All waders suck, which suck the least?

[nfnDrum]

Seems to be a given that wader companies cant seems to make a wader that wont leak. SO is Gor-tex the easiest material to fine pin hole leaks in? I dont care if i have to patch. My cheapies are just  impossible to locate leaks in. Are the Simms Gore-tex headwaters worth the sale price? Are they reinforced good enough below the knees? I am bout to buy cheap frog togs.

[sandworm]

simms waders are good or lyft

[Foureel]

My frog togs are going on year four.  Almost afraid to type this as they will probably leak the next trip out

[Turkeybacn]

My last pair of hodgmans were 70$? And lasted two years before they started to leak, I'm not easy on my gear and fish a good amount of rocky areas. I bought a new pair of Frogg Toggs Sieran for 115$ to replace them for this year. I like the fit of the frogg toggs a lot more. Scoob made a post on here and asked a similar question that had some good info, might be worth looking that up. My thoughts are that eventually all waders are going to leak and I'm ok with spending a hundred bucks every two years to replace them.

[VitaminDee]

Dark lightnings off the Zon. $55

[Jason B]

The pair you bought this year work the best

next year, not so much

 

[dlaurend]

Simms G3.   I take very good care of them.  Patched a few holes.  Going on 8 years. Still work great.  

[TopwaterPete]

They're not cheap, but I'm going on year 6 of my Orvis Guide Series waders. They get used 30+ times a year between Montauk and the NJ surf, and several trout trips around streams/briars etc. No leaks/pinholes, etc. Material is very heavy duty yet pliable for comfort.

Edited April 27, 2021 by TopwaterPete

[nfnDrum]

G3 are in $550 range, Im looking at the Headwaters Pro $279

1 hour ago, dlaurend said:

Simms G3.   I take very good care of them.  Patched a few holes.  Going on 8 years. Still work great.  

 

[East Tide]

I have the Orvis Guide waders as well. Best I have owned..

[MartyK]

You're right about them all sucking, but I use LL Bean Emergers.   Bean has tightened its return policies, but they still give me a year (maybe because I'm a credit card holder) and I've never had a pair go that long, so I'm still able to exchange the leaking ones.   

[hairyfishhead]

Gotta say I've been surprised by Frogg Toggs. Can't beat the price and they hold up well if you give them the occasional freshwater rinse. Mostly get a season or two out of them and they can always be found on sale (under $100) if you look around. To me it's a no brainer after burning through several higher end expensive options over the years.

[BobBass]

$550 waders that last 8 years plus self repairs cost you about $68 a year. 
or you can be lazy like me and buy short lived Amazon waders and spend $45 every 1.5 years. 

[Caveman8]

USIA. Available with kevlar reinforced knees. Non-breathable fabric but insanely well made in US. Search this forum for USIA and you'll find at least one long thread.

[Sngl2th]

I've seen people's Frog Togs leak on the first trip, although I suppose any brand can have a flaw. For years I used Bean's lower cost waders which are garbage and leak almost from the start, and Orvis which were better. I have some Dan Bailey's that work great right now--unfortunately they seem to be defunct.

 

I do have a theory about making cheaper waders last: Get waders that are considerably larger than your size (one or two sizes). I think a lot of the strain on waders around booties (where the most irreparable leaks start) and knees comes from stretching and pulling them off. If they are nice and big you can slip in and out without damage, and they will wear less from movement.