L.L.Bean Flyweight II stocking foot waders?

[jreichel]

Any one have any experiance with these waders? At $59 they are in my price range but don't want to throw my money away if they are junk. Any input would be great.

Thanks
Jeff

 

[ryguyfi]

I wanted to get these as a birthday present this past spring, instead I got $150 of gift cards for Gander Mountain (never fails). I bought a decent pair of breathable waders there and after about 5 times out they are leaking enough to dump out about a cup of water from the boot every time I fish. Their return policy on waders is they have to be returned within 30 days and can't be worn........

L.L. Bean, I believe, has a lifetime warranty on their products, so if they do leak or break down, then take them back and get a new pair. There was a large discussion on this a while back and the concencious was that all waders eventually leak, so don't waste your money on an expensive pair.



Ryan

 

[Heritage-Angler]

Or.............you can buy a pair of Simms waders from L.L. Bean, and have the best of both worlds. Works quite nicely for me! :-D

 

[jayL]

I wouldn't buy waders from GM if that's their policy. That provides no protection from shoddy waders.

I have never been to one. Are all of their policies so unfriendly?

 

[pete41]

GM seems to be high priced on most items
{for lures anyway-about 20% more than Walmart]
But-worth dropping in to check their sale bins-NOBODY beats some of their prices
ex-19 cents for a $3.99 item-and its not junk just overstock of some top quality goods.

 

[jaybo41]

LL Bean policy is that they take anything back purchased from them if EVER you are unsatisfied. There are other big boxes that have the same type of policy too so they are not the only one, but they do stand behind their products better than most companies do. At least this has been my experience.

I don't have experience with these boots, but I've had good experiences with Bean products. If you are looking for boots with more than 3 ply legs and wear areas this is probably not what you want. You should look at their other models or buy the Simms like H-A mentioned. If you buy them at Bean, you can always have confidence that you will get Bean's guarantee if Simms for whatever reason wouldn't honor their warranty. They come with a more hefty price tag, but they are good boots, just not cheap.

Orvis is also having a sale on their boots as well, if you want to at least double the price of these @ $59, they do have good options too. I got my boots through my local fly shop, but ordered direct from Orvis. The shop got credit for my sale and from what the owner said, it worked out better because he didn't have to stock an extra size that he normally wouldn't carry.

Get something that fits you, whatever brand you decide upon because a pair of boots that doesn't fit is likely to be less comfortable if nothing else, but I've found that you also subject yourself to pre-mature wear. Some of the most likely areas are wear on the seams, stocking foot, etc. For $60 plus shipping that's not a big hit if they don't work. Local fly shops are worth checking for sizing too and you may just find something on sale. If you're too far away, call the ones nearest to you and see what they can do for you.

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

 

[double_taper]

The Flyweight II were the first pair of chest waders I owned. They leaked at the seems after a year which isn't horrible for the price. The leak really only made my pants damp and other then cold weather was not an issue. I since upgraded more for a better fit then the fact I was unhappy with them. I returned them for a new pair though no problem and now just hold onto them incase my other pair goes down. For the price and being able to return them at any point for a new pair I would recommend. If you plan on doing some brush busting I would go with a higher quality pair our you will do a lot of exchanging because they are pretty lightweight.

 

[onemorecast]

I have owned 4 pairs of these waders. Other than leaking booties, the first couple of pairs I owned held up well. They were made of a nice fabric. Not too thin, seams did not leak at all but the feet did, sometimes right out of the box, other times a few uses in. I returned the first three pair for new Flyweights. Recently, I tore up my latest pair of flyweights on sticker bushes and decided not to use the Bean guarantee when the damage was my fault, so I made the trip to Bean's to buy new waders. I noticed the new Flyweights seemed to be made of a thinner fabric, which concerned me. Instead, I took the plunge on Bean's Rapid River waders ($299) which I thought were great except for side mounted belt loops (don't have a clue why they'd be on the sides).

I think the Flyweight leaky feet may have been due to not buying my boots a size bigger, but the feet in the Rapid River's do not leak - probably because of their thicker, more durable seam tape. HOWEVER, they have just started to leak in a more, uh, sensitive area. It's fine in the summer, but once winter is here, it ain't gonna be fun, so they are going back!

My last pair of Flyweights is now used as overalls for dirty jobs, like deer hide tanning.

 

[ryguyfi]

jayL wrote:
I wouldn't buy waders from GM if that's their policy. That provides no protection from shoddy waders.

I have never been to one. Are all of their policies so unfriendly?

Yes I have been very unhappy with their service. They are the only local store to me that holds a good supply of fly tying materials, so that's why I go there. I bought the waders right before the JAM and they started leaking a month ago. I have tried to fix them but need to try a little harder. Gonna try the spray bottle of alcohol method this week.

They have a decent amount of supplies, but their rod and reel selection is not very good. What are you going to do when you don't get what you ask for as a gift though? I figured I'd try out the waders since I didn't have the cash to buy some elsewhere. I'm giving my wife such a hard time about it now because she didn't get the ll beans that she might just give me the cash to go buy them just to shut me up . We'll see.... atleast I have my neoprenes that work just fine as a backup.

 

[jreichel]

Thanks for all the input! I'm not sure what I will do at this point. The price is right and I do have a pair of neopren waders for cold weather and hippers wich I wear when tromping through the brush. So I may take a chance on these since they won't be my only option.

Thanks again
Jeff