New Waders on the Market? Grundens GoreTex Pro Full Zip Waders and Vibram Sole Wading Boots

[Billr]

I've had all the expensive brands but have great luck with Lost Creek waders. When they did leak i just smeared them with AquaSeal and it worked fine.

 

[CRB]

I've had leaks in orvis waders (2 pairs)in the early 2000's then switched to simms and they have lasted years. I've used there customer sevice to put new neoprene stocking feet on a pair after 4 years and got another 5 years out of them. Just saying you get what you pay for even if you cant afford them.

 

[Bamboozle]

I am SO glad I wet wade 99% of time and haven't donned a pair of chest waders in almost 10 years.

Zippers...?

Did I mention I pee my pants when wet wading above my waist...

FWIW - Those waders look really nice but for $900 I'll buy a fly rod that Kelly Galloup can't justify.

 

[Canoetripper]

I am like Bamboozle in that I wet wade most of the time. I have invested $ over the years in wet/dry suits for canoe trips.

I am getting older though(soon to be 65) so good waders are something that interests me.

Right now, wading boots and traction on the soles are a little bit more important.

Korkers, with their optional soles are working fine. Felt and felt/studs work best for me. I really don't do any significant walking from where I park to where I start fishing so I am not wearing out the felt.

I was tempted to buy the Skwala waders at the Lancaster Fly Fishing @ 20% off, but what I have in terms of wading is better than good enough.

 

[dryflyguy]

I am SO glad I wet wade 99% of time and haven't donned a pair of chest waders in almost 10 years.

Zippers...?

Did I mention I pee my pants when wet wading above my waist...

FWIW - Those waders look really nice but for $900 I'll buy a fly rod that Kelly Galloup can't justify.

I've been having a ball fishing nice BWO hatches for a month now.
In water that's been running between 40 and 42 degrees.
I sure wouldn't want to wet wade at this time of year.
If you can - more power to ya!

 

[Letort]

I fish 12 months of the year. Wet wading is not an option (or at least an option I am willing to entertain.)

 

[Bamboozle]

If it eases your mind, I wear stocking foot hippers from Dec - March but I have wet waded already this month...

 

[Canoetripper]

Hypothermia is a reality in <50 degree water. Most of us have thermometers to know exactly what the water temperature is prior to fishing. I have experienced hypothermia once. It was very scary to say the least, and I was wearing my wet suit and PFD while canoeing the upper Greenbrier River in West Virginia.

I upgraded to an NRS(Northwest River Supplies) dry suit. I also have an inflatable PFD from the same company. I don't ph*ck around when I know that the water is cold.

I have too much respect for cold and moving water after having learned some lessons the hard way.

That said, I kind of prefer to wet wade(water temperatures permitting) in case I fall in.

How to dress is always important, and I always wear nylon clothing when wet wading so it dries fast.

 

[dryflyguy]

If it eases your mind, I wear stocking foot hippers from Dec - March but I have wet waded already this month...

Good luck fishing Penns, Fishing, Spring, and Little J in hip boots.
Might as well just wet wade.

Guess we all have different ways of fishing though.........

 

[kbobb]

The Grundens look to be the same/smiilar price to comparable Simms. Skwala are about the same price as some simms but don't use Goretex. Dryft doesn't use Goretex either but the prices look a little better than Simms.
Trying to figure out what these companies offer that simms doesn't - specifically with regard to materials/construction, warranty, and price.

Edit - I just looked at simms prices and the zippered model is $100 more than grundens. Wasn't aware of simms recent price increases.

 

[BrookieChaser]

Simms recently got sold to holding company. I noticed they recently redesigned my favorite product (solarflex hoody) and not for the better I don't believe.
I think the holding company is trying to move the company from fly fishing centric products to general outdoor gear.
I've also heard of quality issues on waders, but have not bought any since the company sold.

 

[dryflyguy]

Dryft waders have been out for several years now.
Any body tried them?

 

[Schaefer406]

I just picked up a pair of Orvis pros which I am happy with so far. Always good to hear a recommendation as I haven't been satisfied with a pair of waders in over a decade.

I wear Orvis Pros as well. They are insanely durable, the knee pad addition has saved my knees during slips and falls, and they keep me warm in the winter. The tradeoff is the Codura fabric gets HOT in the spring. I would love to try the Skwala waders as others have mentioned but with my Orvis Pros lasting me well over 150+ days on the water thus far and still looking great, I'm not sure if I will make the switch next pair. Hoping the Pros last me ~500 days since I take great care of them. Sad saying that I am hoping waders last 500 days when waders at a $700 price point should last for years.

 

[Bamboozle]

I honestly think waders have become the new high ended fly fishing product that manufacturers are gently nudging with higher & higher prices to see how far they can go before there is serious push back from consumers...

The first threshold they dared to cross was $100 fly lines which now are as common as goose $#!+ on a golf course and soon everyone will be offering $1000 fly rods like it was nothing.

I'm sorry but $700 - $1000 waders and $500 wading shoes is nuts, especially when they don't last anywhere near the number of years you expect and often can't be satisfactorily repaired when they do fail.

Just to put things into perspective, I can buy a pair of handmade leather boots or shoes, MADE IN THE USA and custom fitted to my feet that can be repaired almost indefinitely for not a whole lot more than the price of the Simms G4 PRO® Powerlock Boot.

I realize you can't go wading with the custom shoes or boots I am talking about but what are you paying for with $500 mass produced/off shore wading boots???

I realize you don't HAVE to spend $1500 bucks on wading gear, but at this rate...

...soon you will be paying close to half that amount for anything that lasts more than a year.

