favorite waders?

[Dustin Revel]

Personally I like simms waders. I do not however like simms customer service, which is why i'm looking at a pair of patagonia waders. anybody have experience with patagonia, cloudveil, or other brands of waders. i need a pair that will last me at least one steelhead season, which so far hasn't happened.
please share your experience good or bad with waders other than simms.
thanks Dustin

[Rick J]

A bunch of guys on the spey pages swear by the Dan Baily light weights as holding up as well as some of the bigger brand names. I think Bill can either get them or carries them and if not the Red Shed does.

Patagonia is suppose to have great customer service. I have been a Simms fan for years but have not been happy lately with how they hold up.

That said, on our recent trip to the Grand Ronde, all the guides and camp folks were using Simms and said nothing held up as well. Ed Ward liked Patagonia's but said the fit was weird and suggested a larger size as the crotch area is tight on them and will stress the seams. I have a light weight pair and can attest to the tight fit

[loganmike]

Cabela's dry plus.

I'm hard on gear and this might still hold up for a 5th season!

[shawn kempkes]

I second the baileys. several guides I know have them and swear by them.

[Bruce Berman]

I third the Dan Baileys. I own Simms, Cabela's Dry Plus and Dan Baileys waders. The Simms and the DB's are the ones that cost somewhere around $330 and are not the top of the line.

A seam on my Simms blew out on an AK trip 3 years ago. They were repaired and are fine now, but I needed a pair right away and switched to DB's that I'd bought as a back-up pair. I fell in love with that brand. They don't fit like a glove like the Simms and are a bit heavier, but they wear better than any waders I've experienced (I've never tried Patagonias). I recently tripped over barbed wire that was strung low along a wet trail along the San Juan River and the waders tore. DB's customer service fixed 'em free and reasonably quickly. All repairs are free, IF the waders can be repaired, that is.

Bought the Cabelas waders when my first DB's were being repaired when a pocket ripped. (DB totally replaced my waders. They were still under warranty) Cabelas works and seems to be well-made, but the neoprene footie is too large, and other fishermen I've spoken with have had the same observation.

[Victor Yee]

Been using Cloudveil after years of Simms. Sent first pair of Cloudveil because inside tape job was separating. Instead of repairing it, they sent a new pair. That type of service never existed before with Simms. Waders are top of the line... service is impeccable... and the boots are the lightest and best fitting that I've owned. I liked it so much that I bought another one just for Putah. All in all, those folks from Wyoming really knows how to take care of their customers!

[Pimpinmeat]

I've had the best customer service with Patagonia. I had a pair of boots where the felt came off during a trip. They sent a new pair overnight, free of charge, upgraded to newest pair and included an apology on top of it. All I had to do was send back the old pair at my convenience. I have been hearing some not so nice things about Simms lately and I will be switching to the new Patagonia waders, which I hear are awesome, when it come time to replace my G3's which is right around the corner. I've had to deal with Patagonia's customer service department several times and they never seem to amaze me when it comes to helpfulness. I'd had my share of problems with the way they glued on the felt and so I bought a pair Korker Guides. I told them I replaced my boots and asked them if they could do anything for me as far as the old boots go. they gave me a full refund (gift card) for the price of the upgraded boots. I buy a lot of there products because of this, it's a little more expensive but well worth it in my opinion. The new waders supposedly have new better fit and the wool in the booties is by far the biggest selling point for me.