waders, again

baltz526 · 11-12-2006, 06:44 AM

just ordered another new pair of waders. lacross alpha swampfox. breathable. the cabelas dryplus breathables should make ok rain gear bibs. with two full seasons on them, their durability was not very good.(read that as leaked right from the start, in the knees) i see the new model has fixed a few of the issues, with padded knees and heavy fabric, but the main failure is the boot to upper transition on mine. there is not much choice for waders ment to hike in, there are some that claim to be very durable, but if you read how they are built, they are way to hot to walk in or to stiff to last.( crotch will blow out and you will have chest high hip boots) i might walk several miles each hunt day, wearing the waders. so i guess i'll never find a perfect chest wader.

Last Call · 11-13-2006, 04:34 AM

I do quite a bit of walking in also. You have probably either tried or heard about this before, but I'll put it out there anyway. I use neoprene stocking foot waders with a GOOD set of wader boots (lug soles). Over the waders I wear a set of regular camo pants (oversized to fit over the waders of course). I've NEVER EVER punched a hole in my waders, and I've blundered into blackberries, thru the flooded timber at night...you name it. My waders wear out before they leak from poking holes in them.

I realize, of course, that I have now jinxed myself, but this has always worked for me. The neoprene is way more comfortable (my opinion) and I like the boots better than the bootfoot waders. I think they are also more comfortable and easier to walk in.

Good luck with your new ones. Please post to let us know what you think.
LC

baltz526 · 11-13-2006, 05:23 AM

i had a pair of stocking foot orvis guide weight neopreme waders several years ago. they worked, and never leaked. but they where very hot. i did not care for the work it required to get into them. i gave them to a new hunter that was thinner and taller than me.

Last Call · 11-13-2006, 09:30 AM

Gotta agree with you on all the above. I have kept with them so long (and thru all you mention) only because I can walk in them more comfortably for a long distance. I have struggled into mine a few times also.

LC

Teton · 11-13-2006, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by baltz526

so i guess i'll never find a perfect chest wader.

Well, I thought the same thing, and the jury is still out on Hodgman Wadelite breathables, but I love how much I can work without breaking a sweat, and the 1200 g insulated boots. I don't mind putting on extra layers, because I stay dry. I've had everything from boot foot, to Herters brush tuff, to Dura Mags, and I'll stick to these Hodgmans unless the boots blow out.

Threemuch · 11-13-2006, 02:35 PM

Hope they work out for you. I didn't like the straps on the swampfox, because I like to hang a shell holder/hand warmer from the straps, so I just got some new cabelas dry pluses. I hope I get two years or more out of em. Those swampfox have nice soft neoprene boots, they feel like Sevrus xtratuf fishing boots. I think they will be a comfortable wader for long walks.

baltz526 · 11-14-2006, 06:40 AM

being 5'8" when i adjust the suspenders on waders, the plastic sits right at the same location the butt of the gun hits. one of the reasons i chose the swampfox's is the way the adjustment is shown in the adds. the d-rings i do not use much

Chesapeake · 11-14-2006, 07:44 AM

I wear the Columbia 3.5 mm w/1000 gram boot neoprene waders and do alot of walking. They are a bit hot but made it through thier first season with only one littel seam leak.

Honestly I dont think anyone makes a great wader for doing alot of walking. I used stocking foot waders one season and about froze to death.

This is my idea for a good wader, maybe some company will try it soon.

Good 1000 gram boot welded to 2.5 mm or 3mm neoprene pants, at the waist heve welded on waterproof breathable fabric to complete the chest. They would need a waist belt and wide velcro shoulder straps.

baltz526 · 11-14-2006, 08:00 AM

velcro did not work for me, it gets full of debris and fails. good boots and good knees are the top of my list.

ogrejager · 11-14-2006, 08:47 AM

I appreciate this thread as I'm shopping for new waders and have similar issues. Thanks, Baltz.

baltz526 · 11-14-2006, 09:37 AM

going through the cabelas waterfowl 2006 i only saw 3 pair i liked. the ones i ordered, the updated dryplus i'm replacing and the herters 3ply stretch, for standing in cold water i would pick others, but for the way i hunt these three seemed the most useful

Big Arm · 11-14-2006, 11:28 AM

Teton,
Just got back from Sportsman's Warehouse and got the same ones as you have. Hope they work as well for me as they have for you!

