School Me on Waders

[Rubberhead*]

Two things to remember...1) waders are disposable


and 2)

[willyworm]

Ripstop is the where the place in China that makes em weave some material into outer surface the neoprene which helps them to stretch instead of tearing on a small, pointy stick. I don't think I've repaired a wader hole in a few years (knocks on wood) and I've trounced thru some pretty nasty swamps and beaver holes on the regular. 1st gen waders I had in the past were plain ole smooth neoprene and would rip if you snagged em on the boat prop or basically anything relatively jagged.

I've never tried breathables, so I'm not gonna hate, but I've always dealt with the sweaty feet on mild days to have toasty warm feet on the cold ones. I think I got 1200g thinsukate in the boots and hunted last year in that cold snap when it 9 degrees and was comfortable. Keep your eyes peeled on Camofire, they've been listing some waders lately at hard to beat prices.

I go ahead and coat the seams in Aquaseal right out the box. They WILL leak on a long enough timeline, so it's preventative maintenance in my mind. Simply prolonging the inevitable. In the off season coat the rubber boots in ArmourAll. I think I learned that trick from Rubbahead, can't recall. If you take care of the waders, and they're well-made, the boots will deteriorate before anything else breaks down. I think I'm season 6 on my Hodgmans.

[willyworm]

Two things to remember...1) waders are disposable


and 2)

Wader pants render them things unnecessary. Love my LL Bean wader pants. Best ones out there bar none.

https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/4877...=wader%20pants

[Black Bart]

I got a set for you.. the belt just doesn't tighten up enough for me. I'm like 5 11, in the winter I get up to 190 something. I can't adjust them enough where they won't fall around my ass. I can't remember if they're the instinct Warrior by Cabela's or some nice lacrosse set. I've been wearing my back up cheaper lacrosse breathables, buying another pair here shortly

Thanks, Fuzz.

And Socks, I'm 6'3 and have you by 100 lbs. PM me if you still think they'd fit. I'll pay you whatever you think is fair. Regardless, thank you as well.

[scdiver]

Have had a couple good pairs of Lacrosse.

My go to pair now is frogg toggs breathables.

Bibs underneath when it's cold.

[PharmHunter]

Cabelas Dry Plus Breathables have served me well and are very comfortable.

[Highstrung]

Thanks, Fuzz.

And Socks, I'm 6'3 and have you by 100 lbs. PM me if you still think they'd fit. I'll pay you whatever you think is fair. Regardless, thank you as well.

damn, you're bigger than I thought.. what size foot, these are like 10.5s, they might not fit

[Black Bart]

Dude, like I said, I'm similar to a bear. Size 12-13 foot. Thanks again, though.

[Ramblin Rooster]

Breathable all the way.
Since this thread pops up every year...my 2 cents
The breathable waders are fairly new to the market and like many new things , improvements have to be made...they have !
I can’t speak to all manufacturers, but Banded has a 30 day no-hassles return policy.
Buy the waders , get in some water...if they leak, return them. If they don’t, but later do...you ripped em.
Additionally they now have a 2 year warranty

[Black Bart]

Oh, yeah...

What about uppers? Jackets and what-not?

[willyworm]

I layer and don't do jackets unless it's flat out raining. The Drakes, Banded, Columbia blah blah blah jackets, don't need em. Overpriced crap. Simple layers work best for me.

Always have Polyester/stretch type fitting base layer, similar to UnderArmour Cold Gear. On chilly days I add a middle layer which is an old cotton turtleneck I've had for ages. Outer layer is either:

1. a brownish 1/4 zip fleece I picked up at TJ Maxx years ago by a company called Avalanche. It has a nifty little zipper pocket on the upper left sleeve where I keep my wallet and chapstick for easy access.
2. on cold, windy days I opt for LL Bean Waterfowler sweater instead. It's got the wind liner and is incredibly warm.
3. Rainy days I wear my GoreTex miltary issue stuff. It's the best waterproof gear I own.


If I get hot I simply remove the applicable layer.

[Coastal Woodie]

I have a pair of Mad Dog 3.5mm neoprene waders that I've hunted every season since 2007. I have also bought cabelas, frogg togg, academy brand, cabelas breathable, and another pair of cabelas neoprene...... When those mad dogs finally give up, I will be heartbroken.

I bought a pair of those on sale for like $30 when I was a freshman in college. They still don’t leak, I have them in my hunting trucks toolbox for when I need a pair for some reason or another. They are some tough waders.

[12341234]

I had a pair of LaCrosse that lasted for 7 years. I've got some Cabelas now but I've heard nothing but good stuff about Banded.

Just got a pair of banded waders and they fell apart half way through my second hunt.

[wskinner]

My Cabelas are still going strong after 10 years. Yeah, they got aquaseal in several spots and the boots are cracked, but I’m still dry when I take them off. I’ll probably have to replace them this season or next, depending on how the boots hold up. Going to be a sad day.

[2thDoc]

Two things to remember...1) waders are disposable


and 2)

#1 I totally agree with
#2--I've been tucking my pants into my socks for free for many years. I got a few of those velcro neoprene leg thingies I use to hold other stuff together like fishing rods and such....

[Highstrung]

There are just soo many possibilities out there for exposed garb. Also if you're looking at multiple activities afterwards you'll need to think about pants, or a change.. I'm not running around like a buffoon in wader pants, they're cool for when waders are on, plus house lounging... they should immediately be taken off for anything else.

[Rubberhead*]

Wader pants render them things unnecessary. Love my LL Bean wader pants. Best ones out there bar none.

https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/4877...=wader%20pants

You're right. Coming off of the early season when I used thin work pants and breathable waders...I'll amend my points to this...

Two things to remember...1) waders are disposable


and 2)

or

[willyworm]

Wader pants and muck boots baby. Match made in heaven.

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[Hogg]

This is like debating the merits of different colored topwater plugs.

[GOAT]

I want to know what y'all do and where the hell y'all hunt to rip waders two days after buying them...