Chest waders or wading pants?

[robkonowitch]

What do you wear? Chest waders or wading pants?

 

[hendeylathe]

I've got both.
A set of Cloudveil wading pants for Laurel Hill when its below 300 CFS and a set of Simms Rivershed chest waders for the Yough.

 

[JMG]

I wear Silver Sonic Convertible top waders by Orvis, so I have the best of both worlds.

 

[outsider]

If you never plan on wading deeper than your hips, I'd suggest waist high waders (assuming you want to buy one or the other). I'm a lightweight, and almost every time I waded above my waist I got into trouble. If waist high waders were available in the 70's, I would have bought them and never looked back. And they are so much more comfortable and cooler in the summer. Like walking in a pair of pants.

 

[RCFetter]

I always wore hip boots until Hodgman stopped making them. Now I wear waist high waders. I never wade deeper than mid-thigh.

 

[just_jon]

Waist high waders 90% of the time.

 

[WildTigerTrout]

Waisthighs. I don't wade any deeper than my waisthighs allow. I stay out of trouble that way!

 

[Cold]

Chest waders for me.

I try to never wade in water within a foot of the top of my wading gear...tried waist highs, and while they were convenient, and ever-so-slightly more comfortable, they prevented me from accessing a lot of spots, or crossing where I wanted to.

Went back to a decent quality pair of breathable chest waders and I don't really plan on trying the waist highs again anytime soon.

 

[pcray1231]

Chest waders for me. Even on brookie streams.

1. On big streams, I frequently wade over my waste, and can't justify carrying both.
2. On small streams, you may not NEED to go over your waste. Until you snag up in the only hole in the stream where it's that deep. I don't like losing flies!
3. I use waders as tick protection. I put a ring of bug spray around my chest before putting the waders on. Effective tick barrier.

I used to wear breathable hippers on brookie streams. The problem is when kneeling and crouching you get a wet arse. I thought waste highs made a ton of sense, but ticks got so bad I just started wearing chesties on those trips like I do everywhere else.

 

[billfrech]

I have both. If I know the area I am going to fish and it is not too deep I wear the wading pants. If it an area that I know is deeper or an area I do not know I wear chest waders.

 

[KeithS]

Chest waders.I'm short.

 

[robkonowitch]

Thanks. I am looking at a pair for summer fishing... Hard to choose

 

[dryflyguy]

Several years ago, I bought chest waders with a zipper. And it really seems like a nice compromise here.
I walk around and fish shallower water with the zipper down - pretty much all of the benefits of wading pants IMO.
Then, when I want to wade deep - zip, and off I go.

 

[Fishidiot]

Waist high

I usually fish with a vest so can't go above the waist anyway (I spend even more time in hip boots or wade wet in summer).

 

[BrookieChaser]

When chest waders can be folded down and secured with the shoulder straps, I see no use in waist high waders.

 

[thebassman]

I have both chest and wading pants. It all depends on the creek I am fishing. If I am at Valley....I wear my Redington wading pants. If I am fishing below Table Rock Dam in Missouri I am in my chest waders.

 

[whheff]

I have both styles. If I am going to a place I never fished I take the chest waders. On steams I know I like the waist highs especially in the Summer.