Rate your waders

I've been searching the archives on waders. Not a lot of great information to help a guy make a decision. I'm hoping you all could rate your waders present and past, the good, the bad, and the ugly so to speak. I got the breathables are far and away the favorite.

Hip high
Waist high
Bootfoot
Stockingfoot
Rubber
PVC
Neoprine
Vinyl

But how about some ratings on a scale of 1 to 10??

Owned a few sets of waders through the years:
Hodgeman neoprene:
I expressed my inner peter Pan, too hot and too tight for my tastes, but gets the job done. 5
Hodgeman rubber hip waders:
Owned two sets of these. Yes, they are heavy, but they are also durable. Used to keep them in my trunk for my after work trips just in case. They have served me well throughout the years.
Poor insulation though, and the fact that they are hipwaders limits what you can do. 6
Hodgeman guidelite:
This pair has been with me for over 8 seasons. They are the old grey ones with reinforced areas on it. Breathable and durable and have never given me any issues..i still use these waders.
Only complaint is the wader belt/chest pack zippers suck...they broke after only a season in the surf. 8
Frog toggs canyon?:
Current waders for tubing and plying the socal surf scene. Light and effective. Only complaint is wish it had more reinforcement around critical areas and get's a little damp after five or so hours in the tube, but that's nitpicking for something I picked up for 70 bucks. 7

i have a pair of neopreon ones, they were given to me for free. lol i dont know the name they are in the garage, but they are great. they keep me warm on thos socal winter days fishing lol. they dont stretch over my shoulders because im to tall but i just pull them up to my belly button and im dry the whole time, minus the sweat of course. but i want some breath able ones.

Cabelas Dri-Plus breathable in the $200 range- Quickly started leaking at the knee. I finally told the nice lady at the exchange counter-" You seem like a nice lady, but I am married and we need to stop meeting often like this" I just need a good set of waders . lol
Simms G3 Convertables. They work- They are comfortable. Mine have lasted a lot of years and a lot of time on the water in a float tube .I think they are 6 yrs old and still work fine but the feet worry me a bit as they are getting a bit stiff to turn for cleaning and drying each use. Are now getting pretty pricey.

Kin, Pavo21, ole giller....thanks
Good info all.

Even though the shootout is a couple of years old there is lots of good info there:
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FWIW I use Simms Headwaters stocking foot waders and I have been very satisfied with them.

For me, I have a pair of Red Head Booties that I wear over my White River Chest Stocking Foot waders. My reasoning for this was to be able to add support to my feet, able to walk on ruff surfaces and can use fins with straps (booties) or stocking foot with no strap fins. I bought the waders a little loose, for winter fishing in Sierras (under garments) and for sitting in tube.

Both items are firsts for me, so my experience is limited. They have been thru 4 fishing seasons. They are cleaned after every time out and hung to dry before storing in garage. They are light weight, have chest belt and are made of a breathable material. The only negative is they seem to stain. I'd probably give them an 8, Bass Pro for I believe $129 for waders..........GT

atavuss,
thanks I read that review, pretty scientific .

GT, Thanks!
I was thinking size up to accommodate the sitting position.

Jerdon wrote: atavuss,
thanks I  read  that review, pretty scientific .

GT, Thanks!
I was thinking size up to accommodate the sitting position.

I bought my waders and boots at Bass Pro and tried on multiple sizes of waders and the wader boots to make sure they fit, also wore them as I kneeled, bent, sat, etc. to make sure they were comfortable.

How about the bootfoot waders?
Anybody using these?

I think float tubing puts a stress on waders that was not intended by the manufacturers. The constant bending of the knee! I have Hodgman Guidelites. They were not cheap and started leaking at the knee after two years. I have tried to fix them to no avail. I just keep putting up with a damp leg because I cannot find another pair with a zipper in the front. Love that zipper!

fisheromen wrote:I think float tubing puts a stress on waders that was not intended by the manufacturers.  The constant bending of the knee!  I have Hodgman Guidelites.  They were not cheap and started leaking at the knee after two years.  I have tried to fix them to no avail.  I just keep putting up with a damp leg because I cannot find another pair with a zipper in the front. Love that zipper!

It doesn't look like Hodgman sells those any more. So the zipper is a plus for the 6 hour sessions?

Jerdon wrote:

fisheromen wrote:I think float tubing puts a stress on waders that was not intended by the manufacturers.  The constant bending of the knee!  I have Hodgman Guidelites.  They were not cheap and started leaking at the knee after two years.  I have tried to fix them to no avail.  I just keep putting up with a damp leg because I cannot find another pair with a zipper in the front. Love that zipper!

It doesn't look like Hodgman sells  those any more. So the zipper is a plus for the 6 hour sessions?

Makes bathroom breaks easy.

got me some hodgemans, not the best but they do the job...id say a 7 because i have to put 2 sweat pants on when cold and double socks...but other than that, theyre a 10 lol

I have a set of Hodgman neoprene stockingfoot chest waders in 4.5mm.  I learned to fly fish in Truckee. When wading or float tubing in the early and late times in the season, when your fly line would freeze to your guides in a single drift, those waders were welcomed. I fished Pyramid Lake in the mid 20's and Frenchman's Res. when it was 4 degrees without a problem. That nice warm feeling is not needed so much down here.   Had some miles on them and never leaked on me.  I haven't used them lately so, I don't know if there is any deterioration in the neoprene.  Rating: 2 for down here in so cal (sweat city), 100 for chilly No Cal/NV weather.


