Fly Fishing - 4 Weight Fly Rod: Sage ZXL, 8 1/2 or 8 Foot?

Dusboy7 · Location: Port Republic,VA

Can anyone tell me a good pair of waders to buy.Was looking at orvis but saw where some people were complaining about them leaking.Wanted to get a good tuff pair that will last me and won't leak right away.

jeremy · Location: Portland, Maine

Well, I think you are coming into the market as a buyer at a pretty good time because from what I can tell .... a lot of the technology that the manufacturers are using has and is changing (for the better .. or at least it seams) .. Anyway, I too am in the market for a new pair of waders. I am going to be going with the newest Sonicseam Pack & Travel Waders from Orvis. The price is good and the new technology looks good too. In my experience and lot's of my friends who I fish with .. it seems that historically waders have been kind of a touch and go type thing. Between me and all my friends we have all had almost, if not every manufacturers waders .. and the reality is .... at some point, they all leak. Sometimes right out of the box, sometimes after 1 week and sometimes after 2 years ... It's a tall order to make something with THAT MANY stitches waterproof .. I'm no rocket scientist or wader manufacturer .. but, it makes sense .. eliminate the stitched seams and the likelihood of leaks goes way down.

Also, these forum posts get fed into our facebook account -- seems that your post was pretty popular over on facebook and a lot of people had some great input on "the best waders to buy" .. below is what they said. Hope all of this helps -- let us know what you decide on and finally purchase .. and how they pan out for you! Good luck

-------------------------------------------

- SIMMS G4 are the best waders i have ever owned!

- I have the orvis pro guides... great value but the have an odd drain vent which at first glance looks like a leak .. but ain't.. nice pockets and lined hand warming front pouch

- I have simm g1 and g3... they are both good for different uses.. the g4 is superior to the g3, but cloudveil also makes a great wader and i used to love the patagonias.. they were awesome... for a pant like, rugged fit go for the g4 or better - but for value and maybe better reliability try the cloudveil or patagonia if you can find them … ( honestly I have owned 4 pairs of simms, but after a few weeks chasing steel in the rockies etc the simms (all) developed leaks quickly...still they are my go to wader... ( Simms does repair and respects warranty, but it takes some time, so have a back up pair of some kind..)
(ps..a few years ago I owned a pair of dan bailey guides.. and they were great and inexpensive... seriously)

- Spring Brook, 6mm. neo's and Wardell light weight. Exc. warranty, good price. I use both pair and store inside for winter. Had them for a long time. AWESOME.

- I believe that every wader will leak at some point. I don't really believe in the high end waders to have a much longer lifespan. They way I walk, climb and mis-use my waders to get to the sweet spots, I am happy to have my waders last for 2 years. My Orvis clearwater did the job, they leak at this point aswell, again. But they are thrice(maybe 4 times) as cheap as a simms but honestly I would bet that the simms wouldn't last 6 years the way I use them. So for me a good non-expensive one wil last much longer if you look at cost vs. duration
But I have to say, the more expensive simms and patagonia do feel much more rugged with the 5 layers. then again they always start leaking on the seams....Maybe i'll do the test for myself and buy a more expensive on, and see how long it will take.

- I have the Orvis Tailwater XT's. They're great waders, but as I was using them today on the creek, I continue to wish I kind of would've bought the Pro Guide since they have more pockets for fly boxes, etc. Still, I love my XT's. And they have no been leaky at all. Just so you know, the Pro Guides are on sale at Orvis retail stores for half price... about $175 instead of the normal $320 (or even the $250 online price). At least, when I was in the Pasadena store the other day, they had the Pro Guide 3's for $175. If you live near an Orivis store, go for it. It's a steal

- I have the new versions of Patagonia Watermasters 2. Best fitting waders I have owned. Also, super breathable. I fell down a bank into large thorn bushes a couple of weeks ago and still no leaks.

- Always simms Wink

striper69 · Location: woonsocket RI

got a pair of frog tog waders 2 months ago they are holding up very well. there best pair are 2hundy with alot of features. i would recommend these to anybody just order 1 size larger run small

rustayy · Location: Islamorada,FL

I think the best wader to buy is the Simms G4. They have 5 layer Goretex from the neopreme booty up past the waist. Totally bomber for bush wacking.

lunchbox · Location: Utah

I have been wearing the Simms G3 Convertibles for a couple months now and abolutely love them. I had a pair of the G4 Pro's and they were super bomber as well. I have had numerous pairs of Patagonias and every since they switched from the SST models to the Watermaster I/II, I had nothing but problems with seam leaks.

One thing worth noting about Simms is that they run substantially smaller than just about any other wader model out there.

Dusboy7 · Location: Port Republic,VA

I would like to hear more about the orvis sonic seams sounds like a good idea.Anyone had a pair?

jeremy · Location: Portland, Maine

I did end up getting a pair of the ORVIS Sonicseam waders and I used them on a recent steelhead trip. I absolutely loved them. They were super comfortable and felt like I was wearing a pair of casual pants and at the end of every day I would take them off and my socks and pants were bone dry, not a trace of moisture. Another thing that I really liked about these waders that I didn't realize until after a few days wearing them was the elastic suspenders. Other pairs of waders I have had in the past use big bulky wader straps that make it really a pain to buckle and unbuckle them (especially if I have a layer on or jacket on over my waders.) These waders have elastic wader straps which are super easy to manage and even detach .. making it super easy to transform these waders from full length to waste high waders. So, after a week of using these waders in some cold water and beating on them pretty good .. I really like them. Hope this helps.

Dusboy7 · Location: Port Republic,VA

Yeah just talked to the owner of our fly shop and orvis gave him a pair of the Sonic Seams to try out.He said he loved them and would recommend them.Now just have to wait for him to get a shipment in.