Best waders for the surf and Why?

[fishmania1]

What do you think are the best waders for the surf and why?  I'm looking for waders that are durable with solid seams and lightweight with seamed pockets.  I ask because what I own now are neoprene waders with boot combination an d yes it keeps me warm when the water is really good in the beginning of the year but they much to heavy for long beach side walks when surf fishing and slightly uncomfortable and bulky in general. 

[blackdogfish]

This has been discussed several thousand times here- you should really do a search and read the posts because its'a ll going to be repeated. The usual advocates for stocking foot with separate boots. The usual discussions of LLBean perhaps lower quality than they used to be, leaking seams and good warranty versus Simms fit and quality with higher price and not as good service anymore. Unless you're fishing in winter or steelhead fishing, breathable waders or going to be much preferable over neos I just went thru this transition this year.

[Highlander1]

Not sure of the best, they all leak,but LL Beans Warranty is the best, Full Lifetime replacement on their best boot foot model. Of course you gotta' pay over $400 to get that. Whatever you buy, buy breathables, the others are all too heavy and bulky.

[fishmania1]

So LL beans are the brand to get? What are some other top brands for breathable waders??

Thanks for the help gentlemen.

[lureman]

Over the years, the transiton of THE WADERS has changed for the better, many years ago I started out with rubber waders, then progressed to nylon rubber two or three ply waders, then the almighty neoprene, then finally the standard and the best today , BREATABLES, most are all good, Simms, LL Beans, Pro-Line, Orvis just to name a few.

[jerseybuddha]

why not ask about vs/zb. use search bar. more threads on this than you'll ever be able to read

[fishmania1]

Okay Thanks.

I will look into more.

[redfin]

What do you think are the best waders for the surf and why?  I'm looking for waders that are durable with solid seams and lightweight with seamed pockets.  I ask because what I own now are neoprene waders with boot combination an d yes it keeps me warm when the water is really good in the beginning of the year but they much to heavy for long beach side walks when surf fishing and slightly uncomfortable and bulky in general. 

 

The best brand or best type?? Brand is relative to how much you care to spend. Type is a different story. Unless you fish in frigid icy cold water, there is little use for neoprene IMO. There has been a ton or advancements in under armor type stuff to keep anyone reasonable warm in breathable waders. The real question is boot foot or stocking foot. Generally most but not all guys prefer boot foot breathables on sand beaches. On rocks and jetties, a stockingfoot breathable seems to get the nod most of the time paired with studded wading boots. If you fish both type of water I'd look into getting both. A backup is a nice thing to have if it's possible financially speaking. If I had to pick one, I'd go stocking foot with a quality wading shoe with interchangeable soles (studded for rocks and rubber for sand like the Korker brand). Just to beat this subject up a bit more, I would always put more money into the shoe than the stocking foot wader itself. I have bought stocking foots at and well under $100 at times to have them last many seasons with reasonable care.

 

One other thing I remember from the past is that one of the most frequent spots I fished 3-4 times a week was wading out on a small bat about 100 ft from where I could park. I bought a cheap pair of Cabelas "3 forks" waders which are a lightweight material (not breathable). They were about $50. The reason I did this is that it took a lot of where and tear off my better quality waders. The cheapo's didn't even get washed off. I got 2-3 season out of those and just replaced them with another pair for the same purpose. The expensive waders will cost you quite a bit and I's like to think this made them last a few seasons more. Cabelas is the place I would go to pick anything I mentioned here. Good quality, decent prices and a great return policy.

[Surfcasterzx2]

Stocking foot for comfort, Boot foot waders for easy on and off…… Don't worry about high end.. Buy a cheap pair and be happy you got a good season out of them…. All waders leak…. Whether $500 or $100…. If you're a 5-7 night a week surfcaster buy cheap…..And with a warranty….

