Best Waders?

[NCL]

Of all the waders I have heard had leaking issues, Simms has been on top. And as for their customer service, I tried to get help with boots that feel apart in less than a year and they refused to help me in any way. As far as I am concerned Simms can bite me!

I had the same experience with Simms a couple of years ago with the Guide model, mine were over a year but I probably only used then about ten times.

[loose_shoes]

You might want check out OS Systems. This company primarily make dry suits for commercial divers but they make exceptional waders, IMO.

http://www.ossystems.com/hunt-fish/

I have the chest high Travel Waders. These things are indestructible. Easily repaired, too. I snagged the latex feet on a sharp corner once. Fixed it in a flash with AquaSeal and reinforced it with a patch from a bicycle tire repair kit. Any other smaller holes (always my fault and not easy to do!) were fixed with a blob of AquaSeal.

OS Systems waders are an astounding bargain. The chest waders are $170 and they will last for many years of hard use. They have breathable waders for $400. I think that's about comparable with other breathable waders on the market.

They have a big range of "standard" sizes, not just S, M, L, XL, and you can get them custom fitted!

[aaron]

The best waders are the one's you take care of. It's amazing how little attention people give them. A quick wash and treatment of the DWR with Nikwax (revivex lasts nowhere near as long) and your waders breath like they should and hold up for longer. I'd guess that maybe %5 of people come close to doing this.

[k.hanley]

I agree with "loose shoes" and his post. OS Systems makes outstanding waders. I still have a pair from the 80's that work perfectly.

John Shewey and I had an opportunity to test one of their drysuits while we fished on the Deschutes back then. It was amazing to just let the river take us by current wherever we wanted to go. We'd simply just float the river and then stand up and work a slot. The drysuit was perfect for that application.

From that drysuit experience I was presented with a pair of chest waders for helping with the field tests (I was given their original non-breathable version). They got a lot of use and abuse. Unfortunately I don't come close to fitting in them anymore. They are now a gift for one of my longtime adventuring buds. Kev will be using them in a couple of weeks.

I wouldn't hesitate to invest in another pair.
Cheers, Ken

[Bob Loblaw]

My bottom of the line Redingtons are just about done after 2 seasons..probably 40 days fishing total. I had a very cold and wet couple of days fishing last week. Too much sliding around on my ass on big rocks and the seam up the butt has come apart, and when I took them into the garage last night and put a camping lantern inside the, there had to be 100 pin holes in them...damn Putah Creek blackberries.

Patched up the butt with Aquaseal and as many of the holes as I had patience for. Might get a few more days out of them or use them as backups, but its time to upgrade.

There's a pair of Redington Sonic Pros on sale for $200 at my local shop, in my size, and Orvis just came out with their sonic welded wader for $259. Anyone got an opinion on which is better?

[DAVID95670]

The best waders are the one's you take care of. It's amazing how little attention people give them. A quick wash and treatment of the DWR with Nikwax (revivex lasts nowhere near as long) and your waders breath like they should and hold up for longer. I'd guess that maybe %5 of people come close to doing this.

Aaron

Can you explain what DWR is and how to treat waders? This is the first time I have heard of it or of treating waders and I would like learn this procedure.

I googled Nikwax and got their site but no specific info.



Hey I found this from midcurrent

http://midcurrent.com/experts/washin...thable-waders/

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

If your waders are made of a Gore-Tex laminate you can turn them inside out and spray rubbing alchohol on the area you suspect a leak and get a dark blue dot that you can apply AquaSeal to for an easy fix.

This is only possible if you have waders made of Gore-Tex......

[aaron]

David
DWR is a polyflouro treatment that is added to your breathable waders. It's what causes the water bead off, once you see them "wetting out" or absorbing some water it's time to restore. The first time or so heat will revitalize the treatment, you can use your dryer gently or simply leave them in a hot car. At some point it will wear out completely, and something like the TX Direct Nikwax will add a new DWR coating. In my experience the Nikwax works a heck of a lot better than Revivex that Simms sells.

Aaron

Can you explain what DWR is and how to treat waders? This is the first time I have heard of it or of treating waders and I would like learn this procedure.

I googled Nikwax and got their site but no specific info.



Hey I found this from midcurrent

http://midcurrent.com/experts/washin...thable-waders/

[flyfshrmn]

it doesn't matter what waders you buy, if you walk in them in blackberries or through buckbrush thickets, you're going to get holes in them. Best solution is to wear something under your waders that you can walk in and take the waders off to traverse blackberry thickets and other thorny stuff. My G3s have been excellent and Simms customer service outstanding. I've sent them back to Simms three times for leak repair and had the feet replaced at no charge twice because of slight seam problems. They're on their 8th year and I've managed at least fifty days a year and probably a lot more than that the last three years.

[590Mike]

The best waders are the one's you take care of. It's amazing how little attention people give them. A quick wash and treatment of the DWR with Nikwax (revivex lasts nowhere near as long) and your waders breath like they should and hold up for longer. I'd guess that maybe %5 of people come close to doing this.

Normally I would just skip a post like this,but my experience with my Simms and their quality control is SHAMEFUL!
We bought two pair of G3's to take to Alaska my sons pair Leaked out of the box luckily we were floating and he didin't need them all day. Mine leaked on the 3rd or 4th day. Simms gave me nothing but crap. It took a letter from an attorney. To get satisfaction. My new waders haven't given me any issue but still.
Now to the point, blaming the owners of an obviously defective product so you can sell additional accessories is not only BS but lousy customer service.