Chest wader options

Krayfish there is just something so profound about your last post, I just can't quite put my finger on it.
Maybe you should be in marketing.
 
I couldn't sell my way out of a paper bag. LOL. That's why I'm so frugal (aka broke azz) .

My first waders were some huge green rubber bootfoot pair. I was probably 5'4".120 lbs. They would have fit a guy 6'2" 230 lbs. Ol' K mart specials. Tore an 8" hole in the butt of them crawling into Clark's crk. Then got some redballs neoprenes at wal mart for $29. They made it several years but I almost got a hernia getting out of them at the end of each trip. They blew out during my second trip to the Beaverkill and got robbed for a pair of hogeman neoprenes. When they finally went, I picked up a pair of Simms on end of season clearence. Never looked back. I got a lower end pair beat them for 7-8 years. Patched...tear aid tape all over them. Ended up with a pair of G3 waders for $215....yes, $215. Didn't want to spend that much but am glad I did. I don't know when or if they will wear out. When I saw they were discontinued, snagged another pair. I'll never have to buy waders again in my lifetime (barring getting fat). :-D
 
Last ditch effort attached to a prayer. That is beautiful. Is that in a song or something? Jon Bon Jovi maybe? Brings to mind that all too irritating situation we find ourselves in when in waders too long.
Tucks a last ditch effort attached to a prayer to put out the fire in your butt.
 
Some of my fellow members of Potomac Patuxent TU got into the Reddington waders on Cheap and Steep. 1/2 off sounds pretty good.
 
There needs to be a PVC spray invented that coats the inside of old waders to make them 100% waterproof. Could extended the life for a year or two. It would destroy the breathability, but for a pair of waders in their death throes, who cares?
 
I don't seem to have the problems with waders some people have. I usually get new waders only when I put on extra weight. Currently I have Cabela's brand and these are the most I ever paid for waders. I really miss the red balls. I don't crawl around or go rock climbing and brush busting in them and I only wear them when the water is cold. I don't think it matters how much you spend on waders. If you crawl, climb and trail blaze in them they are gonna get leaks. If I'm walking through the woods for any length of time I don't put them on until I'm ready to go in the water. Doesn't make sense to put them on at the car and then go on a hike.
 
I use the Simms G4Zs and in my opinion are by far the best waders out there. I was a zipper skeptic for a long time. I swore up and down that I would never buy anything with a zipper...and I now can say that my past convictions were completely wrong. I am not a weekend warrior, fishing is my passion and also my living. I would challenge that not many people put waders through the kind of abuse mine have seen. I fish and waterfowl hunt in these things. Winter, Fall, Spring, Summer...doesnt matter. The zipper has never failed and depite being hung up in jaggers, barbed wire, bolts on the raft, hurdling logs, or jumping off bush plane floats they have never leaked. Yes the price is unrealistic and not objectively justified but we all pay taxes... big price tag, big investment, big benefits... and its great not having to exit the stream to take a wee.
 
Alright Kray, you've convinced me. As I said, I was willing to give them a shot (everything deserves a shot).

At the Somerset fly show yesterday I found a pair of G3's that was a reasonable "deal". Not earth shattering. I only intended to buy them if I found the deal of the century. I didn't (err, I did, but that one didn't have my size). But the 2nd best deal in the place was still a good $75 below typical retail, had my size, and it was Jonas, who I wanted to support. Still, by far, the most expensive wader I've ever bought, but I got em. I rationalized that I'd probably end up doing it by season's end anyway, and I'd probably throw $75 Cabelas bucks at em. Can spend the same, and save the Cabelas bucks for something else.

We'll see how they last. I will state that they have a built in advantage, and I have to take that into account. My LLBeans are showing wear, but still holding up. So, for as long as possible, I have 2 usable pairs of waders and plan to use them both. The Beans will be my bushwackers. The Simms will be my "big stream" wader. This means they will see far less abuse than my typical waders have, at least for a while.

With Simms waders and boots and a shirt or two, I will be a walking Simms catalog. While still swearing below my breath that their stuff is too much $$$$, lol.

I also picked up some Aquaseal and Revivex. Before spring, I intend to give the Beans the king's treatment to squeeze every hour of life out of them that I can, so that I can delay putting the Simms through bushwacker duty as long as possible. They are just too expensive to abuse....

I will say they are real nice. Perfect fit, nice pocket configuration, and the material has that "quality" feel. The only negative feeling so far is the weight of my wallet.
 
