nymphingmaniac
Well-known member
My observations are that its important to keep a close eye on the thickness AND density of the neoprene booties. Cheaper waders hav e thinner or less dense neoprene that fail more quickly.
Waders
- Thread starter Deadhand
- Start date
Deadhand
Member
I did that when he was a little guy. Now he’s 19 and in college. Birthday and Christmas presents doing my homework.
There is no way that I would buy anything but cheap waders for somebody who has never worn waders before. Let the individual learn on a cheap pair how careful one needs to be and/or what to watch out for in order to keep from screwing them up. I would never buy $500 waders anyway based on four decades of fieldwork in waders.
The greatest wear problem used to be the crotch wearing out and leaking from walking, and because the old materials were stiffer, but once companies finally figured out that tall people need longer inseams and when materials became more flexible, the crotch leakage problem went away.
As for seam leaks, in all of my years of fieldwork combined with even more years of fishing, I only ever had two leaky seams other than in the crotch; one was on an older pair ( probably 3 yrs of fieldwork) and the other was a leak right out of the box, which was corrected with a replacement pair of the same brand/model. My waders are never in a hot car, are always rolled down for internal drying after each use, and then hung upside-down and fully stretched out for storage/external drying.
As for breathable waders, they produce slightly less sweat or condensation when you’re really exerting yourself on a hot, humid day, but you’re still damp. I suppose that might make a difference when fishing as long as the angler is not doing a long walk-in or walk-out in warm to hot weather.
The greatest wear problem used to be the crotch wearing out and leaking from walking, and because the old materials were stiffer, but once companies finally figured out that tall people need longer inseams and when materials became more flexible, the crotch leakage problem went away.
As for seam leaks, in all of my years of fieldwork combined with even more years of fishing, I only ever had two leaky seams other than in the crotch; one was on an older pair ( probably 3 yrs of fieldwork) and the other was a leak right out of the box, which was corrected with a replacement pair of the same brand/model. My waders are never in a hot car, are always rolled down for internal drying after each use, and then hung upside-down and fully stretched out for storage/external drying.
As for breathable waders, they produce slightly less sweat or condensation when you’re really exerting yourself on a hot, humid day, but you’re still damp. I suppose that might make a difference when fishing as long as the angler is not doing a long walk-in or walk-out in warm to hot weather.
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Deadhand
Member
That’s a good point. When you’re young you just bust through everything and when you grow older you learn to pick your spots! Great perspective.
This has been my approach since I bought my house and filled up my toolbench with tools from harbor freight - if I used something to the point that it broke or that I used it so much it's worth treating myself to something better, then it might be worth investing in a pricier make/model (preferably with a good warranty).
Much the same with waders and fishing gear in general.
My "cheap" waders are now going on year 6 with no issues. They don't fit great and they aren't the most breathable, but they keep me dry.