[fishmania1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by redfin 





The best brand or best type?? Brand is relative to how much you care to spend. Type is a different story. Unless you fish in frigid icy cold water, there is little use for neoprene IMO. There has been a ton or advancements in under armor type stuff to keep anyone reasonable warm in breathable waders. The real question is boot foot or stocking foot. Generally most but not all guys prefer boot foot breathables on sand beaches. On rocks and jetties, a stockingfoot breathable seems to get the nod most of the time paired with studded wading boots. If you fish both type of water I'd look into getting both. A backup is a nice thing to have if it's possible financially speaking. If I had to pick one, I'd go stocking foot with a quality wading shoe with interchangeable soles (studded for rocks and rubber for sand like the Korker brand). Just to beat this subject up a bit more, I would always put more money into the shoe than the stocking foot wader itself. I have bought stocking foots at and well under $100 at times to have them last many seasons with reasonable care.



One other thing I remember from the past is that one of the most frequent spots I fished 3-4 times a week was wading out on a small bat about 100 ft from where I could park. I bought a cheap pair of Cabelas "3 forks" waders which are a lightweight material (not breathable). They were about $50. The reason I did this is that it took a lot of where and tear off my better quality waders. The cheapo's didn't even get washed off. I got 2-3 season out of those and just replaced them with another pair for the same purpose. The expensive waders will cost you quite a bit and I's like to think this made them last a few seasons more. Cabelas is the place I would go to pick anything I mentioned here. Good quality, decent prices and a great return policy.

I was thinking the same thing.

stocking foot breathable that can pair with the shoes of my liking and cabelas perhaps for price point.

Thanks for the good information.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Surfcasterzx2 



Stocking foot for comfort, Boot foot waders for easy on and off…… Don't worry about high end.. Buy a cheap pair and be happy you got a good season out of them…. All waders leak…. Whether $500 or $100…. If you're a 5-7 night a week surfcaster buy cheap…..And with a warranty….

Thanks a lot for the help.

[joey9utsc]

Look in the field and stream waders they are cheap 90-110 and I've got 1-2 seasons out of them 1 if I'm fishing 1-3 times a week and 2 seasons when I fish a couple weekend a month. The best advice I ever got was to buy cheaper waders ever year cause they all leak.

[Highlander1]

Stocking foot for comfort, Boot foot waders for easy on and off…… Don't worry about high end.. Buy a cheap pair and be happy you got a good season out of them…. All waders leak…. Whether $500 or $100…. If you're a 5-7 night a week surfcaster buy cheap…..And with a warranty….

 

 

 

 

Bullseye. Good advice.

 

 

Don't like the stocking foot so much, particularly in the sand, sand gets into everywhere.Plus they are a PITA to get on and off. I posted LL Bean because of the warranty, for my own money, I'm buying Cabelas breathable boot foots and if they leak during the first year I ask for a new pair. Most I ever paid was about $225 for Orvis Pro Guides with a lifetime warranty, 2 years into it they discontinued the warranty and pro-rated a credit if you wanted replacements. Otherwise, known as being screwed. I could never pay $400-600 for a pair of waders, just can't think those numbers for waders.

[Striper Silly]

I have an old pair of Snowbee breathable boot foot waders and they are at least 8 years old without a leak and all I do is hang them up when I'm finished with a day of fishing.  I would love to have another pair, but they don't have that same pair I bought and I think they don't import them to the states anymore.  I think you might have to get them from England.  I bought them when I first went to Montauk and my original ones had a hole in them when I was fishing.  Some times you can find them on that other auction site.  I thought they were expensive back then at $300.00, but they don't owe me anything.  I'm not as hardcore of a fisherman as some for sure, but they have lasted.

[odasan]

I fish mostly sand beaches and have been very happy with Cabelas breathable boot foot waders. They are light, easy to put on and take off, and I don't have to worry about sand in the boots.

[wchestnut]

I have snowbee waders. They have been gewat. So far. Fingers crossed