Patagonia waders are terrible

[DAVID95670]

I would like to buy a boat but when i tried to swing a fly on a two handed rod formally incorrectly called a spey rod it did not work too well

i will try and sell the waders on ebay and buy simms other wise i will wear them and then call and complain again next year

albeit i wish i had a boat on sunday to chase down one hot steelhead hen that was no match for my 5 wt i got her within 10 ft she looked at my fat ass and decided it was better to head back to the golden gate bridge 3/4 thru my backing must have been 28 inches or more pink sides and chrome 5lbs florocarbon was nothing to it straighten my first hook hit the fox pupae

[EricO]

I'll chuck in my .02 cents on waders.

I've almost always used Simms. However, I bought a pair of the Redington Sonic Pro's
from Kiene's almost three years ago. I had heard great things about them on this board
from several seasoned fishermen. My buddy Jeff Fisher also bought some around the same time.

Bottomline, these things rule. I've beat the living crap out of them on places like the Pit, Upper
Sac, etc. Not one leak yet (knocking on wood in case I jinx myself). I've gone thru blackberry
bushes, slid down rocks, crashed thru thorn bushes and nothing. Jeff got one leak in one of
his booties as I recall.

The craftsmanship is excellent. The wading belt is the stoutest I have ever seen, the flip out
pocket is good for keys, hemo's etc. The fleece hand warming pockets are nice, unless you wade
too deep or take a dunking.

I'll buy them again in a heartbeat. And the price point is super. This is not a paid advertisement,
just a happy customer.

As far as days I fish per year...I'd say close to 50.

EO

[Dan LeCount]

Good point by Bill, fishing and guiding out of a boat a lot can definitely add some lifespan to your waders. I guide 100% walk and wade in some rough areas and usually put a few hundred days a year on them, so yea they usually start leaking in a year or so no matter who they are. Yea, Simms has the easiest self repair because of the alcohol trick, they've also been the most durable for me. I tried some sonic pros last season and they made it maybe 8-9 months then started suffering from pin holes. Now they sit in a wadded pile in the back of the truck.

@Hogan - 3 years is pretty impressive for the newer Simms, roughly how often are you guiding out of a boat?

[amoeba]

Well, 2-3 replacements and 8 months is alot more than the 3 days of leak free use I got out of one pair of waders from another major manufacturer; who rather than admit the material was bad (it leaked and delaminated on the upper half, above the legs only); blamed it on me and said there was mildew (not a speck of it anywhere). So convinced I was that it was a manufacturer defect, I bought yet another brand new pair which - of course - hasn't leaked at all. To be fair, I don't normally send waders in for leaks or after a year - but 3 days? and leaks on the upper portion? delamination? I must admit I kept them for a couple months, but these things were new with tags. I didn't pay that much (on sale clearance)

The offending manufacturer in my case, shall remain nameless - their poor customer service will put them out of business without loyal customers like me.

You can do a whole lot worse than Patagonia, 8 months of use (assuming 150-200 days/year), and/or their 2-3 replacements.

I'm not in the mood for Simms; that material is too stiff and the fit of everything they make is too slim in the leg and seat, as well as in the uppers for layering. Good manufacturer and quality, just that in the case of waders they don't fit me.

[Hogan Brown]

@dan I spend most of my time in my waders in and out of my jet boat, drift boat, or raft....so not the super wear and tear of a walk and wade guide but I get a dozen or so days on the Pit and NF Feather a year. Nothing compared to what you are putting on a pair I am sure.

[Dan LeCount]

@Hogan - I'm envious of your boat situation. I've thought about getting a raft a few times up here, just never pulled the trigger. Btw- Where the hell do you park all those?

[Digger]

Bought Patagonia SST waders in 2000. A couple years ago I noticed one foot would be damp after 4-5 hrs of use.
Thought it was me sweating at first, then the other foot was damp as well.
Sent them in last year just to see if a repair was possible, and I was planing on them as a spare set, if repairable.

They offered to replace the feet with the new lined feet for $25 or the same regular feet for free.
I paid the $25 extra.

I'm not a daily user, but have done a LOT of hiking in them, through all kinds of stuff.
I perhaps fish 15 (+/-) days on a busy year, but I've defintely got my $$$ worth.

I own other Patagonia clothing & gear (skiing etc). I would not hesitate to buy them again.