Waist Wader Recommendation

[cowsharks]

I found out today that every pair of waders I own have some sort of leaks. I'm flat out tired of trying to repair them. They've got more spots of wader repair goo than original material it seems. What's really odd is, the three pair of waders all have leaks only in the left pant leg, all below the knee - strange. Anyhow, I'm now looking at buying some new waders, waist-high (not the standard hip waders). The majority of the brands I see come with the standard "bootie-feet". Doing a little research on the sizing, I've run into an issue. Turns out that, if you have big feet like I do (size 14), in order to get waders with bootie feet that size, you have to get some ridiculously large waist size (50 or XXL). So, how does someone like me, 6'1", 185lbs, size 14 feet, get "standard size" waders? Ugh! If anyone out there has faced this same delimma and figured out a solution, or found a brand you would recommend, let me know.

Daryl.

[MarcoSr]

Daryl

I have the same problem. I go through a pair of waders almost every 6 months. They are not designed for the walking, bending, crawling etc. involved with fossil hunting. They easily tear when snagged on tree branches. They are designed for a short walk to a stream and then standing in water fishing. I found that the heavy neoprene waders last longer but even in the winter cause you to sweat under them because of all the walking during fossil hunting. The last pair of waders I just bought were from "Field and Stream" (Sportsman Breathable Wader) and are light weight and breathable and you don't sweat under them like the heavy neoprene waders. They come with a waist belt which helps because like you for the booties to fit I need a huge waist. They also have plenty of room by the ankles so they are easy to take off. Recent pairs of other waders were so tight by the ankles that they were a bear to get off. I've only worn them once so I don't know how they will hold up. Because I kneel on the beach a lot looking for micros, I wear AWP knee pads which protect the knees from tearing on the rocks. After years of different knee pads I finally found ones that I am really happy with, AWP 1L-326. I also spent years trying different boots and shoes to wear over the wader booties. I used beach shoes a lot but they only lasted a few months getting torn on rocks and sticks etc. I now use muck boots like Itasca (Bayou low). I have used my current pair of muck boots almost 4 years. They are now cracking so I will start using a new pair soon. When ordering the muck boots you need to order at least one foot size larger to fit over the booties. If you wear multiple pairs of heavy socks in the winter, you have to make sure your wader foot size will be large enough and that your muck boot will be the right foot size to fit over the booties with the heavy socks. I hope this helps.

Marco Sr.

[RickNC]

I like the ones from Agrisupply. They have hip and chest though, not waist types. I haven't killed a pair yet.

[cowsharks]

Thank you Marco & Rick...I'll take a look at those items.

Yesterday I was able to get away with using my breathable hip-waders because I new the tide was so low. I like the waist-high type because they help cover up my pants, yet don't make me as warm as chest waders do and I can move around better in them.

daryl.

[RCW3D]

I was going to ask about recommendations for waders, glad I did a search first. Now the question is, can I talk my wife is to getting these for me as an early birthday present? 

 

[KankRat]

Simms waders are relatively expensive.  Made in Bozeman Montanna.  They are fantastic.  I got mine in 2004.  Thry will also put a custom bootie size on for a little extra.

[RCW3D]

On ‎10‎/‎15‎/‎2016 at 7:57 AM, KankRat said:

Simms waders are relatively expensive.  Made in Bozeman Montanna.  They are fantastic.  I got mine in 2004.  Thry will also put a custom bootie size on for a little extra.

 

Relatively expensive? LOL! Made in Bozeman, primarily designed for fly fishermen who apparently don't have any issues with dropping large sums of money!

 

Although I really liked the advice about the lightweight waders and I could see where they would be preferable, I got a deal on a pair of neoprene waders that were worn once at a price I couldn't turn down ($40). Soon the water will be too cold to wade in without them, then I'll see if I have a pair of waders that will be reserved for fishing or usable for fossil hunting. 

[KankRat]

On 10/18/2016 at 11:15 PM, RCW3D said:

 

Relatively expensive? LOL! Made in Bozeman, primarily designed for fly fishermen who apparently don't have any issues with dropping large sums of money!

 

Although I really liked the advice about the lightweight waders and I could see where they would be preferable, I got a deal on a pair of neoprene waders that were worn once at a price I couldn't turn down ($40). Soon the water will be too cold to wade in without them, then I'll see if I have a pair of waders that will be reserved for fishing or usable for fossil hunting. 

 

You asked and did not specify a price range.  I have big feet, relative to my height and waist size, that's why I thought this might be helpful.  My feet squeeze into a pair of stock Simms waders. I've done tons of research on wader sizing (on this brand new app called "Google"), Simms is the only option- other than Orvis, which i have no experience with.  

I 've had mine for over 10 years now, leak free and they fit okay inspite of being 1-2 sizes too big due to the fact that they are cut differently than most of the cheap chinese snarge out there.

Not to mention they are Gore-tex so they are not only lightweight, but they breathe. 

 And as far as fishing them, I pursue smallmouth bass in Limestone rivers, which involves crawling thru thickets, and kneeling in gravel and nasty rocks.

I have had nothing but luck with them.  In 12 years they have been worth every penny.

[KankRat]

9 minutes ago, KankRat said:

 

You asked and did not specify a price range.  I have big feet, relative to my height and waist size, that's why I thought this might be helpful.  My feet squeeze into a pair of stock Simms waders. I've done tons of research on wader sizing (on this brand new app called "Google"), Simms is the only option- other than Orvis, which i have no experience with.  

I 've had mine for over 10 years now, leak free and they fit okay inspite of being 1-2 sizes too big due to the fact that they are cut differently than most of the cheap chinese snarge out there.

Not to mention they are Gore-tex so they are not only lightweight, but they breathe. 

 And as far as fishing them, I pursue smallmouth bass in Limestone rivers, which involves crawling thru thickets, and kneeling in gravel and nasty rocks.

I have had nothing but luck with them.  In 12 years they have been worth every penny.

 

"Snarge" is another way of saying an acronym for " Ship High In Transit".

[DINO71811]

On ‎10‎/‎15‎/‎2016 at 7:57 AM, KankRat said:

Simms waders are relatively expensive.  Made in Bozeman Montanna.  They are fantastic.  I got mine in 2004.  Thry will also put a custom bootie size on for a little extra.

I second this information, I have had the same set of SIMMS waders since the early 2000's... They were fairly expensive back then are still that way today, but work great for this type of activity. With regard to the chest high waders, I where a waist belt with mine and just fold the waders down at the hips on hot days or once my core temperature rises due to cardio activity... one set of the chest highs will let you do multiple things without having a closet full of different versions of expensive waders, like covering up your torso on those bone chilling windy days.

 

RCW3D, you live like 25 minutes from me as I am in Stafford... the gear shop in Fredericksburg called  Rock River Outfitters carries waders made by Patagonia, I have a set of those as well, and at least you can go and try them on.

 

Nick