I Need To Purchase A Nice Set Of Waders And Have No Clue

[Brian K. Shaffer]

Regarding the Simms bootfoots rfd - they are done ever making them again.

So what you thought were sold out were really non-existent.

I called them before choosing the Boa bootfoots from LLBean.

If I remember right, the best Simms bootfoots were $500.

[E Green]

thanks for all the great info. I am going to stop at a fishing/hunting store in poplar bluff tomorrow and see what they have. I guess the snake worries i had are more me overreacting but like i said, I figured this was the perfect place to ask. Just to clarify, i love herpatolgy and have been blown away by the numbers of turtles, snakes, skinks, lizards, frogs etc etc etc that we have down here. I love all wildlife and consider myself an avid conservationist. With that said, I moved here from Milwaukee a couple years ago and spent the other parts of my life in Chicago and NE Ohio so being around poisonous snakes is new to me. I don't mind them at all and have nothing but respect for all living things, but I certainly didn't want to do something stupid and put myslef in danger either. A couple neighbors tell me I am out of my mind for wade fishing those creeks and taking hikes at Otter Slough and Mingo (which I LOVE to do for herp pics etc. I know they are overreacting but thought I would bring up the subject here and play it safe.

I also want waders for other reasons as well...comfort, warmth, cover exposed skin from poison IVY/Oak, ticks etc..so again, thank you so very much for all the info. The Ozarks are simply wonderful and at times majestic....take care

[E Green]

jdmidwest...I am very hopeful that I can purchase a nice fishing kayak for this creek as well. I am going to get a nice set of waders very soon and then hopefully a nice kayak before next spring.

There are several deep and wide areas in all of these creeks that I am talking about where it looks like the fishing would be outstanding but I just can't get to and through these stretches without floating or paddling across.

[rfd515]

Regarding the Simms bootfoots rfd - they are done ever making them again.

So what you thought were sold out were really non-existent.

I called them before choosing the Boa bootfoots from LLBean.

If I remember right, the best Simms bootfoots were $500.

That's bananas. I don't get why the reps would tell people it was a production shortage or why they'd even stop making them in the first place. If it's winter, bootfoot > stocking foot.

[jdmidwest]

My problem with boot foot waders are they are designed to slip on to your foot. Boot foots are usually like wearing lead boots that slip around on your feet all of the time.

Stocking foot waders with lace up boots offer more ankle support and fit better. Overall, the stocking foot and wading boot combo feels more like wearing a pair of pants with shoes when you are wading. You can go farther and be more comfy.

[Al Agnew]

I'm not sure I agree that bootfoots are automatically warmer. Depends upon the amount of insulation and the size. For winter fishing, I think most people make the mistake of buying wading boots that are at least one and maybe two sizes too small. The real enemy of warm feet is tight boots. When you go to buy a set of stockingfoot waders, take along a pair of THICK wool socks, and try to get a pair of stockingfoot waders with feet that fit well, not too tight and not so loose that you've got folds of neoprene, over those socks. Then get a pair of wading boots that fit well, but not real snugly, over the neoprene booties when you've got the thick socks on. That usually means one, and maybe two sizes bigger than your regular shoe size.

The reason bootfoots would often be warmer than stockingfoots is simply because with bootfoots, you are careful to buy waders so that the BOOTS fit your feet, while with stockingfoots most people don't pay all that much attention to how well the neoprene booties fit them.

[Brian K. Shaffer]

I thought the same... til I tried these. At $339 they are steal over buying each waders and boots.

I've worn nothing but stockingfoot waders and separate boots for over 14 years.

These are just better - watch the video :

[Tom Tricamo]

Cabelas house brand. Period. Their breathable stockingfoot wader (comparable to Simms et al) is $179 on sale from the Internet. If you're a waterfowl hunter, you might also consider their breathable boot foot wader - also $179. I've hunted and hiked several miles across bottomlands with chest high grass in them with no problems whatsoever. And, neither the trout nor the geese seem to mind that I'm using one set of waders for both activities.

An aside: Gore Technologies lost the Gore-Tex patent several years ago. Thus, it's variants such as Cabela's Dry Plus are almost identical in design.

I do not work for Cabelas; just have several pieces of house brand hunting clothing across several different types of hunting/fishing (including two sets of waders) and have found all of them to exceed performance expectations...and I'm not a brand snob...more of a cheapskate!!

Lastly, I would second the need for breathable materials. Remember too that as long as you clean and dry your waders properly after each use you'll get a ton of mileage in them.

[Brian K. Shaffer]

Tom - well put.

Funny though that the house brand stockingfoot and bootfoot cost the same.

[LarrySTL]

I was looking for my first pair of waders last winter and asking questions here, but I also wanted to stay in a "starter to waders" price range and a lot of the suggestions were too pricey for something I felt I might not use much. I ended up with a BPS house brand pair of breathable stockingfoot ones. I think they were normally $ 150 on sale for about $ 100. I've used them a couple of times early this year and been happy with them. I also bought BPS house brand boots. I think they were $50 on sale for $ 30. The boots ran somewhat lengthy for their size and very very wide. I would say I am happy with the waders and content with the boots although I realize that if I stick with this, I'll be upgrading at some point. I am sure the pricier name brands would last longer.

My one suggestion matches what you are doing and giong to a store and trying things on. A lot of brands seem to be a little peculiar in sizing and I would have been sending boxes back and forth for some time if I had tried to mail order this.