Most reliable gear

[MathFish]

Last weekend after getting back from fishing, I was cleaning my waders and boots and I realized how well my Patagonia boots have held up. I have used two other brands of wading boots and they have not nearly held up to the level that my Patagonia ones are currently doing. My other two boots were pretty shot after one year and these Patagonias are on their third year and they really don't look too much different than they did after a few weeks of use.

This got me thinking, I wonder what other gear is the "most reliable/dependable" for other fly fishing anglers.

I am not saying that my boots are my favorite piece of gear (my favorite is my Loop fly rod) it's just that I am impressed with how well they perform - they aren't cracking, the felt is still in great shape, the stitching isn't fraying, they are just dang good boots!

So what is your most reliable/dependable piece of fly fishing gear? What tackle has impressed you the most after dealing with other inferior quality brands/models?

 

[tomgamber]

how often do you fish? when i lived in Idaho, i fished almost 250 days a year. my gear got used, cleaned and used again. I built up my collection but can't remember ever wearing anything out. i brought all of it back to PA with me and fished A LOT less. my boots were the first to go. then my fly line then my reel. pretty much replaced everything but my favorite rod at the time. like your car or your tools or your bike, i think the most reliable gear is that stuff that gets used often and taken care of in between.

 

[WildTigerTrout]

Simms gear. It is expensive but seems to last at least it has for me. I own a pair of Simms Headwaters waist highs that are ten years old. The stocking feet are full of goop on the seams and yet they still have never leaked. I recently went on a trip to Colorado and purchased a new pair of Simms waist high Freestones for the trip as I did not want to have to deal with my old waders if they did leak. At this point I have the older pair reserved as a spare.

Another item that has proven itself to me is my Richardson Chest Fly box. Again, expensive but built like a tank.

 

[3oh4]

Simms Freestones have always lasted but the vibram soles are done in about 30 fishing trips every time. Not sure why tires on my car can last thousands of miles but my boot tread cannot. Seems like a business ploy to me...

 

[dryflyguy]

I bought a pair of patagonia lightweight wading boots 2 years ago.
And so far, they're holding up nicely. Haven't had them long enough yet though, to really say they're long lasting.
The longest lasting wading boots I have ever owned, were weinbrenner borger boots.
My first pair lasted me over 10 years. And I now have another pair that I bought 5-6 years ago ( although I did resole them recently)

As for other gear:

Simms waders are the best for me. The only brand that I've ever been able to get at least a few years out of, before springing a leak.

Rods - I'd go with vintage Orvis from the '80's and maybe early '90's. These were the ones with the unsanded blanks. Very well made with nice flex.

Reels - I've always been partial to the older Orvis reels - CFO and batten kill - that were made in england

 

[moon1284]

I keep hearing about Patagonia boots lasting long. I've used mine and they are blowing out at a seam after 2 years. I think they are the rock grips with the metal bars. 2 years is usually all I get out of wading boots. I have a pair of felt danners I dont use very often that are holding up well. I also found a pair of new studded felt weinbrenners that I hope I will get 2 years out of.

Rods and reels should last as long as you take care of them. I use pretty much all click and pawl reels so they all hold up.

 

[3oh4]

Moon how do you like the metal bars?

I'm thinking about buying the bars to fix the replacing studs every two trips dilemma I'm in.

My arches are awful so I always blow out the inside seams of my boots. I have had Korkers, Cabelas, and had a high end pair of Simms Vibrams wading boots and they all blew out within a year easily (I wallk a lot of miles to fish). I have had 3 pairs of Freestones and none of them have blown out on me, just wore the soles down to nothing.

 

[Dave_W]

I'm still using a Downs Chest Fly Box that I purchased in 1984.

I've made some mods and have had to make some repairs on the hinges in the last few years, but it keeps on ticking.

 

[moon1284]

3oh4. the bars are pretty durable, they will outlast the boots. I'm not sure how much I've actually used these to be honest. I have a couple different boots in the rotation and I've fished without waders a lot the past 2 years.

 

[nymphingmaniac]

BTW all,
with the new G3's scheduled to roll out in Nov, 30% off current models are popping up. TCO has them, but out of most sizes (incl mine). Others can be found online. Guy in the local shop told me this summer they were going to update sometime this fall. You can find reviews of the new model on the web.