass

Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2013
Messages
496
$1,000 for boot fit waders?

https://www.simmsfishing.com/new-arrivals/g4z-bootfoot-vibram-f17.html
 
But that car will hold its value those waders will be leaky in a couple of years. (Of course you could buy 1900 pairs of waders instead of the car)
 
$110 for line nippers! Sorry could not resist. LOL
 
$1'000 for waders? When will the absurdity end? I will make an educated guess because I have been in hundreds of manufacturing facilities in the past 25 years. So here goes: They are probably using the same manufacturing equipment to make the latest waders. Their materials may be a bit more expensive. Their labor costs may be a bit more. $1,000? I don't own Simms waders, pretty satisfied with mine. If I won big bucks in the lotto, I wouldn't buy Simms waders because I perceive this as arrogance.
 
I hate bootfoot waders so I wouldn't get them. G4zs retail for 800 bucks. The additional 200 for bootfoots isn't insane. I don't think pa is the target market for those waders. I'd say they are targeting Alaska and the pnw. Simms makes a good product and I have a few pairs of their top end models but at this point I wet wade as much as i can.
 
I have many Simms products, not just waders and packs but even shoes and board shorts. I looked at the bootfoots for the salt, because I don't want the sand grating the stockingfoot on my waders. I can't justify the cost, unless I get them at discount.
 
I own a bunch of Simms stuff too...from hats, to jackets, sweater-fleeces, fishing shirts, and even rivershed sandals (like Keens), but honestly my Cabela's Dry Plus Tall waders have served me well as and wonder what (if) I am missing. I just got a backup pair of my Cabela's ones for $79 and had to replace (lifetime warranty) my one pair that has seen consistent rough use since 2013. I walked up to the desk, explained that they leaked, and in minutes I had a brand new pair...no questions asked. I also have that warranty on my backup pair should I need to use it (aside from the current replaced pair). But a grand for a pair of boot foots blows my mind. Not saying it's not something I couldn't afford but rather why when so many options exist. Wouldn't 10 pairs of $100 waders over the course of however many years of use/abuse equal the justification of one pair of these.
 
Nobody is forcing you to buy them. If your $79 pair of waders work well then there is no reason for you to change.

I went through a bunch of different waders at the 100-200 price range and wasn't happy with any of them so I bit the bullet and bought G4s. I've been happy with them and bought a couple pairs of higher end Simms since then. At the end of the day, putting on and taking off waders is a pain in the *** and waders are way too hot in the summer. I've wet waded almost exclusively from mid May until now. It is a beautiful thing to be able to wet wade for steelhead.

On a side note, I've probably owned a 6 to 8 pairs of breathable waders and 4-6 pairs of neoprene prior to that. The absolute WORST waders I've owned were the Orvis Tailwater XT bootfoots. Does anyone remember them? The best "cheap" pair I had were Orvis Silver Label bootfoots that I bought around 2000.
 
moon1284 wrote:
Nobody is forcing you to buy them. If your $79 pair of waders work well then there is no reason for you to change.
Click to expand...

That was my point with showing the expensive car..
No one is forcing anyone to buy anything, its a good thing that there are options and companies are making high end products for those that want them.
This happens in any market, not just fly fishing, there will always be options from the low end to the high end, its a great thing really.
Should Simms not make high end expensive waders? Of course they should, that's what they do.
If you don't want a 1,200 dollar hand made rod, or a pair of $1,000 waders, or a set of fancy shmancy 100 dollar nippers then don't buy them, I know I wont, but I wont blame the company for offering that stuff either.
 
Two truisms, all waders leak and a fool and his money are soon parted. Buy what you want but I'll stick to my cabelas with the lifetime warranty. It's a no brainer.
 
Cabelas waders are like harbor freight tools.
 
moon1284 wrote:
Cabelas waders are like harbor freight tools.
Click to expand...

Hahaha! Having mushroomed a couple Harbor Freight sockets (they weren't my sockets) I can appreciate the analogy.

 
I had a pair of Cabelas Dry Plus that lasted over 10 years or hard use and still only have a tiny leak in the bootie.
 
I wasn't complaining about affording them. That's not a concern. I was just asking what I am getting for $1,000 over the Cabela's Dry Plus that I can continue to replace for free for as long as I fly fish.
 
Likley the foreign-made waders use cheaper materials and are not built as well and/or have less strict quality control. But the main difference between the manufacturing of the two products is cost of labor.

Manufacturing waders as well as rods and many other products are very labor intensive. Labor costs for American-made products are 10x, 20x or even 30x higher than products made offshore (Example below).

There are enough consumers out there willing and able to buy these American-made goods to keep these American companies in business and keep the American workers working.

In 1993 there were 19 wader manufacturers that made waders in the US now there is only one left. While the price of the waders listed seems excessive to me, not all their waders are that expensive. I'm glad we still have one remaining manufacturer of waders left in the States. Plus there are a hand full of companies that produce rods, reels and fly line in the US.

 

Attachments

  • Wages China vs US.jpg
    Wages China vs US.jpg
    45.1 KB · Views: 4
I've worn Cabelas waist high waders exclusively for the past 6+ years. This year a small leak developed in a bootie seam, put some Aquaseal on and they were back in action.

About 5 years ago my wife wanted to fly fish. After 4 outings she called it quits. A stability issue. At that time I took her to Cabelas for waist highs. I wanted her to get the Cabelas but she didn't like the way they fit. So we bought Frogg Toggs waist highs. About a month or so ago I decided to get some use out of them. After 6 or so outings a leak developed in the right leg where the bootie is attached. The whole seam is coming apart. What a waste of money.
 
The superior quality is of importance to people who rely on gear like that for a living. Otherwise, every guide you'd see would be wearing Cabela's waders, and would need multiple pairs on rotation since they'd be taking a beating everyday.
 
the most dependable use i ever got out of a pair of waders and boots, based on number of trips, was a pair of Pro-line neoprene stocking foot waders and 20 dollar pair of boots. averaged about 200 fishing days a year for 4 years in Idaho. Brought them home to PA and within 6 months they basically dissolved. I think you buy what you can afford.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Montana Angler Fly Fishing
Montana Angler Fly Fishing
Harman's North Fork Cottages


Real Time Data From
the USGS Site

Share this page

Back
Top