Well as most of you know we at CCAS are Simms guys, but that being said the longest lasting pr of breathable waders I ever owned was a pr of Orvis Clearwater Waders. When I use to fish over 180 days a year they were bullet proof. I want to say I paid around $140 for them in 1994 or so. I got almost 10 years out of them. Hard to believe but true. I still have them today. I cut the stocking feel of them and use them for the best rain pants ever. Back to the redingtons. I actually own a old pr (zippered front)before the sonics came out. They worked fine, however I have to say that I had two other buddies who got the same ones. One pr leaked out of the box and the other pr the zippers broke and the seam tape came off. However mine have been relagated to a backup pair now. I know use the Simms G4's and am really happy with them. Pricey but dependable, However no wader is inderstructable. I think the best approach is buy the best you can afford. Sure companies like Bean and Cabelas offer great warranties but a great warranty isn't great if you have to return them all the time. That being said the best thing to do is look for quality in workmanship and materials. Inspect how the boot foot is attached, thickness of materials and quality of seems and how they are taped. A quality product is easy to spot.