Teton · 11-14-2006, 01:14 PM

Big Arm, so do I. Lets hope the boots hold up! They have plenty of insulation, and they are very light. Plus, they have such a large footprint, I feel like I'm wearing snowshoes, which reduces sinking into the mud.

baltz526 · 11-17-2006, 03:03 PM

i'm sitting here in my new waders, boots feel good, but seem a little soft for long hikes on gravel roads. they are noisy and the legs are puffy with a large ammount of rubbing together when walking. to wear and sit in they are comfortable. the shoulder straps are difficult, but i may learn the trick to them, nice pockets and hand warming sleeve. if i was 6' 220lbs with 34" inseam they would fit perfect and the legs would not rub so much. being 5'8" 190lbs with 29"inseam they will work, but i will be wearing the inside of the legs out. maybe some velcro straps like bike riders use to keep pant ankles tight.

baltz526 · 11-17-2006, 03:22 PM

shoulder straps are easy, just set and forget.

ogrejager · 11-17-2006, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by baltz526

if i was 6' 220lbs with 34" inseam .

Are you talking about me? Sounds like I've found my next pair of waders.

Thanks, Baltz for the info. This sorta stuff is what ifish is--or, at least, should be--about.

--Rob

baltz526 · 11-17-2006, 03:44 PM

on some topics you need to stir up the bees to make honey. i'll never be happy with shoes or waders. i do not have average feet or inseam. so everything is a tradeoff. if i was 5'10" 250lbs there are several waders that would fit, or 6'2" 220lbs several more choices.

Duckenfuss · 11-17-2006, 03:55 PM

THe problem I have is that nobody makes them tall enough-the story of my life. The inseam is always 8 inches from the crotch and uncomfortable. I am 6' 4" and quite slender. I got some dry plus waders but same thing. Neoprene are more flexible and take better to a lanky guys like myself. I like my new breathables though, but they only have a few hunts under the belt so far.

Last Call · 11-21-2006, 06:03 AM

Have you hunted in those new waders yet Baltz? Let us know what you think once you've had them in the field.

Thanks,
LC

baltz526 · 11-21-2006, 06:18 AM

it will be mid december before i get a few days for waterfowl, i'll give a report as soon as possible.

billc_sbio · 11-21-2006, 09:06 AM

So where I once hunted/lived I used to almost exclusively use/wear Hip Boots!

And let's face it, turned down Hippers are some of the BEST (rubber) boots you can walk in.

But now, living on the Wet Side of the Cascades, where "Wet Butt" is the common problem here, so it's waders 90+% of the time now.

And I've found that I can get away with using Waist High Waders 90% of the time I wear Waders!:grin:

And how I LOVE those Waist High Waders! I used to do my walking w/my Chest Waders rolled down around my waist. Not with the Waist Highs.

And, when the water's really deep, when things are flooded up, I find I hunt and set out dekes out of the boat anyway...

It's only rarely now that I'm hunting really deep water where I HAVE to have the extra coverage of Chest Highs.

So IF you're not somewhere where you NEED Chest High Waders, I strongly encourage you getting/trying some Waist Highs. The only problem I see is that there's not much of a selection of them.

The first time I ever wore any was using some a fishing guide let me borrow during a hot summer's trip out on the Deschutes. Once I tried those it was suddenly

:grin:

duckdog310 · 11-21-2006, 10:18 AM

I've got a pair of two year old DryPlus chest waders. At six feet tall and 200 (ripped!

) pounds, they fit perfectly and have served well. I haven't had any durability issues with them. I've logged a fair number of hiking miles on them, packing a boat, dekes, gear, etc out to the island.

I have only one complaint. The older DryPlus waders' strap system was terrible. They are an approximately one or one-half inch elastic strap connected to an H-style neoprene harness. One to one-half inch Fastex buckles are the attachment points. They are too narrow and do NOT allow for much adjustment. Even at six feet tall, I pulled all of the slack out of them and still need a bit more adjustment. Something with a bit more adjustment and wider/sturdier (like 2" to 2.5" scuba webbing and Fastex buckles) would be much better. . .Dad has those on his neoprene Cabelas offering.

Swamp Puppy · 11-21-2006, 11:08 AM

you should like these. the softer boot (for me) is actually more comfortable than more rigid boots on long walks and the extra material over the knee area helps with durability. i've snagged mine on brush and got into the outter material, but not the inner which keeps me dry.

going on my second season with my "alphas" and no complaints yet. my waders see ALOT of use in a variety of conditions. these are quite easily the best pair i've ever had. might change a thing or two with them if i wanted to nit pick, but nothing is perfect..these are the closest i've found to being perfect though.