Breathable chest waders

[johnmac]

Howdy folks, Im thinking about getting a pair of breathable chest waders to replace my rubber Ocean ones. Basically i want a pair that are more comfortable and look less like the Wallace and Gromit "wrong trousers" that i currently wear..... not that im sure the salmon mind! but then again...maybe they do?? and that why i aint caught one yet?

Anyway, there are a few good offers on. I want stocking foot waders.... budget £200 max? roughly.

Im looking at the following pairs.................
Orvis Clearwater.
Orvis silver label.
Scierra Aquatex.
Airflo Comfort Zone Waders
Orvis Endura
Loop Adventure Waders
Greys GRX Stockingfoot Waders

....these seem to be the ones i'd be most likely to get and most are less than £200 including the boots! So does anyone have one of the above? and more to the point...would you recommend them? or are any of them total crap?

Thanks all, John.

[Fruin]

John,

I've had both the Orvis Clearwater and Silver Label. The Clearwater are good for a couple of seasons with a few blobs of Aquasure. I've had my Silver Label waders for just over a season now and they seem to be higher qualiy with better taping and a more durable material.

[wilbert]

I have had a pair of Vision Extreme for 3 years now and they have just started to let in a little bit of water but they have been well used and abused during that time. They cost £200 and they are cut well and fit nicely, not as nice as the Simms G3 mind but they are 1/2 the price. You may also want to consider buying some Simms G3's direct from America, there are plenty of people selling them in America on ebay and as long as you don't get collared with customs you can get them for £200 ish. There are ways round customs if they are a gift or cost less than £50, will leave you to decide which they are ;D

[redshrimp]

I've used orvis pro guide for two seasons now and no problems yet,touch wood. Cost £100 on e-bay.

[johnmac]

thanks for the info folks...i thought the Scierras looked a bit cheap! I'll have a look on e-bay for prices!

[iainjay]

Bought a pair of Wychwood breathables at Xmas.Guy in the tackle shop did a really good sales pitch and I left wondering if if I was getting a good buy or was really Mr Gullible.Have had the neoprenes on up till now but will be trying the breathables on Friday this week.

P.S. At this time of year,whats best to wear beneath them? Please....Don't say the neoprenes!

Cheers

[tweedcast]

I've had scierra a few times and yes they do eventually fall apart - no better reason to buy a new set ! Put simply with cost of top market waders I feel I can afford a new pair every year if necessary - given that some of these will be warrantly replacements.

Currently on a pair of aquatex - don't make me look like an iceberg out of water. Mikes tackle have offerred to replace if the patch from last november doesn't work.

Malcolm

[sagefly]

Try and get a pair of Dan Baileys I anve abused mine for about 5 years and they rae extremely resilient.

Under the breathables either fleece long johns or if really cold fleece LJ's and a pir of 40# tights worls a treat.

Old building site tip and cheap at £1.99 for 2 pairs!!

[kercock]

I use White river breathables,they are Basspro 's own brand. First pair did four seasons for me,including strimming !. I've used the white river ones for about twelve years,in the summer I use the waist version, I reckon they are great value at around £55 a pair, BUT they are sold by Basspro who use UPS freight, who collect the taxes and Vat on behalf of HM gov, and charge you for the privelidge. One guy got a present of a pair of Simms lightweights sent from the States at Xmas and the " surcharge " was £126 !!!!!!!!! You are liable to pay vat etc on anything over £18 ,this includes the postage, there is a variable tax on fishing tackle from 2% to 7% over and above the 171/2% VAT, then a handling charge and of course the postage from Heathrow or wherever. All that on top of the cost of the article/s plus the minimum $30 international freight charge. BUT don't let me put you off
My nephew brings mine over.

[stu71]

no-one's mentioned the Snowbee breathable waders. I bought a pair last winter and so far have been superb.

[easky]

I got a pair of the new Greys last season and so far so good - I already had a pair of Simms boots so not sure what the matching boots are like.

I had a pair of the Snowbee stocking foot and boots and 2 pairs leaked at the join between the breathable material and neoprene - also the felt came off the boots fairly quickly. I could just have been unlucky, twice! but I wouldn't go with them again and hence the Greys.

