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3. Cheap ($) Waders and Wading Boots

I bought some nice Redington waders and Korker wading boots but the wife's not happy. She says to keep it but I'm looking to compromise and get some cheap waders and boots.
Any recommendations?
Frogg Toggs or Caddis brand any good?

I'm not sure if I can be much help with lower end waders, even though they are what I always buy. I fish exclusively in waist highs, so that is where my experience has been. In the $90-140 range, I've had Cabela's, Frog Toggs, Hodgemans and one or two other brands over the years and I've never got more than a season and a half or at most, two (or 500-600 hours)out of any of them. I've paid a bit more for the lower end LLBean's waist highs and maybe got an additional 50-100 hours out of them. If you wear breathables and spend much time on medium to smaller water where you are negotiating stream banks on a regular basis, this is how long they last. It's sort of axiomatic, IMO, like the relationship between sunrise and the eastern sky.

So far as shoes, I think the Cabela's low end shoes (ultralight or whatever they are called, the ones that are $69.95 at any rate..) are a pretty good value. I have a pair that are on their third season, even though they are starting to look like a really angry Jack Russell Terrier worked them over. They are still holding together and doing what they are supposed to do. I've had shoes that cost twice as much and didn't last as long..

Actually, rather than downgrade your wading gear, I think the thing for you to do is to add up the cost of your Redington/Korkers package and buy your wife something nice that costs exactly $10 more than this total. This establishes something I like to call "complicity in excess" and may lead to greater domestic tranquility....:)

Good advice, Lee. ;>

Lee, where do your waders wear out? Anyplace in particular?

Hi Paul..

When they die a natural death (simply from wear, etc.) they tend to fail in the seams from mid-ankle up to the knees or from seam failure or compression leaks in the neoprene booties. But more often than not, my waders don't make it long enough to die a "natural" death. Usually, they succumb to the toll from random acts of violence caused by my inattention. Jutting sticks, blackberry brambles, falling on my can and sliding down a steep bank, etc. If there is a loose piece of barbed wire lying around, my waders usually find it.

I get awful excited when I'm fishing and I don't pay enough attention to where I'm going sometimes. When you combine this with the fact that I fish a lot of small, wooded streams, you have the reason why I never buy higher end waders.

I ask bc when I switched to stockingfoot waders I found that the booties wore out on them. I much later found a video by Simms saying "Trim your toenails!" -the #1 reason waders fail. Apparently it doesn't take a set of claws to cause such damage. Thought I'd pass that along since I replaced SF waders annually too -with the booties giving out most often and essentially being replaced with a complete Aquaseal coating by the time I gave up them.

That may be true with the bass fishing crowd but certainly not with the pedicured elitists of the fly fishing genre.

It sounds to me like Simms might also own a manicure/pedicure equipment company...:)

But then again, I don't presume to know anything about average toenail length among the fly angling gentry. And I've certainly heard stranger things that turned out to be absolutely true. So, safe being better than sorry, I'm going to make a point of buying a set of Simms toenail clippers ASAP.

Yeah, isn't it so. After a long hot hike into a spot yesterday I sat down in the stream, only to feel water pouring in. I thought, "damn, I must have ripped the waders." I got up and sat back down, problem gone. Must have dripped some in from the net, etc. But this was just dumb luck for once.



One pair of my waders has this affliction, but I've yet to stop the leak. Considering that spray seal stuff that they show on TV applied to a screen patch in a boat, then the guy paddles away.

LOL. They are pricey, esp if you get the whole set of ten.

Spray seal sounds good. I was thinking more along the lines of a dip tank.

I fish between 90 and 100 days a season. I've never owned a pair of waders that cost more than $175. Many of my friends have Simms G3's that list at $499. To me that is a lot of money. I'd prefer to spend my money on rods and reels or a ton of fly tying stuff. I usually buy a pair of Cabela's Guide waders when they are on sale for about $150. I usually get two seasons out of a pair. When they start to leak I just go out and buy another pair. I also have a pair of Frog Togg waders that I like they were less than $150.

I had a pair of Simms Freestone waders and they leaked before the end of one season. Simms offered me a pair of G3's for $200 and since I'd already spent $250 on the Freestones I saved $50 on the G3's and they gave me free shipping. However I found it very difficult to get the bootie off of my foot art the end of the fishing day. It might just be me and the size of my feet as two of my best fishing buddies have the G3 and are very satisfied with them.

More on waders; can't find the boot thread.

I went through a couple pairs of Korker Redsides and the seams let go within the first season's wear on them...so I bought the next-more expensive Korker and same thing. now I'm buying the lightweight Cabelas' boots every 2-3 years and getting better results for 2/3 the cost. I also bought a size larger than usual- less cramping and less bunching of the neoprene booties on the breathables. I look like Herman Munster in the sz 14's but they work.

