(Jay your email address would not work so here is an answer to your question, I hope you are watching the site.)
Question for you regarding waders. I bought a pair of breathable Hodgmens from Sportmen’s Wearhouse at the going out of business sale. I got what I paid for. They were leaking within two weeks. I’m going to upgrade. Do I drop the cash and get a pair Sims or do I go a little more mid-price pair such as Cabelas? With all the bushwacking and mud in the spring in this area, I’m pretty hard on waders. I don’t want to spring for the Sims and then wreck them as I’ve heard Sims can be pain with returns.
Jay
First, Get ahold of Hodgeman. They are pretty good at customer service as far as I understand. That should get you a replacement for the leakers. Second, budget is always a concern. Hands down Simm’s is the best. Durability in breathable waders is continuing to improve, but the most durable are the most expensive. Nothing stops barb wire and unfortunately it is not the manufacturers fault when we anglers run into it. Simm’s does not do returns because they stand behind their products. If there is a problem, they will fix it. I had only 1 pair in 11 years of being a dealer for Simm’s leak out of the box. They replaced those. All but the cheapest of Simm’s waders are made in the US. Cabela’s are fine and they stand behind them, but I am not sold on the quality. Ultimately, stay within your budget, look at durability, get the best you can. I think we in the Midwest are harder on waders than the Western guys. They do more boating and wet wading than we do. I have never been disappointed in the quality and fit of Simm’s waders. Their service has been top notch as well. Once again none of the waders are bullet proof and they do wear out depending upon how you use them.
Andy
11 users commented in " Ask Andy-Leaky Waders "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackI agree with you on being hard on waders, so many times i find myself kneeling on the bank, on rocks, brush, etc, walking through the 6 foot tall weeds all summer long on the Kinni. i think i found 6 little leaks in my waders through out the year and all from normal wear and tear.
I’m dealing with the same thing. Bought cheapies and they made it through one full season with 5 tubes of aquaseal. Any thoughts on Patagonia waders? I talked to a buddy of mine who lives in the interior of Alaska. He swears by them and he puts them through the same kind of buskwacking advice we do here.
sorry to drop a shameless plug, but we are extremely happy with the waders we stocked this year from frogg toggs! great quality at an even price! and for 2010 breathable stocking foot hippers!
Brian
I use the Toggs for my rental waders in my guide business. They have been dependable for a fair price. I have worn waders from many of the major manufacturers and they all work for the most part. I think the real questions folks should ask themselves are, How often do I fish? And How hard do I play when I am in my waders. This can help determine a price range to choose. Our woods are full of Prickly Ash, Black Berries, Raspberries, Buckthorn, Currants, Nettles, and barb wire to name just a few of the plants and man made materials that will poke and rip at your waders. Some of them are unavoidable, all depends on how aggressive you are in your quest for adventure. I play hard and spend a lot of time in my waders each year, over 100 days a year. Many full time guides spend twice as much time as that in their waders. Durability is getting better and better and will continue to improve with the breathables. Buy the best that you can afford, Barb wire will still rip the cheapest and the best quality waders if you walk into that fence without seeing it first.
Big
I have not worn Patagonia’s. My understanding is that their replacement policy is based on your satisfaction and those who have worn them have liked the product and the replacement policy.
RE: Patagonia Waders.
I’ve been using Patagonia waders for a few seasons now. I like the waders for a number of reasons not the least of which is their suspender system. My experience has been that under “normal” stream side thrashing and hiking through the thick stuff they are plenty durable (although maybe a tad less comfortable than Simms, Gore-tex is tough to beat for comfort). Plus – they have a great warranty/return policy. Basically if you feel that the waders need to be replaced for some reason – they will replace them. My original pair developed a few spots that wore through after one season. Patagonia acknowledged that this was a problem that they had been having and replaced them with a new pair. More recently, I took a spill towards the end of this season and put a hole in the waders near my knee. Total operator error on my part. I sent them in with a note saying that I wanted to pay to have them repaired. They called me and informed me that they are in the middle of updating/upgrading their waders (they seem to do this a lot) and that if it was okay, they would send me a Patagonia GC in the amount of the waders so I could replace them with the new model when it became available.
OTOH – Simms makes great waders too. I still have an original pair of their gore-tex model from about 1995 that I keep as a back up pair. They have a few pin hole leaks but are still going strong.
Andy,
Thanks for the advice of buying the best you can afford. This will really help me in my wader search this winter. I fished 60 or so days last season (my first with a fly rod) and I hopefully will fish more this year. I need dependable waders.
BH
I have Patagonia waders and have had good luck with them, and i am pretty tough on my waders and have had the 6 leaks i mentioned above, but i am sliding on the rocks to stalk rising trout quite a bit. couple of the leaks came when i fell down trying to get into the river and landed on a big clump of sticks.
Thanks for the great input! The book, Let My People Go……Surfing is a great read. It was written by Yvon Chouinard the owner of Patagonia about how and why he built that company. His company was also one of the first to start donations to 1% for planet as well, which has set an incredible example for business and conservation.
I am a creature of habit. I base my purchases on three basic factors, quality(which includes durability), customer service and what I would consider shady business practice. I bought my fist Ford Pick-up truck in 1985 and have not been disappointed with any of these factors. I have owned 3 more since then. My journey with waders has been based on the same thoughts. I started with Orvis, moved to Gortex with Simms, Slid over to Cloudveil, returned to Simms. I have just not had the occasion to test drive a pair of Patagonias. Do waders come in pairs?
Simms…hands down. I paid the $, and…i have got a lot of “bushwacking,trailriding, hard wearing”out of them. And…they are comfortable as all get out. I have a pair of G3’S Guides that I have had since they first came out with them. I have walked DOWN into the confluence of the North/South fork of the Tongue,(and anyone who has done that knows it’s not an easy hike…heck…even trying to push through the growth along parts of the N. fork is a challenge) and stumbled along both the Rush and Kinni,trying to find a good spot.
If you are serious about spending a lot of time time on the water…then don’t be looking for an easy way out. Save the sheckels, bite the bullet, and go with the best.
SW
hi Bob.
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