E

[turrifftackle]

Here is my pennies worth.

Do not scrimp on a pair. In my belief you will not get a pair worth having beneath £200. Then you need the boots on the top.

If the material on a cheap pair dont get you then the seams will . All that rubbing just wears the tape off the seams.

The wychwood waders may be a little thin on the stocking foot so wear a pair of socketts or something over them so as to protect the sole from grit in your boots.

No doubt this will be the kiss of death but the only breathables that have a better than average reputation are Vision Extremes, Simms and Guideline.
Just remember that if you have to walk / fight your way through gorse or brambles whilst fishing you will put loads of leaks in them.

Frank

[Bogyoch]

I had a pair of Snowbee Classic breathables that just about lasted a year with a lot of patching of the stocking feet with Aquasure. I then went for a pair of Airflo Comfortzones: very comfy until you got in the river. All the breathable material leaked: water just oozed through. These were replaced, and the second pair were just as bad.

This year I am in pair of Guideline Diver breathables: so far, so good. Very comfy with a nice supple material and a large front pocket, with an inner zipped pocket as well. The feet are 5mm neoprene so take note about getting boots at least two sizes bigger than you normal shoe size. In fact, I would say that the feet of the waders are quite roomy, no doubt designed to allow for an extra pair of thick socks in the cold Scandinavian waters. Not cheap, but let's hope they last the year without letting in water.

[elwyman]

Don't think they are made any more, but my Daiwa Alltmor breathables lasted 3 seasons without a leak, then another 2 seasons with the odd aquasure treatment to pinholes.

They were made in Japan - they obviously have better quality control than in China! I still use them occasionally.

I bought the last pair from Foxons, which saw me through last season with no problems.

[kercock]

I always put a pair of socks on between the neoprene and the boots,it saves the wear on the heels of the neoprene,I normally wear gore-tex breeks or trousers,so it's straight in to the waders. Always have the boots at least two sizes larger to allow for the socks,mine last two to three years but the get very serious usage.

[leo]

Apart from being able to choose what boots to combine with them, and the fact that if they get worn, boots are normally cheaper to replace than waders, is there any advantage in having stockingfoot over bootfoot waders? I'm sure I could do with a larger size of boot (mine are only one size bigger than normal), but I find I take ages to get them on (valuable fishing time!) Someone told me that it is possible to find cobblers who can replace the felt once it's worn, and if this is the case, can stockingfoots have any advantage, or are they just a fad, as I've heard suggested.

I bought some Simms Freestone stockingfoot waders last season, having previously owned bootfoots. Unfortunately no one told me Kercock's tip of using socks outside the neoprene and one of the neoprene socks is leaking already. I am disappointed as although they have had a fair bit of use it hasn't been excessive.. It's not a big deal as I'm sure I can seal them with Aquasure, but was considering getting some bootfoots as spare waders.

I would be interested in hearing peoples's opinions on stockingfoots vs bootfoots and if anyone knew of any decent bootfoots with a felt sole.

Cheers and tight lines

Leo

[wilbert]

Leo having owned both I would always go for the stocking foot waders. You get much more support from stocking foot waders as the boots you buy to go with them tend to be of much better quality and they don't nip when you are wading deep. The boots on boot foot waders tend to be too big and get creases in them when you wade deep which can nip your feet and in cold weather this can reduce the circulation resulting in blocks of ice for feet. I am sure that there are some good boot foot waders out there but I wont be buying any for a long time.

[leo]

Cheers for the advice Wilbert,

I think I'll make do with the pair of stockingfoots I have already and maybe I'll buy a pair of more durable ones (and some larger boots) some time in the future when I have the cash.

[storlaks]

Have a look at Patagonia SST+. I've had 2 pairs in 7 years and never a problem, apart from hooking myself! They also roll down to waist lenght ( i.e. shoulder straps are not at chest height ) when you are not deep wading or it gets too hot. They're great! If you look on the web I'm sure you'll pick a pair up for around 200 pounds.

[leo]

Thanks Storlaks,

I'll consider them when I come to buy some more.