The do fit nicely. On old waders, you'd always get leaks on the inside of the legs. You shouldn't have that issue with these. They are very well built / a tad heavy but it's worth it for the wear they should provide. You may have the same thoughts in the back of your mind that I did..... Knowing how much they cost will make you a bit more careful when low crawling. LOL
 
It's not low crawling that puts that in my mind. That should be reasonably easy on waders. It's wading through brush, and climbing rocks.
 
only bad thing about simms G3 and G4: you are ruined for the rest of your life. You can never go back to cheap waders again. You may be shackled to 500.00 waders for ever. lol
 
Well, 4 years min. Or no way would I buy another set. And it would require 5 or 6 years before I'd fully sing their praises.
 
I got 5 and probably could have milked out another year with aqua seal. I think we fish about the same.
After 3.5-4 years I sent them back to have the booties replaced. They were leaking a little on one leg where the neoprene was attached to the body. It cost me about 70.00. I think the leak was partly my mistake. I was too aggressive shooting water up the gravel guards when cleaning them. The integrity of the bootie was still good though. I also had to glue down the seem tape in on the heals. It started to come up on the edges. I was told by a buddy this was partly my fault- not loosening my boots enough when putting them on/off.
I wash them with a hose after every trip and hang them from the loop on the back. Hanging them from the loop "opens" them up and allow the inside to breathe.
Every two years I washed in the tub with with powered laundry soap
 
Unless there’s mud or dirt caked on, I don’t even rinse. Just straight to the basement, put suspender straps over a coat hanger, and hang them. High enough that the booties are off the ground. And not on a coat rack, as I don’t want to squish them while they’re trying to dry, they need to hang open a bit. I just stuck a nail in a stud and hang them that way. But sometimes there is mud and stuff caked on, and yeah, I rinse then. So a rinse probably every 3 or 4 outings.

I’ve only ever “washed” waders once in my life. A few years back I had a week-long camping trip to the Smokies. Wore them every day. They leaked a bit, and there was a t-storm every day I think. Camping, so all you could do was hang from a tree. Even when not raining, it was very humid so they never really dried. By week’s end, yeah, they were pretty rank!!!! It was even a source of an epic post by Mrs. Pcray who hijacked my handle and told everyone I reaked. When I got home we got out one of those little plastic baby pools, a hose, and some powdered detergent and soaked them good before rinsing inside and out.

I also try to repair pinhole leaks once per winter.
 
I also kinda had the same philosophy as Pcray on waders - they're gonna spring leaks anyway, so might as well buy cheaper ones every other year or so.
But I had a chance to buy a pair of Simms G4Z's at a substantial discount, and went for it.
And after one full season of use, I'm quite happy with them so far.
But the jury is still out. If they last another 2-3 years, I'll consider it money well spent
 
Yeah, it's too late for you Pcray, your done. My 3's lasted 6 years before I couldn't find a pin hole leak. They are the backups to the 4's I know have. I don't worry about brush or rocks, never have and I cover a lot of water. Biggest thing is to treat the wader with Revivex. When the wader starts to carry moisture. You will be able to identify this by the darker coloration they will begin to show after out of the water. When the waders are not dried properly after use, this can break down the materials. The less water the wader is carrying the easier to dry. I am concerned about light rays and heat as well. I don't like to let my waders lay in the vehicle in direct sunlight for lengthy periods of time. Enjoy your Simms waders.
 
I know you are in a budget of around $100.00, but the best bang for the buck right now is the Orvis Silver Sonic's. I am getting a pair of them this spring along with a pair of G3's. I really liked the orvis and you can find them for around $259.00. I would also check LLBeans discount areas. They have a fantastic warranty. Go with the warranty waders because you new know when you will have a problem.
 
Yeah, it's too late for you Pcray, your done.
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Ah crap. Yeah, you're right. The scientist in me just wants to do what I've always done. Use the things as I use them. See how long they last. And make a meaningful interpretation of whether they were better than others, and if so, how much better.

But no, that's not what I'm doing. Too expensive to actually use, lol. I bought the G3's. I'm in the process of fixing up my Beans as well. Washed em. Stitched up tearing gravel guard. Did the rubbing alcohol/aquaseal fix combo yesterday (most leaks around ankle, abnormal for me). This weekend I'll Revivex them. Then they'll be my beaters while I baby the G3's. And of course, having the G3's on half duty (the lighter half at that), will make them last more than twice as long. Good for my wallet, bad for science and fanboyism. Oh well.
 
Have you looked at any of the tear-aid tape? Can find it for $30-$35 per roll. There's enough to tape your inside seams or thighs. Make sure you get the right 'type'. Used it for boat patch and 3 years w/o a leak. Nice product.
 
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