Wader recomendations?

[Gavin]

I buy Simms, from T Hargrove. Tom and Craig, will get them patched up or sent in and let you know. I don't even need to think about it. Have 3 pairs, so no BFD if one or two are down for a bit. Think my oldest pair of Simms G3's are going on 10-12 years. Tom & Craig have patched them once or twice.

[fishinwrench]

Bought my youngest daughter a pair of Piscifun waders, and honestly I'm blown away.   Same material, same seam tape, same everything as my middle of the line Simms.....at a mere fraction of the price.  

Unless you are an overly large person, or are shaped kinda odd, there's no need that I can fathom for buying top-of-the-line waders or boots.   You can buy 3 pair for less than the price of ONE, and carry a spare.   

The days of needing to buy "top of the line" gear, in order to have decent quality, are GONE.    Welcome to the new world!  👍  For the last several years I repeatedly find myself rather unimpressed with products from the big 3-6 names in flyfishing gear.    They ain't doing anything special that I can comprehend...... except for alot of advertising and pro-staffing.

[Devan S.]

I've got a pair of the cheap frog togg waders(maybe $100) for my breathable/travel waders. They after 3 years have started leaking enough I quit wearing them in November(i.e. one sock wet enough I didn't feel like going to work after fishing without going home to change). They have been hauled across the country, been through tons of briar patches, tossed in a car wrapped in a ball and just left for months at a time. I think my bigger problem is my $10 clearance size 14 or 15 Walmart boots I use with them. 

I've got a pair of neoprene I wear in the cold. Cheapies from Academy again maybe 10 years old....or more. They seep a bit right now(crotch and leg seams) but they haven't really been used in 3 years(FWIW I have no problem going to work a bit damp after fishing in them).They really leaked before around the boot transition. I took a can of plasti-dip and heavily coated the seams from the outside and it solved 90% of my leaks. I really think if I did the inside seams they would be 100% dry but its a weird texture that I'm not sure I'd like on the inside. 

I'm tempted to try my frogg togg waders and the plasti-dip experiment but lately its been cold enough I haven't had a desire to not have the neoprene's. Maybe one of these days I will try and if it doesn't work I'll buy a new pair otherwise I'll keep on keeping on. 

I'm glad to hear about the Piscifun stuff. I will likely go that route if I buy another set. So far I like their stuff. 

[Keiththom]

I notice Amazon sells Sims waders. Will Sims honor a warranty if they are bought over Amazon?

[tjm]

Just before BPS took over the Cabelas i was looking for a new vest, C's had Simm's Guide that suited me, except for price. So, I made a trip to the bait shop that carries some fly tackle and found the "Northern Guide" vest by Caddis and it had all the same things as the "guide" same material, same pockets,  with the only difference I could see being the color, logos and the zipper pull strings. ~$75 on special. I bought it and went right back to Cabelas to compare, the two vests had to have been  made in the same factory.

[tjm]

7 minutes ago, Keiththom said:

I notice Amazon sells Sims waders. Will Sims honor a warranty if they are bought over Amazon?

The Simms waders I looked at on Amazon  were sold there by Simms

and part of the description was the warranty.

[fishinwrench]

4 hours ago, Devan S. said:

. So far I like their stuff.

Me too.  Everything except their fly line...... It's a bit too stretchy for my taste, but I'm overly picky about that.   It casts and floats perfectly fine. 

[tjm]

How do you measure stretch in a fly line and when does it matter?

[fishinwrench]

47 minutes ago, tjm said:

How do you measure stretch in a fly line and when does it matter?

Well I can tell you how I do it..... I grab 3ft. of it and pull about as hard as it takes to break 4x tippet material, and see how far it "rubber-bands".... then I multiply that by 10.

It matters as soon as I get a bite. 

I'd rather not have to set the hook & fight a fish with anything resembling a bungee cord if I can rig up with something less stretchy. The rod flexes,the leader stretches.....and if the line stretches like crazy TOO....... it's a wonder that we ever even get to touch a fish ! 

There's all of that.....and then guys worry about how sharp their hooks are.   No Wonder!  😅

[tjm]

Rod flex and line slack I follow, but any stretch of leader or line must only take place long after the hook has moved that 1/4 inch and been embedded? Surely the water resistance isn't enough to stretch even the limpest line? Won't the boat move before the line stretches?

It's a problem I've never considered, never knew existed really. I've always liked a fly line that stretched a little, because stretching removes all the reel memory quickly, especially important in winter. The few less stretchy mono core lines that I've   used, I hated because they always looked like a slinky on the water.

I have read about "conventional" anglers that thought line stretch was important, but I never figured out how, what force could be exerted against water that would or could possibly be strong enough to even stretch a rubber band? I mean lay a line of any kind out on a table top or the floor and pull one end only, will it stretch?   lay a bungee on the table top and pull one end only, will it stretch?

And after the hook is set, wouldn't stretch be a good thing in that it is the only thing that prevents breaking? isn't that why conventional rods have flex?