Waders with zipper

all i can say is that sand and zippers are not a good combination

Peter.
Maybe they cracked it. But I have my doubts. I paid a kings ransome for a pair of Simms G3 in June. They leaked straight out of the box. It's what waders do. Every pair I have had leaks. Big bucks and little bucks waders leak. It is one of the few constants and staples in this life as an Angler.

If they leak with no zip then heh they get extra chances to let in the wet stuff. If only the CEO's of these companies were made to wear their own stuff then just maybe we might get something worth the money we pay.
If they leak take em back. You are not a satified customer and they say they customer satifaction.

Just sue em if they leak. That works

Mike

I agree with Mike. The price of waders have gone out of sight. $700 for a pair of waders way out of line. I guess it's what the market will bear. But if people stop buying them the price will come down.
I try and buy a mid price wader and the quality is good and they last longer than the high end waders. I have Simms L2's and so far they have been great. FishHawk

Mike,

If every pair of waders that you have ever bought leak, then you have been very unlucky.....Unless you have only ever brought Simms that is, for at least in the UK every pair leak straight out of the box, perhaps thats why the charge so much.



I fish exclusively for salmon in the UK, and probably average about 2 fishing days a week, so my chesties get more than their fair share of wear and tear. Iv'e tried many makes in my time, and most of them initially hold up well, but with the very best of them, their lifespan, is a maximum 3 seasons.



I have a pair of Vision Extreme waders with a zip, and they are just about to enter into their second season without any problems whatsoever thus far.



I can't say the same for the more expensive Vision Radipor, as I sent back two pairs that both leaked from the very bottom of the zip after around five outings....Was told this was a design fault and the zip was placed too near to the bottom of the crotch area, which put a strain on it every time you walked in them.



The advantages of a zippered pair of waders, if you can find a reliable pair, are well worth the extra cost, not only when it comes to the call of nature, but also with the ease of getting in and out of them, and for a relatively quick and easy addition or subtraction of articles of clothing.

Genty,

You have had the reverse of my luck except for the two pairs of expensive junk you had to return. Don't you love it. So many makers claim that they spend weeks / months testing their products and then hide behind a design fault when something bad happens to their products. It beggars belief. If they tested their products how come the design fault did not show for them. Perhaps they just dipped the things into a tank for a minute or two.

Ok Only the Simms have leaked out of the box. Before that I was an Ocean fan. Not an expensive wader at all but I wear mine out in a year. PVC thins in the inner thigh area through abrasion as you walk and also thorns and crud puncture them for fun. The fit is a laugh as they have so much room you can get in even with a 50 inch waist.
But I have a big circle of fishing friends and all have too many problems from a lot of the brands that leak prematurely or even worse almost straight out of the box. One friend who came Bass fishing to S Ireland over Xmas actually wore through the "tough material between the thighs in less than 7 days of a famous brand name over here.
All I ask is that my waders don't leak inside of at least two years and that they are repairable by me when they finally get punctured. it would be good to if the makers realised that they are cutting them just too small in the legs. My Simms G3 are much too tight behind the Kness. It is very difficult to get them on and off plus it can only add further strain onto the construction. I am not a big bloke. I play sport but if I went to the gym and did work on my claves then it would be a real tough job gettin into my G3's How fuller figure Fishers get on beats me.
Waders just a nightmare. Another reason why when over the pond I wear a wet suit. Might as well go the whole hog in a garment designed for the job. LOL

Mike

I've said it before (although not here), and I'll say it again. I got a pair of (relatively) inexpensive Stearns boot-foot waders about 4 years ago. They have no fancy features, they don't have a fancy name. But they provide good footing, and I never come home wet.

Yeah, a zipper sounds lovely, but I'd rather have to walk out to take aleak and be dry and warm than get to pee in the water and end up feeling like I'd pee'd in my pants.

Why get out of the water?
If you are going to unzip, it's the same as dropping the straps and pulling the waders down enough to go.
I would love a trap door, because that's one time I do have to vacate the water.

Cannyon,

You getting to be as bad as Billy.

Remind me to drive, if Canyondiver's a passenger, with the windows open. Gaaaah.

Hey Brian, have a brownie!!

Pete,

Yes, waders are a must. Whilst I do wear a wet suit a good deal of the time. I wear my leaking waders for a lot longer. That Orvis deal still sucks a bit. We should expect more than one year from a pair of waders. To only want to offer 50% back on a one year old pair is scandulous in my view. Why would we want to lay out yet more cash for a companies product that has already failed on us. No it should if the product goes down then its a full cash refund or new pair no quiblle.
If I hole them no probs my fault but those waders that just seep water in at the seams and crotch just do my head in. Surley with todays modern materials and manufacturing technologies it must be possible to produce water tight waders that idfnot wrecked by careless Fishers can last at least two full years. I would expect to get at least 150 to 200 wearings from a pair of waders. You divide that into the cost and you see just how much it costs you every time you wear em. It can scare you.

Mike

You'd think, given that scuba divers wear dry-suits all the time without getting soaked.

$400? $700?!?!?! You guys are nuts. If you want a zipper on your waders you can install one yourself. Get yourself a waterproof zipper and some thread. Sow the zipper on and cover up your stiches with aquaseal and spare wader material or any waterproof material like that of your waders. You want to sandwhich the materiel over your thread with a good amount of aquaseal.

I have the same pair of $160 bootfoot breathables for the last four seasons. When they start to leak take them into a dark room and run a flashlight inside the waders, the holes will show up. You can also fill the things to the top with water outside (not recommended but this is what my dad does) and mark the holes. You can also run soapy water all over the outside of the waders and seal them with some air like a ballon and put pressure on the waders so the air escapes out the holes and make bubbles in the soapy film.

Also sometimes putting on a water repellent helps the waders. If you notice when you first bring home those nice waders or that nice rain jacket all the water beads tightly and swiftly. After a season or two the water doesn't bead and you have to re-apply some water repellent.

Good luck!