First Pair of Chest Waders: Recommendations & What to Look For?

[AJ Hauser]

Hey fellas,

Hope all is well! Wanted to check in with you and see if you'd be kind enough to let me know what is important to look for in a new (first) pair of chest waders? I have been looking at Simms, Frogg Toggs and the White River stuff that Bass Pro sells. There are also many "brands" on Amazon... my overall budget is $350 for waders and a pair of boots, and I would be using them primarily to hike in creeks and shallow rivers with sand, rock and mud bottoms. 

I don't think I need to break the bank but I also want to get something that will last... I just have no idea where to start. 

Could you please let me know your thoughts, and if you have real world experience with some different items, can you let me know?

 

Thanks! 

[MickD]

Make sure you have a belt arrangement of some kind to prevent the wader from filling with water if you go too deep.  That can be deadly. 

 

I have Gore-Tex waders with what I call "sewn in feet," feet which are the same material as the waders, and they are really uncomfortable.  I think the waders with the integral boot feet or neoprene feet would be much more comfortable.  Dry plus or Gore Tex are nice since they are so light compared to old rubber ones and they do breath quite well.  I don't even know it rubber is made any more, but I would not buy them.

 

Some boot designs, like felt bottoms, are now banned on some streams due to their tendency to spread invasive critters, so make sure you know what you want before buying.  

[Reel]

Temperature is what you should be looking at.  Air and water.  If you are going to fish very early in the year you need heavier wader because the water is cold.  Neoprene is not a bad idea.  If it's warmer, forget neoprene and look at Gore-Tex or other lighter materials.  If you are going to be walking a lot, don't go to light because your waders will wear fast.  Waders with seperate boots are easier to walk in.  Also use steel spikes for  moss on rocks.  

I use Orvis ultra lights.  I like them but I don't do a lot of walking.

[gim]

1 hour ago, Reel said:

If it's warmer, forget neoprene

 

I can confirm this.  Neoprene is nasty for warmer temps.  I only ever used mine to duck hunt in a marsh/pond and every once in a while the early part of the season would be a little warm.

[Scott F]

Make sure whatever you buy is larger than what you think fits. Hiking, climbing over logs, and rocks will put strain on the seams of your waders. Seams are generally the first place your waders will leak. Speaking of leaks, there are only 2 kinds of waders. Those that leak, and those that are going to leak. Expensive waders will usually outlive cheap ones, but thorny bushes or barbed wire will tear through all of them. I like lightweight waders for all weather. If you got them large enough, you can always wear layers underneath to keep you warm in colder water. Waders also protect you from poison ivy when bushwhacking to get to your spot and a lot of the bad bacteria floating in “clean” water that can infect a scratch you got when you weren’t wearing your waders. Good boots with ankle support are a must especially if you wade in rocky rivers. It’s so easy to twist an ankle while wading. I prefer felt soles that are sewn on. Glued only soles will separate and start flopping around. If you go cheap on the boots, you’ll just have to replace them more often which will cost more in the long run.

[PhishLI]

3 hours ago, AJ Hauser said:

Could you please let me know your thoughts, and if you have real world experience with some different items, can you let me know?

Ideally you should get breathable stocking foot waders that require separate boots, but I suggest going somewhere that you can try them on together with the heaviest socks you'll be using during cold weather. What you should avoid is having too tight a fit around your ankles or the feet. Not good for the seams. Regarding comfort, boots can be all over the place. Try several different brands if you can. I went through several different brands and settled on Frogg Toggs Pilot 2.  So comfortable for me, but that's me. I need 4 X wide shoes and have high arches, so some brands and styles just didn't cut it and were terribly uncomfortable.

 

I'm unaware of breathable waders that don't come with a belt, even inexpensive ones. Get one if the waders you choose don't come with one and use it always. Adjust the suspenders so that the crotch is snug up to your crotch, but not tight. This will save the crotch seam from being stressed in cases where you need to step up or down into the water, or when you squat to pick something up.

 

Bring a jug of water with you. Before you put your waders on, dump some water in each boot. Before you tie the laces of each boot, dump some more in. This will wet the fabric and reduce friction for your walk to the water which will extend the life of the integral neoprene booties. Keeping your toenails trimmed will also help.

 

Doesn't matter what you spend, you'll have seam issues if you treat your waders poorly. They may come to you folded in a box, but after use you do not want to do that anymore. Hang them by the suspenders or lay them flat somewhere after you rinse them off, and you should rinse them after each outing. I hang them by the suspenders to dry in my garage and that's where they stay until I use them again. Remove the insoles and flood the boots and dump them out several times. Rinse the insoles too. This will get small rocks and sand out and will keep the boots from eventually stinking like lake weeds.

 

 

[casts_by_fly]

 

I fished in waders a ton for a dozen years or so before we moved to the UK between trout and steelhead seasons.  I'd wet wade until the start of October and then lose the waders again in May or June.  I went through a bunch of different pairs and types and my suggestion is "buy once, cry once".  I settled on Simms G3 guides nearly 20 years ago when they were brand new and mine are still going strong.  

 

Reinforced knees, crotch, and ideally butt make a big difference for abrasion, especially if you're walking in through any briars, fences, and brush.  Same if you're fishing around concrete or places with mussels.

 

The other thing to consider might be a pair of waist waders if you're doing more hiking in with them.  I used to swap between hip waders and chest waders, but waist waders have made hip boots obsolete for me.  They wear like a pair of pants so your upper half stays cooler and far more flexible/less constrained.  I don't go higher than low thigh deep in them so if you need to be waist deep then that won't work.  But for smaller streams where you're not truly wading as much as using them to cross the creek here or there I love them.