Slow, slow, slow fishing in SW MI this summer. Even the smallmouth are doggo, don't seem to want to hit ANYTHING I'm throwing.

Roguerat

"Less is more...'

Ludwig Mies Vande Rohe

Orvis Silver Sonic Convertible-Top Waders cost a bit but are still cheaper than for example Simms. I've used them for 2 seasons and absolutely love them.

I can't believe your wife didn't like the Redington waders because they are one of the more comfortable brands. You can get a pair of the Toggs or Caddis brands here (http://amzn.to/1sanuFc) for a reasonable price and may search around in there and find a better deal. You can find the boots here as well (http://amzn.to/1TKSS7j). If you have a prime membership you can get free shipping and have them in two days.

That site has become my go to site for anything that I cannot find at my local fly shop. They include a vast amount of reviews and the prices are hard to beat, plus the free shipping if you have a prime membership http://amzn.to/1saoTeE.

Thanks,
Dirk

I have a pair of Simm's waders that I absolutely love. They are produced just down the road here in 4 Corners, near Bozeman, MT. Simm's now has some cheaper waders. The cheapest waders, the Freestone Waders are $250 but are of great quality. One thing that I love about Simm's is that the waders and products are produced right at the factory in Bozeman. I am more than willing to spend a few extra $'s to help support a local company that does so much for the local economy. They also will repair any leaks or problems that you have in the first year for free. After that, depending on the condition of your waders, it costs you either $40 or $65 to have them repaired. A great company that stands behind its products and makes sure you are satisfied with your purchase. My next pair of waders will be another pair of Simm's

Hi Ranch,



That answer is not 100% correct or at least it wasn't correct two years ago when I bought my first pair of Simms Freestones. I had many issues with the Freestones and when I called the Simms store in Bozeman they told me the Freestones were not made in Montana but were produced off shore.

They were though great to work with and in the end I bought a pair of Headwaters and they gave me a break on them because I had already spent $260 on the Freestones which by the way were in their own words
"Unrepairable".

I love my Dan Baileys, relatively cheap and havent let me down

Wbranch,

I think you are correct about the Freestones not being made in Bozeman. I looked back at the website and they are imported, but Simms does produce waders in Bozeman. I'm not sure which style they produce, but they definitely manufacture at the Bozeman plant.

Glad to hear that they worked with you on getting a new pair of waders. They really try and make sure that you're happy with their products. Definitely not the first time I've heard of them giving people a break on a new pair after someone has already purchased a previous pair of Simms waders.

Sorry for making that gross generalization. Thanks for catching me on that one!

RanchMT



I'm the unofficial forum police! I'm going to be keeping my eyes on you. It reminds me of the movie with Ben Stiller and Robert Deniro where Stiller is courting DeNiro's daughter and DeNiro is an ex black ops guy and he makes a gesture with his index and middle fingers where he points them at his eyes and them points them back and Stiller and very seriously says "I'll be watching you".

Truth be told I'm just a needler and a ball buster to pretty much everyone when I'm sitting in front of a monitor haha. Face to face I'm only that way with people who aren't going to punch me.

So back to Simms - they were really good with me in that they actually sent me one pair of the waders one or two steps above the Headwaters but when they came I just hated them. They are 4 ply at the knees and seat and at 73 years old I am pretty tired at the end of a 10 hour day in MT and the last thing I want to do is fight with a pair of waders trying to take them off.

I tried them on as soon as they arrived and within an hour I was back on the phone with them again. Now their patience was waning and they said "okay we will send you one more pair of waders no shipping charges but this is the end of it". So they emailed me a return shipping tag which I printed off and packed the waders up and shipped them back via UPS the same day.

What I like about there higher end waders is they offer the booties in two size ranges where the Freestones are only one size range; 9-11. I have big feet and I was really stretching the booties on my Freestones and it was hurting my feet. The higher end waders have booties in 9-11 and 11-13 plus the booties are shaped left and right so you get a much nicer fit.

I received them in early May and decided to save them for my trip to the Missouri in late June. Well I get to the lodge and get all set up to go to the river and I wade across a channel to get onto s really large flat. I'm standing there in about ankle deep water and saying to myself "Man that water is really cold:. Then after a few minutes I got that feeling that I think we all get sooner or later and that was "I think my right foot is wet!" Remember this is my very first hour wearing these $400 waders. I bend over and examine the outside of my right leg and sure enough about 3" above the neoprene bootie there is a nice L shaped tear about 1/2" long. I was just sick. So I waded back across the channel, drove back to the lodge, took the waders off and turned them inside out and dried them with the sun and sopped up the water in the booties with the bath towels. I used the provided patch kit to apply a patch on the inside and then on the outside I had one of those glue sticks about 3/4" wide and 3" long and heated up the end until it was just melting and applied it all around the tear so it covered the tear and the margin around it. I went back to the river and was dry as a bone and have never been wet since and that will be three years in June.