Wader Help

peterk123

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Would like some opinions/help with new waders. Historically, I have never spent a lot of money on waders. My latest pair is made by compass, and cost around 120 bucks. They work fine, no leaks after two seasons, but do not see heavy use. Given the upcoming move to Montana, I suspect I will spend many hours in the rivers when not hunting. I am looking hard at the Simms line. One of the best wader companies out there, and most importantly they are a US company based in Montana. That means a lot to me. I am trying to figure out if it is worth spending the money on the G3s or save some some serious coin and go with the Freestone. Major difference is one is goretex the other other is toray. Is the goretex that much better and will it last several more years than the freestone that is made with toray? We are talking $550 vs $300. And then I am still dealing with needing a decent pair of boots. My current boots suck. Multiply this problem by two because my wife will need them as well.
 
Mack's.

I've had the same pair for over 6 years. Amazing.

 
Hmmm. I just actually wandered around Mack's and it appears they do not make the neoprene waders I have from them and all the new styles have bad reviews. Not a good sign.

As to neoprene, I love mine. Hunting deep into fall, some years breaking ice to open up water. Nice, warm and dry.
 
Interested. I've got a set of hips and a set of chests. They both work seemingly fine. IT's the freaking BOOTS that are a problem. Sure, let's make something you stand in for hours on end only fit people with skinny stick-feet.

Both of my waders - FroggTogg's (I think) and ??? - are 11's. I take 10.5's in most shoes and these things are TOO big. Yet they are wasp-waisted. Pinch the hell out of the middle of my foot after 30-60 min of wear. When I use them with the boat (the hip waders), I tend to bring a pair of boots to jump into when on the water and then put the waders back on when we are coming in.
 
Interested. I've got a set of hips and a set of chests. They both work seemingly fine. IT's the freaking BOOTS that are a problem. Sure, let's make something you stand in for hours on end only fit people with skinny stick-feet.

Both of my waders - FroggTogg's (I think) and ??? - are 11's. I take 10.5's in most shoes and these things are TOO big. Yet they are wasp-waisted. Pinch the hell out of the middle of my foot after 30-60 min of wear. When I use them with the boat (the hip waders), I tend to bring a pair of boots to jump into when on the water and then put the waders back on when we are coming in.
Are you using stocking foot or boot foot waders? If you do a lot of hiking and standing in rivers, the stocking foot is the way to go. Of course, now you have to add a couple hundred bucks in cost because you need to invest in good boots that can handle the work.
 
My experience is that Gore-tex is rarely worth the extra, often significant, price. I'd bet the Toray membrane technology works just as well. In the river, breathability doesn't much matter anyway.
 
If I'm wearing waders it's pretty much only during duck season, when it's pretty cold out. I have a pair of Lacrosse Swamp-Tuff Pro's that I've been using for I think 5 years now and they're awesome. I bought them oversized because I'm usually bundled up pretty good for spending hours standing waist-high water. I believe I paid $180 for them on sale. I take good care of them and wash them down at the end of every season, and keep them in rodent-free areas. I've had a pair of older Lacrosse waders destroyed by mice years ago. That pissed me off.
 
I use LL Bean Emerger stocking foot waders with Simms wading boots. The Simms boots are top notch. I like that the wading belt has loops on the wader itself. This helps stop me from forgetting the wading belt. Its pretty a standard breathable wader. LL bean isn’t the same since they did away with their lifetime warranty. When these wear out, I’ll consider buying higher end such as Patagonia or Simms. If you are going the stocking foot route, I would venture to say that wading boots are just as or more important then the waders. You need comfortable feet.
 
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