I needed a second set of waders for winter time surf fishing down here and got some Caddis breathable stockingfoot chest waders. They work well in the surf although, it only gets down to the low 50's at worst. If it feels extra nippy, I have base layer to help out the legs. Even late Fall in the Sierras, they are comfortable with khakis or jeans.  When I got my toon, I just use that set and hit the water.  More miles on them surf fishing than tooning. No problems with them, even though the booties are exposed to sand through the Krocs. No leaking yet. They have a zippered mesh pocket on the chest and a hand pocket behind it to the hands warm.  Lightweight and comfortable for so cal weather.  Rating 8.5 (I'm use to having chest waders come up to my armpits; these hang a little low. Also, the suspenders slip a tiny bit during the day.)  



Both set of waders fill the needs that were intended. Also, stockingfoot waders for me always.  Wading with bootfoot waders is asking for a twisted ankle. I tried them on at one time but, I didn't like that sloppy, loose feeling with them. And, I couldn't imagine trying to kick fins with them.

Owned many waders over the years. When I got to Simms stocking foot Gortex, I was done.

My first set, their first model was just replaced in 2016. THATS how long they lasted. Hundreds of trips, thousands of hours, zillions of fish. Wading, tubing, bush wacking, falls, snags....

The only reason I replaced them is the neoprene feet were so stiff they just weren't comfortable any more.

My Gary Borger boots from the late 80's are still rocking. Someone at the Pentagon needs to figure out what kind of wacky, weapons-grade synthetic leather those boots are made from.... absolutely remarkable. I've replaced about 4 or 5 sets of laces, and three or four felt soles. And if anyplace let you fish with felt soles anymore, I'd still be using them.

When I got the new Simms Gortex waders in 2016, I also got new boots.

They are expensive waders, make no mistake. But they've outlasted all other waders I've ever had.

Simms for life.

- Ken

I recently purchased new waders they are Frogg Toggs HellbenderStockingfoot Breathable, Guide Pant. These are waist high pants (waders). No more chest high waders for me, I have had these waders out for about 4 outings so they still have to prove longevity, but so far around $100, I think they are some of the best waders I have had so far.

jeffcpr wrote:I recently purchased new waders they are Frogg Toggs HellbenderStockingfoot Breathable, Guide Pant.  These are waist high pants (waders).  No more chest high waders for me, I have had these waders out for about 4 outings so they still have to prove longevity, but so far around $100, I think they are some of the best waders I have had so far.

Hey buddy

Why no chest waders? The heat?

I like them - when I'm facing into the wind, and the chop is spraying me, I like them. Or on a warmer day, when the jacket is off, I like the protection from spray and water.

I sit so high in the SFC it's not nearly the issue is was in the Wood River.

-K

Mo2vation i don't know i just liked the fact that i am high enough not to worry about checst high waders. But you are right when the spray picks up i might miss the chest high waders. For now i am happy with what i have but only time will tell.

I'm a newbie, so I've had one pair of waders my whole float tubing career and those are the Caddis Deluxe Breathable Stocking Foot Waders. I don't have anything to compare them to, but they've been great. I punched a toenail through the neoprene foot once, but some neoprene glue and a trim job took care of that.

Personally, I went with the stocking foot waders because I already had my fins and they wouldn't accept a boot. I don't do much walking around in my waders, so putting on some Crocks to spare the stocking feet when on land isn't a problem. If I was hiking long distances in my waders, I would probably go with a boot foot.

The "breathable" bit doesn't work for the parts of your waders under water, so my feet and lower legs still accumulate sweat, but the rest of me is glad for the breathable.

I just recently got a Grundens polyethylene long sleeve undershirt and it's great. It's easy for me to get overheated when kicking hard and the wicking action works perfectly to get rid of sweat without chilling me.

I'm currently using the Compass 360, Deadfall Z waders.  Neoprene booties 4mm, chest high and zippered to the crotch.  I've never had a pair I liked better.

tulsa wrote:I'm currently using the Compass 360, Deadfall Z waders.  Neoprene booties 4mm, chest high and zippered to the crotch.  I've never had a pair I liked better.

I have always wanted to try those.

Welcome to the forum, tulsa! Thanks for your post!

I have the same ones Ornery Bob has the Caddis Breathable with Stocking Feet. Mine came with a folding jacket that really bugged me so I unstitched it from the back and now have the waders and jacket separate.

I like them just fine but have not tried any others so can't really compare. They are lightweight and keep me dry so thumbs up!

Simm's:    (life time warranty)
G-4 chest waders Boot-foot            Rated:10  
G-4 chest waders sock foot             Rated: 10
Simm's G-3 jacket                         Rated: 10
Simm's Pak-lite jacket                    Rated: 10

Caddis: (no warranty)
Caddis Wading Systems      Rated: 7-8 Great waders until they leak, which they will. I've probably gone thru 6-7 pairs of the Caddis waders between my surf fishing and float tube fishing.
Caddis waders are very comfortable to wear.  Rated: 10 for comfort.