Hey guys, I’m looking to splurge and buy me a decent pair of chest waders this year after fishing with hip waders the last few years. What do you look for in a good pair of waders? Boot foot or stocking foot, insulated or non-insulated, neoprene or other material, any advice would be greatly appreciated, Wisconsin’s early trout season is approaching rapidly.
Birdman, for comfort and durability stockingfoot is the way to go. 3 mil neoprene are good and fairly inexpensive starting in prices below $50, but these can get warm when walking during hot summer days. I have a pair of Gortex, I realy like these, they are much tougher, light weight and breathable. I don’t sweat as much in the goretex, so I feel dryer and more comfortable, However the Goretex is much more expensive, mine cost around $200, and I have to realy dress warm to use these in winter, the cold goes right through them.
I like felt soled shoes for wading they do a great job of grabbing rocky bottoms and are quit, but they wear out fast and are next to worthless on slick muddy banks (skies), also felts are no good in snow. Snow sticks to felt and will build up until you cannot walk. For general purpose wading shoes there’s the type that have a sole made up of round rubber pegs
I think they are made by Hodgeman, A buddy of mine has had these for a few years now and realy likes them.
John
hey birdman,
i would definitley go with some sort of light neopreme with a boot foot. that way they will be warm enough to fish in in the winter season, and not to bad for spring. then when it gets to warm out for them in the summer time just where your hip boots again or a swim suit and an old pair of sneekers. this is what i do, it works great. 
I’ve gone through enough waders to support a small wader maunfacturing company.
You need to ask yourself how often will you be fishing? Occasionally or hardcore? Will you go through
thick cover etc. or fish meadow laiden(sp?) streams?
If neoprenes or gortex definitely spend the extra and go with sock fit with wading boots. John hit it on the head
with felt bottoms for traction! ALso, you can get wading boots to fit your size better than a loose fitting rubber dealy bob.
ALso, ankle support is very key! I usually cover a lot of stream in a day and with out ankle support, a guy can get worn out real fast.
granted, you’ll grow strong ankles!lol
Neoprene is prone to tearing and punctures from branches sharp dried weeds etc. If you want you can go all ut and purchase a pair of
Kevlar waders! Very spendy, but supposedly unpenitrable!
Jim W
I would never, under any circumstance, buy a pair of neoprene waders for fishing again. Like Jim said, they are prone to tears and are way too damn hot in my opinion.
I’ve gone through numerous waders – rubber hip boots that are pretty cheap are an easy investment (I destroy a pair about every year and half to two years). I have gore-tex breathables right now (stocking foot waders – the only way to go in my opinion) and love them. I’ve had a few holes, but I’ve Aqua-Sealed them and they are super durable. I wet wade in the summer if I know I will be on streams where water temps aren’t too cold and the weather will be plenty warm. That’s where you’re wading boots come in handy; use them for wet wading.
If you want to spend some money, go with the best: Simms waders. They are $300 or more per pair, otherwise I know some people who have the LL Beans that have worked out great. I would shy away from Cabela’s waders, unless you’re going to be able to return them several times a summer – very unreliable and not durable at all.
Felt bottoms are great for instream traction but they aren’t great on the snow or mud, and are very slippery. I use my felt soles mainly on bigger waters like the Root and go with hiking boot bottomed wading shoes for most other conditions.
I guess it all boils down to how hard you’re going to fish and what type of cover you’ll be in to determine what kind of waders to go with.
Thanks, the consenus seems to be gortex over neoprene since I do get into some pretty rough territory. I’ve never used stocking foot waders before but from your replies I think that’s the route I’ll go. Do any of you have advice on specific brands that you have had luck with? I plan on using them alot and comfort is a big concern for me.
Thanks for the input, I’ve used cheap hip waders before but have never purchased a quality pair of chest waders.
I have gone through a few pairs of wading shoes – mainly because the felt soles come undone (again, the Aqua Seal and some wood screws come in handy). Both of those pairs were Hodgman – relatively cheap but not durable in the long run. I’m in the market for new wading boots as well so I can’t offer real sound advice for what you SHOULD buy.
TRUE STORY: I was talking to somebody I know that works at Cabelas and he said someone walked in and asked in waders were water proof……
they are not if you walk in the water to far!
Birdman, I have a pair of Gore-Tex Immersion from Cabalas,
I am not sure if they would be my first choice or maybe they are the best. Because they were given to me as a gift, I have never made a comparision with other brands. These are the most expensive waders Cabalas sells, I have returned two pair in the last 6 years and each time was given a new pair with no hassel. The new style has neoprene feet, my first pair did not, and were more expensive, so when I returned them I got a new pair of waders and money back. Keep in mind that the Cabalas store is lest than a mile away from my front door.
Gore is the only company that makes Gore-Tex, but it is in the way that the wader manufacturers incorperate it into their product that determines cost, breathability and durability.
Dryness determines warmth and comfort, get a pair that will fit well but still provide plenty of room for a few layers of warm clothes.
Since we have touched on the subject of “Wet Wading” or Freelancing, as a few of my associates like to call it.
Although swiming trunks and shorts work well, they don’t supply much protection from sunburn, insects, or on the occassions when I need to get out of the water to walk around a deep pool, “Nettles and other such plants and brush”.
We have found that the light weight nylon jogging style pants work very well. These provide great protection from sun and insects, and they dry out almost instantly when I step out of the water. Dark colors like black absorb the sun and can help warm you up after wadeing through a pool of cold spring water.
I still wear my wadeing shoes and a pair of thick heavy socks. You can also cut the feet off of a pair of old neoprene stocking foot waders and use them in place of socks.
AGHH! this is getting long! Instead of a reply maybe I should give it a chapter number. LOL.
John Eggers
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