Summer Waders

[Brown71]

Looking for a little advice on waders. I typically don’t have many gear problems, and am not overly picky, especially with fishing clothing/boots. But I’ve been fishing more than I used to in the summer warm months, and I can’t find a pair of waders that aren’t crazy hot, and I’ve tried several. I wet wade some, but like to have boots available too. Maybe none exist, but I figured i would check on here. I’m not really concerned about price as much as getting a not so hot pair, and I would prefer (I know I’m the minority) boot foot. I never got into the stocking foot stuff. Thanks for any info.

 

[salmo]

Looking for a little advice on waders. I typically don’t have many gear problems, and am not overly picky, especially with fishing clothing/boots. But I’ve been fishing more than I used to in the summer warm months, and I can’t find a pair of waders that aren’t crazy hot, and I’ve tried several. I wet wade some, but like to have boots available too. Maybe none exist, but I figured i would check on here. I’m not really concerned about price as much as getting a not so hot pair, and I would prefer (I know I’m the minority) boot foot. I never got into the stocking foot stuff. Thanks for any info.

I wet wade with neoprene socks and my wading boots.
Socks

 

[coyoterahn]

Same as Salmo.

 

[Kyle]

waders in the summer. i would be miserable. wet wade. if i get real hot then ill submerge myself in deeper pool. after i fished it of course

 

[salmo]

At my age having an excuse for wet pants is a plus 😜

 

[nymphingmaniac]

if you must, try waist highs

 

[salmo]

if you must, try waist highs

Had a zipper put into my chest highs.

 

[dryflyguy]

I use waist highs in small and medium size stream during summer
A lot cooler and very comfortable.

Last summer, I bought a pair of Simms Light Weight chest waders
Also very light and comfortable too
I believe they’ve been discontinued since then
But other wader company’s make them too

 

[richp0922]

For fishing in heat I use BPS White River Nylon top hip waders,
Pros-price around ~$55, light, cool, easy to bicycle in
Cons-being nylon really need to strap to belt loops well so they don't "sag"
-not super briar friendly compared to rubber
-if you want felt bottom be careful on mud banks, they are like huge banana peels, use korkers.
Overall would rather be cool, worth the risk of an occasional dip.

 

[JefeVonJefe]

if you must, try waist highs

If you look around, there are good wading pants. If you look really hard, you might even find some you like.

Cut offs and Chacos make for happy wet wading.

 

[Brown71]

Thanks for the info everyone. I definitely am down with wet wading too!! Fun tradition of summer. Thanks again.

 

[Silent Ocelot]

Waders in summer? Must be one of those guys who wears waders to prevent himself from getting ticks (does that even work?) (like you can check yourself afterwards) (a hot shower should be the cure for anything post-fishing). Me I prefer wet-wading in cooler water temps when it's hot or even mild out.

 

[Bamboozle]

...and I would prefer (I know I’m the minority) boot foot. I never got into the stocking foot stuff. Thanks for any info.

I wet wade exclusively except in the dead of winter...

That being said, I'm not trying to change your mind but boot foot options are limited to begin with, especially options that won't be hot because of what they are made from or the height.

Even the lightest most breathable waders get hot if it is humid and you have a hike into the places you fish. Heck I get hot & sweaty walking into a stream in my super light wet wading pants and a T-shirt.

For that reason I have a few suggestions:

Pay attention to the depth you wade in summer. If you aren't wading any deeper than just above your knees, just look for boot-foot hip boots or boot-foot waist-high waders, (that for some unknown reason some folks call wading PANTS ).​

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Bottom line, any chest-high boot-foot waders you find regardless if they are breathable or not will be HOT unless you roll them down which you may already be able to do with your current waders.​

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IF you discover you can get by with hip boots, you can't find decent boot-foot options and you like the waders you currently have, consider cutting them down to hipper length, adding belt straps and getting yourself another pair for the cooler weather.​

​

Finally, IF you are lucky enough to find boot-foot hip boots or boot-foot waist-high waders that you like, buy two or three pairs because I GUARANTEE you won't find them a few years from now.​

​

As an example, I use stocking-foot hippers in winter. About 10 or so years ago, there were at least four or five options from companies like Orvis, Hodgman and Dan Bailey among others. Today, I would be hard pressed to find any and most are junk...​

​

Good thing I was smart enough to stock up on the Hodgman's when I could get them... ​

Good luck!!

 

[NetWork]

While I agree with the comments about wet wading in the summer heat, I have also found that the Skwala Carbon waders are a reasonable option for those days where it isn’t summer heat, but is still warm. These waders are lighter in weight than the Skwala RS or Simms G3s and they have the advantage of magnet snaps on the suspenders. With these suspenders, you can easily shift the waders between chest high wader and wading pants. I normally wear them as pants, but when I encounter a deeper run that I want to cross, I will shift the waders up to be chest waders and then lower them back down when fishing lower water. It only takes a few seconds to make the change.

 

[purplewoolly]

Waders in summer? Must be one of those guys who wears waders to prevent himself from getting ticks (does that even work?) (like you can check yourself afterwards) (a hot shower should be the cure for anything post-fishing). Me I prefer wet-wading in cooler water temps when it's hot or even mild out.

Maybe not for ticks, but on some warm water streams for stinging nettles.

 

[Brown71]

Maybe not for ticks, but on some warm water streams for stinging nettles.

Yea I wet wade most of the time. But a few places I go are absolutely a mess lol. The waders are good for ticks, sticks and everything in between. Of course they get destroyed though lol.

 

[Silent Ocelot]

Kind of a dumb idea, but if you have an old pair of chest waders, just cut the booties off and you'd have a nice barrier on your legs and chest but you wouldn't get as hot because water would enter them. Any small leaks in them would no longer be relevant as any concern for waterproofing no longer exists. I tried this myself with a somewhat expensive pair of Simms (out of all of the pairs of waders I have I chose those haha!) but decided I didn't really care for that particular creation and decided to just use the booties.

I wouldn't say waders are good against sticks.

 

[brookieteeth]

Chota Hippies adjustable hip waders ain't bad, for what they are. Stocking foot, very lightweight and packable. They can be adjusted as knee waders or hip waders. Not real tough, so not the best for hiking through brambles. They're easily packed away in a daypack or shoulder bag with room to spare, and you can put them on at streamside.

I also advise pre-treating the seams of any waders with an extra layer of wader adhesive or stick glue before their first use. And maybe even some sort of Nikwax, which is pretty remarkable stuff for waterproofing gear. Find a front loading washer and put in on gentle cycle. They'll last a lot longer if they're cared for properly and dried promptly.

But really, even in the springtime I've found that I can handle most trout stream water temperatures while wet wading, especially if I have a layer of long underwear on. I just put on some Thinsulate tights under cargo shorts with boots or sandals, and I'm ready for stream ballet class.

The long underwear keeps the ticks off on the way to and from the stream, too. They also ward off scratches, which might get infected under some iffy water conditions, depending where you might be wading. Unbroken skin is typically good protection against bad bacteria like vibrio, e coli, staph, and mrsa, but even a small open wound can lead to trouble in the presence of that sort of pollution.

 

[Brown71]

Brookieteeth good post, all truth. Thanks.

 

[poopdeck]

Sorry to say but there are no such thing as not so hot waders. I stopped wet wading 10 years ago and always wear waders. Too many weird things in water that I don't want to come in contact with. I also don’t put fishing line in my mouth. When it’s so hot where waders become unbearable, I stay home in the air conditioning and find something to do.