New Waders

[Knuklehead]

I have been researching new waders and have narrowed the choice down to 3. Orvis, Reddington, Simms. 

The Reddington have welded seams and articulated knees and a water tight zipper which makes it easier to put them on.
The Orvis have welded seams, the Reddington ones incorporate the Orvis technology, articulated knees and they have quick release clips so u can push the chest part down to ur waist.
The Simms are made of Gortex and are convertible from chest to pants by folding the top part down which is then secured with a zipper. U can even remove the suspenders if u want.
Pricing is: the Orvis for $259, The Reddington for $379, and the Simms for $449.

Anyone have an opinion on these waders? I am leaning towards the Reddington, Simms are a close second only because of the price.

[kylemc]

I have the Sonic Pro's and love them so far. Time will tell on the zipper I guess but it is nice and handy. The are also the best fitting waders I have ever had.

[sanjuanwormhatch]

Have orvis waders and they leak.  Takes 6 weeks to repair.  Actually getting some Simms soon but getting a great deal.  If I'm buying MSRP, I'm going with Redington for sure.

[Woolly Bugger]

All my waders leak, Simms, Orvis, Dan Bailey, LLBean, they all leak.

That being said, I'm still partial to my Simms and will buy another pair as soon as I come up with the coin...

damn I wish I could find my Gore-tex rain jacket....

[sanjuanwormhatch]

Guess I should be more specific.  Orvis waders leak more than the expected amount thanks to a ripped seam on the right stocking. 

[The Dude]

Waders are for pussies and people who like to smell their own farts.

And if you have a smooth-running GI and like to drink coffee like me, they just get in the way every time you need to tinkle or poopie.

Best solution: 
1 pair of light or mid-weight moisture wicking long john pants (lpatagonia capilene works best, hands down)
one pair of thick wool socks
a pair of neoprene wet wading socks (I prefer chotas because they are a bit thicker than simms, patagonia, etc)
a pair of thick moisture wicking pants with DWR finish (I prefer ex-officio boracade pants)
and plenty of layers for your torso and head - as much as it takes

I haven't worn waders in 3 years and I've fished in temps as low as low 20s.  My hands are usually what gives me the most discomfort than anything else.  The good thing is that all of those items listed above can be worn outside of just fishing (except for the neoprene wading socks, but I use them while wet wading in the summer months, too, so they are versatile from that aspect, plus they are only like $20, so it isn't a big expense either way), whereas the waders are a high dollar investment that can pretty much only be used for fishing (and probably not used in the heat of May-September).

I started out wearing waders all the way until May and I never thought I could go without, but I tried it and it has never been a problem for me at all.  It isn't for everyone, but I bet most people would be surprised at just how comfortable it can be to wet-wade year round.  I can honestly say that I have had more miserable days of battling the chills while I was wearing waders than I have had without them.  Truthfully.

[Woolly Bugger]

haha, the Dude has never fished balls deep in the SoHo during a pulse!

[The Dude]

Yeah I hear that water is bone-chilling.  But, you're right, if I am going to be standing balls deep in the same spot all day long casting to the same fish, then I think waders would be the order of the day (and I keep a pair stored away at home, just in case).  Fortunately, that style of fishing is a very rare occurrence for me as my ADHD won't allow me to sit still long enough to experience it very often.

Oh btw, who's dick do you have to suck around here to get an invite to Shit Ridge?!?!?

[Peddler]

Since Cloudveil got out of the wader business my next pair will probably be Patagonia. Patagonia knows how to build stuff that works well in all aspects and has a warranty that's hard to beat. Besides, wearing all Simms all the time has become too cool. I expect they'll soon be branching out into lodge furnishings and dog beds to go with their artistic water bottles and cigar cutters.

[_Fish_Pimp]

I'm with Kyle, the Redington Sonic Pros fit very well and I like the zipper. I just got a pair for Christmas so we'll see how well they work on the freezing SoHo in January. I didn't pay retail     They're made with a Whorvis patent for the sonic welding...just so ya know..They're probably manufactured at the same plant overseas but they should surely last longer than my 100 dollar Simms blackfoot waders at least I hope so..

My old Simms blackfoots lasted for 3 whole years before they started seeping at the seams in the legs, I'm passing them to my brother so I attempted to seal them up with some aqua seal. They might last another season or so

So I say either Simms guide series or better...or the Redington sonic pro. never tried any other brands.

[kylemc]

Since Cloudveil got out of the wader business my next pair will probably be Patagonia. Patagonia knows how to build stuff that works well in all aspects and has a warranty that's hard to beat. Besides, wearing all Simms all the time has become too cool. I expect they'll soon be branching out into lodge furnishings and dog beds to go with their artistic water bottles and cigar cutters.

My last pair were Patagucci's. After 7 years they leaked, they are sent back now and they will replace. Hard to beat that. The Sonic Pro's I got from this dickhead that won them in the Carp Cup. I like them though.

[Knuklehead]

I must have been lucky then because the pair of waders I bought 7 or 8 years ago didn't leak until just recently and I wore them hunting, fishing and even wore them in the rain on my Harley several times.  I was hoping to get a pair that lasted a few years longer by increasing the price.  My original pair was $99. Ya'll have answered my question.
Oh btw, Dude, I was trying not to spend $500. I wet wade in shorts or kaki pants for maybe 9 months just need a pair of waders to keep my feet dry when the water temp drops below 40 deg. they tend to get numb then and I find it hard to walk if I can't feel my feet.

[snagaluffaguss]

Get the Simms.

Seriously...

Get the Simms


But I have to agree with Peddler.

The rest of their shit is getting a bit silly.

Their high end waders still give an American a job though and cant be beat IMHO.

First company that makes Gortex waders in the US though other than Simms Im gonna buy a pair on principal and try them out.

Note:  I spend A LOT of time in waders and have never had a pair of Simms leak on their own (in other words I poked holes in the ones that did leak), all the rest have leaked at the seams and in the feet, and in the crotch.  Ive heard good and bad about Patagonia and Redington.  The make some good ones but QC is and R&D is not on par with Simms and you get some duds and some experiments (see wool lined booties) that don't work out so well.

[yankeefish]

I second Cloudveil, the gortex pair i bought 6 years ago worked well and fit even better.  I don't know if anyone else has issues with Simms being too tight below the knee but I fish tailwaters and need some room for layers.   I did find a replacement pair of cloudveils last year that someone was selling used on Ebay for 100 bucks and i got lucky cause it was the same size i was wearing, these are gortex too.  tight lines

[Trout Maharishi]

Screw waders, I like my manly rubber hip boots. They never leak and they always are in fashion