EOR

 

[Nympho]

I wear Orvis Pros as well. They are insanely durable, the knee pad addition has saved my knees during slips and falls, and they keep me warm in the winter. The tradeoff is the Codura fabric gets HOT in the spring. I would love to try the Skwala waders as others have mentioned but with my Orvis Pros lasting me well over 150+ days on the water thus far and still looking great, I'm not sure if I will make the switch next pair. Hoping the Pros last me ~500 days since I take great care of them. Sad saying that I am hoping waders last 500 days when waders at a $700 price point should last for years.

I just switched to Skwala after wearing Orvis for 30 years. My last set of Pros have 3 years on them and the are still in good shape and I fish around 100 days a year. The Skwala waders are built much stronger but the only drawback I have found is the lack of kneepads.

 

[Schaefer406]

I honestly think waders have become the new high ended fly fishing product that manufacturers are gently nudging with higher & higher prices to see how far they can go before there is serious push back from consumers...

The first threshold they dared to cross was $100 fly lines which now are as common as goose $#!+ on a golf course and soon everyone will be offering $1000 fly rods like it was nothing.

I'm sorry but $700 - $1000 waders and $500 wading shoes is nuts, especially when they don't last anywhere near the number of years you expect and often can't be satisfactorily repaired when they do fail.

Just to put things into perspective, I can buy a pair of handmade leather boots or shoes, MADE IN THE USA and custom fitted to my feet that can be repaired almost indefinitely for not a whole lot more than the price of the Simms G4 PRO® Powerlock Boot.

I realize you can't go wading with the custom shoes or boots I am talking about but what are you paying for with $500 mass produced/off shore wading boots???

I realize you don't HAVE to spend $1500 bucks on wading gear, but at this rate...

...soon you will be paying close to half that amount for anything that lasts more than a year.

EOR

I totally agree with you. I have no issue paying a bit more for high quality gear, but the wader prices have slowly creeped up too high especially with lacking durability from some brands. For boots, you will never catch me paying more than $250-$300 for a wading boot that is going to rip in 2 years anyways. With a lot of newer fly fishers entering the sport trying to look cool on Instagram and the consequential big push for having the top gear (despite most people barely fishing more than 15 days/year . . . ) has driven prices up. I try to stick to the basics of what I need and ignore all of the gear BS being pushed by so called "pros" who don't even know what a walts worm is. But if I am going to have to pay $700 for new waders, I want to make sure I have the most durable pair!

 

[ryansheehan]

I honestly think waders have become the new high ended fly fishing product that manufacturers are gently nudging with higher & higher prices to see how far they can go before there is serious push back from consumers...

The first threshold they dared to cross was $100 fly lines which now are as common as goose $#!+ on a golf course and soon everyone will be offering $1000 fly rods like it was nothing.

I'm sorry but $700 - $1000 waders and $500 wading shoes is nuts, especially when they don't last anywhere near the number of years you expect and often can't be satisfactorily repaired when they do fail.

Just to put things into perspective, I can buy a pair of handmade leather boots or shoes, MADE IN THE USA and custom fitted to my feet that can be repaired almost indefinitely for not a whole lot more than the price of the Simms G4 PRO® Powerlock Boot.

I realize you can't go wading with the custom shoes or boots I am talking about but what are you paying for with $500 mass produced/off shore wading boots???

I realize you don't HAVE to spend $1500 bucks on wading gear, but at this rate...

...soon you will be paying close to half that amount for anything that lasts more than a year.

EOR

I've tried it both ways. Buy the cheap waders but you buy more often or get more expensive waders that last longer. Honestly it's probably close to a draw on cost so I go with the waders that are more comfortable and require less work(patching). I believe my orvis pros will last a very long time but I've been fooled before.

 

[Schaefer406]

I just switched to Skwala after wearing Orvis for 30 years. My last set of Pros have 3 years on them and the are still in good shape and I fish around 100 days a year. The Skwala waders are built much stronger but the only drawback I have found is the lack of kneepads.

From what I have researched, the Skwala material and the Orvis Pro Codura are VERY similar, with the difference being the Skwala version is a bit lighter and much more breathable. However, I would have concerns doing some of my bushwhacking in lighter material. Kneepads for me are huge considering a lot of my early season and fall wading is done in the Susky where I slip and crack my knee cap on boulders almost every time I fish it. But wet wading is the way in the summer, sometimes you gotta pay your dues to the fish gods

 

[dryflyguy]

I've tried it both ways. Buy the cheap waders but you buy more often or get more expensive waders that last longer. Honestly it's probably close to a draw on cost so I go with the waders that are more comfortable and require less work(patching). I believe my orvis pros will last a very long time but I've been fooled before.

I agree with this logic.
As I've gotten older, the less I want to fool around with leaky waders.
And think better quality waders are worth the investment.

And these don't always have to be expensive.
Simms seems to have markdowns every year - usually in the fall - on wader models that are being redesigned for the coming year

 

[Bamboozle]

I totally agree with you. I have no issue paying a bit more for high quality gear, but the wader prices have slowly creeped up too high especially with lacking durability from some brands. For boots, you will never catch me paying more than $250-$300 for a wading boot that is going to rip in 2 years anyways...

But what sucks is a handful of years ago the $300 shoe was a little over $100. Now you have to spend double or triple that for HOPEFULLY the same durability...

...or be lured into a higher price point because you assume the higher priced items are more durable...

A $1000 for a fly rod or reel may seem crazy, but baring a catastrophe, I can use a $1000 fly rod my entire life...

Just sayin'...