[Kev-mo]

Everything @Scott F @PhishLI @casts_by_fly said.

 

Although I personally prefer a lug soled boots. Studs help for sure. Best grip has been the Patagonia Foot Tractor. Felt is wayyyy too slippery around mud and if you do any "winter" wading it collects snow like a squirrel collecting nuts for winter....

 

Your budget is low. And I don't mean that in a bad way. Waders and wading boots have gone up significantly! My favorite waders (and I've had 4-5 brands, different models in a couple brands) are my Simms 3 layer Gore-Tex. The only thing that would make them better is if they had Patagonia's conversion suspender system to go from chest to waist waders. I've never gotten more than a couple/few years out of boots. Everything is glued now. Well Patagonia came out with some boots that are stitched a few years ago and you can resole but $$$$$.

 

With all that said. Idk.... you can get some inexpensive stuff that's probably good or maybe good enough. A few guys i know like TideWe but i think those were for colder water.

 

It's pretty much wet wading season at this point. Unless you're fishing something extremely urban or something that runs through pasture/cow land. 

 

 

[AJ Hauser]

@MickD - thank you - does the belt go around my chest to keep water out from the top when I do, inevitably, fall in? Great info on the bootie part too, I'm not quite understanding that and I figured they were watertight and went into boots?

 

@Reel - thanks, I will be fishing warmer water and doing a buttload of walking. That is a technical term, but it means "a whole lot." Sounds like I should look at Gore-Tex, boots and spikes?

 

@gimruis - thanks, it will be warm and honestly... hot on many days, so I'll be sweating like a lady-of-the-night in church. Would prefer to NOT smell like death if I can avoid it! 

 

@Scott F - thanks, that was my next question. I'm 6 foot (if I round up an entire inch) and a buck eighty-five, so I'll upsize a bit and go with some good boots. I demolished my ankle last year when I was about 3 miles upstream from where I started the day... thankfully the water was so cold it kept me a bit numb (I was in shorts) but that was a very painful and slightly dangerous learning experience. When your waders leak, have you had any success patching them up? 

 

@PhishLI - GREAT INFORMATION! Thank you! I'm a bit confused though, and this was the main reason for my post... breathable waders or neoprene let water in? Or through? Do the boots overlap the ankle seam and make them waterproof or... how does that all work to keep you dry? It sounds like I do NOT want to go with cheap, completely waterproof ones based on the comments above. 

 

@casts_by_fly- thank you for the suggestion here, too. I might not need to go full chest waders actually, this is a great point! 

 

@Kev-mo - I can't believe you made fun of my budget. HA! Just kidding. You nailed it, I'm tired of stepping in cow... uh... STUFF in the creeks. I mean I will for smallies... but I don't like it... you're right though these will probably get more into the rotation in the fall. 

 

Thanks all, much appreciated across the board!!!

[casts_by_fly]

the belt is a belt.  It goes around your waist.  The top might fill but if you have a belt on it is easy enough to fold down the top and most of it comes out.  

[AJ Hauser]

@casts_by_fly ah - yes - I believe I was describing a "bra." 

 

That may not keep water out of my waders, but I bet if I'm wearing one it will keep other anglers out of my spot...

[PhishLI]

2 hours ago, AJ Hauser said:

@PhishLI - GREAT INFORMATION! Thank you! I'm a bit confused though, and this was the main reason for my post... breathable waders or neoprene let water in? Or through? Do the boots overlap the ankle seam and make them waterproof or... how does that all work to keep you dry? It sounds like I do NOT want to go with cheap, completely waterproof ones based on the comments above. 

Breathable yet waterproof. However, breathable doesn't mean you won't feel like you've pee'd your pants from sweating on a hot day, because you will. In the summer I wear ultra light parachute material type Columbia Silver Ridge pants under the waders and they're damp after a wade. I don't like to wear shorts and have my bare skin touching the wader material, but that's just me.

 

Once I get out of the waders, I turn them inside-out down to the booties, put them in my back seat, then run the AC on the way home. Any moisture felt on the waders when I took them off is completely dry after the 10-15 minute drive home. Once home, I turn them back out and hang them from a bracket I made which is attached to my elevated deck, then rinse them off thoroughly. Next, I dry them with a fan, then they go back into the garage and get hung.

 

The neoprene booties are integrated and sealed to the waders. 3rd pic down shows the gravel guards folded down into the position they'll be in once you've put on your separate wading boots. There are small clips on the tips of each guard that you'll secure to the bottom lace of each boot.

 

 

 

[MickD]

2 hours ago, AJ Hauser said:

figured they were watertight and went into boots?

That's how mine are, with the foot portion just the same material as the rest of the waders, and it doesn't stretch which I think is the problem.  Some waders come  with integral full boots, so you don't need other boots to go over the foot portion;. Some have stretchie neoprene bottoms with fit into separate boots.  I think they would be more comfortable.  I have no experience with neoprene or integral boots.

2 hours ago, AJ Hauser said:

does the belt go around my chest to keep water out from the top when I do, inevitably, fall in

Some have integral belts, others you have to have a separate belt, but whatever type you get, use it.  A friend of mine pulled a guy out of a fast stream as he was rolling helplessly down the stream with full waters.

[AJ Hauser]

Got it - thanks guys this has been super helpful. Much appreciated!!!