All waders eventually leak

[amoeba]

I got weary of looking at that "this and that brand of waders is terrible" thread title for weeks; this truism shouldn't get much objection.

[jbird]

I agree. And mileage can vary dramatically depending on your method of angling. Boat anglers typically get more mileage than bushwhackers. Float tubing isn't very hard on waders. Also very important to buy waders that actually fit you. And proper care helps too. Its unfortunate that waders are so expendable. It has made me lean toward buying three $100 pairs over one $300 pair.

When I was walk/wade fishing for steelhead 200+ days a year. Every wader I tried leaked in less than a year.

[maebrown]

On a slightly different note: I own both Simms and Patagonia waders and have put holes in both. I send them back or fix them myself, and I'm generally happy with them. However, my next pair of waders are going to be custom. I have big feet and short legs, so all my waders come almost up to my neck.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Younger aggressive anglers who played sports and that fish 100 days or more a year will go through them more quickly.

Old worn out dudes like me who fish more out of a boat now will have a good pair last them a long time.

.

[Larry S]

Good post, amoeba. I've had waders that leaked badly right out of the box. I always try to test them ASAP.
Best,
Larry S

[JasonB]

No objection from me, I think you're right on the money there. I have a pair of simms waders that were hand-me-downs when I first started, they are old but they leak, had them repaired cheaply (thank you simms) and then they started leaking again. Fair enough, they are old and have given plenty of service. Bought a pair of Patagonia waders, loved them, used them, they leaked eventually. They sent me a new pair, upgraded I might add at no extra charge (thank you Patagonia), love them, used them, now they leak. I am pretty sure that ALL companies have some bad seams or material issues from time to time. I also use my gear a lot, so it does get pinholes and such sooner or later, not a lot to do about it.

I've done minor leak repair at home and in the field on all the above, and I've sent them in for repairs and been treated well. I am usually most concerned about how the company handles problems, and takes care of you when they eventually do leak. That said, I'm in a conundrum now: leaky waders, but it's the middle of steelhead season and I don't want to have to wait a month or two to get them back, on the other hand I don't really want to suffer through a whole winter of leaking waders (again)!
JB

[amoeba]

I'm just trying to push that "X is terrible" thread title as far as possible down the top of the message list. People just can't stop getting the last word.

[Digger]

that's the problem with these public bulletin boards.
people just keep posting

[hwchubb]

Fished with a couple long time Pit River angles last year that wore oversized jeans over their waders. Extra pockets, and protection from bushwacking damage. Most of the leaks mine develop are in the knees (crawling), toes or from blackberries. FYI, I've been impressed with my Redington Sonic Welds, or whatever they are actually called. You can figure it out, I'm sure :-).