Waders are dead

[raftman]

Joe & Fox, How well does LL Bean keep up with their warranty? They say that they will replace anything at anytime.... does that mean I can have a pair of their waders for 3 years and return them if they start leaking or if I puncture them? If so, that's an amazing deal. I'm looking at their Kennebec Waders and debating between the zip or no zip. Thoughts?

 

[joebamboo]

raftman, LLBean just replaced a 4 year old pair of waist highs, no questions asked. They truly do stand behind their products.

They try their best to replace items, if they are no longer being produced, they will replace them with newer products as close to what the cost of the ones you want replaced. They also offer gift cards for the price of the item if that is your preference.

 

[Swattie87]

We’ve discussed this before on here, and I give Bean credit for continuing to offer the guarantee they do on their products, but they really do get unfairly hosed on it plenty of times. Waders are not built to last a lifetime…it’s not possible. Seams stretch and fabric wears with normal use…they wear out. To buy a pair of waders from Bean with the plan to take them up on the satisfaction guarantee when they wear out after several solid years of good performance is Busch IMO, and in poor moral taste. I’m not saying that’s what anyone here did, or is planning on doing, but it’s worth pointing out that Bean Kennebec Waders have increased in price 25% in the last 3 years.

I purchased a pair at $150 (on sale from a normal price point of $200) 3 years ago. Best pair of waders I’ve ever owned. 3 years so far of leak free, breathable performance, good features and comfort…and I’m hard on waders. Lots of hiking, climbing, brush busting. When they do wear out and begin to leak, you can be sure I’ll be getting another pair of Kennebec’s. But I’ll be purchasing them. FWIW, the non-sale price now is $250. Possibly inflated from unreasonable satisfaction guarantee claims?

Don’t get me wrong, if a product fails before you’ve derived reasonable satisfactory use from it, heck yeah you should get them to replace it for you. But 4 years for waders...Can you honestly say you’re not satisfied with that?

 

[JackM]

I have used my Simms from LLBean about a half dozen times in the last 3 years. If they fail this year under normal conditions, I will be asking LLBean to stand behind them.

 

[Swattie87]

Haha - Jack, you never fish!

I understand that "reasonable" and "satisfied" are moving targets. I agree, in your case a half dozen uses over 3 years would warrant the satisfaction guarantee. That’s why I qualified my above post to not imply anyone here in this thread is taking advantage of things, just wanted to point out that it happens. I probably fish in my Bean’s approximately 30 times a year, often with a lengthy hike involved. In my case 3 years+ of leak free performance I think is more than reasonable of what to expect from a (formerly, when I purchased them) pair of $200 waders.

Ultimately we all have to decide what is reasonable, and still sleep well at night.

 

[raftman]

Swattie87 - Thanks for the insight. I was by no means planning on taking advantage of the warranty 10 years down the road just because of normal wear & tear. I was more interested in making sure they back them up due to malfunctions, etc.

Also, thanks for the review of the Kennebec. I think they'll be my choice. Any insight into the zipper or no zipper? I guess the zipper allows for easier access, etc.

 

[Swattie87]

raft - Yep, no worries. They’ll definitely stand behind them, no questions asked.

I have the zipperless ones. A zipper is just one more point of potential water intrusion I thought, and water is a very worthy adversary and usually doesn’t need any help to get to places you don’t want it. Kennebec’s fit fairly loose for a given size to start with (which I like), and I didn’t think the zipper was really all that necessary to help get into or out of them, or get access to add a few CFS to the flow of the stream.

 

[JackM]

When I bought the Simms, it was late in the year and just about when my fishing frequency decreased dramatically. I spent good money because I wanted good quality for my normal frequency at the time of 40-50 trip a year and yes, I (ab)used the hell out of waders at the time. Like you say, it depends upon a lot of factors and the key is whether you were satisfied with the performance of the product.

 

[Swattie87]

Yep, price is definitely a factor when determining “satisfied” and “reasonable.”

For waders, I generally apply the logic that for every $100 you spend you should expect about 1 year of leak free performance…for the type and frequency of fishing I do. Reason being, I’ve routinely gotten about 1 year leak free from the budget BPS and Cabelas house line products that are typically in the $100 price range.

The Beans were $200 regular price when I bought them, and I’m at 3+ years. They’re ahead of the curve.

 

[JackM]

At $2 per use, these should last me another 5-10 years at my current rate of fishing.

 

[Swattie87]

JackM wrote:
At $2 per use, these should last me another 5-10 years at my current rate of fishing.

Indeed. Hopefully you get out fishing more frequently like you used to and wear em' out quicker!

 

[joebamboo]

Swattie87 I totally agree with what you said and surely there are those who would abuse the warranty. However, my waist highs were not used often enough to leak from the ankles to the thighs on both legs. I called Bean prior to sending them and just followed their instructions. I had no idea that I had even had the waders that long. Bean did the research and told me when and how much I had paid for them.

My Simms and Patagonia chest highs have both been repaired several times. By far, LLBean is the place to go. They even provide you with a shipping label at no cost to you.

 

[raftman]

Anyone have any experience with the Redington Sonic Pros? I'm debating between them, the Kennebec, and the Orvis Silver Sonic Convertibles right now.

Thanks!

 

[joebamboo]

My Orvis silver sonics are by far the most comfortable. I have Simms, Patagonia chest highs as well. However, the Orvis leaked in the neoprene foot within a month and were repaired for $40.00 plus shipping and handling.

Do I have too many waders, probably but I have that same problem with rods. At least that's what my wife seems to think.

LL Bean will be my go to from now on.

 

[MathFish]

I'm a fan of LLBean waders but I have no experience with other brands. The LLBean Rapid River model was my first set - I loved those waders, but they developed a leaks in the crotch area, the material on the inside of the waders started separating and I would have preferred to repair them, but I didn't have faith that any patching would hold for long there... I took them back after 2 seasons of use and explained the problem at the store and they offered to replace with the most comparable model. I didn't like the new replacement model and opted to use the value of the return toward upgrading to the Kennebec zipper model.

Believe me that the zipper is unnecessary, but I love it! I think I'll always try to get a pair with one. It makes getting in and out just a little bit nicer - BUT the true value is that it makes "watering the lilies" while being suited up with my chest pack and all the other gear not the pain in the butt that it was without zippered waders... This is the selling point of a zipper!