Price of breathable waders leaves me breathless
- Taw Fishing Club
- Feb 5, 2021
- 1 min read
My breathable waders seem to last about two years before there arises that tell-tell sign of seeping cold leaking through onto one or both legs. Even modest breathable waders are circa £200-250 and the likes of Simms or Patagonia cost roughly the GDP of a mid-sized country. I have often used my waist length PVC waders + boots from Vass rather than the bind of putting on waders, boots etc. For six years they have been utterly reliable. Especially given that I frequently crawl through undergrowth and slide down steep banks on my bottom. (Sadly, I no longer risk leaping down banks and across the river like a gazelle given my age and that I often fish alone.). I am wondering about replacing them (they are eventually starting to deteriorate) with Vass chest waders. Vass now also do breathable and hybrid types of chest wader apparently. My only concern is fit (being 5'8") and that chest PVC waders may just be too hot in the late Spring and Summer. Has anyone any experience with these products? Gordon
I phoned the Vass company to check out on their product and to get their advice regarding their range of wading products. They were extremely helpful. Lockdown and a policy of not selling direct but exclusively through Angling outlets has rather acted against them over the last year. They are also not producing product at the moment and will not be into full production until later this year with product back in the shops by Autumn. (If you checkout their waders on most online stores you will find they are out of stock.). I elected to buy a pair of Team Vass 'hybrid' booted chest waders (VM 745) with a breathable top half and the very tough PVC legs an…
I spend a lot of my life in waders and have tried most of the brands over the last 25 years or so. The original Simms Guide waders were some of the most robust along with the Orvis Silver Labels.
More recently, I've been wearing waders in the £250 range and while they are comfortable I've found a season is just about the maximum I can get out of them. On occasion it can be a little more but not a lot. Usually it is the seams that start to stretch that start to let water in but also the outer fabric seems to delaminate and this too leads to water eventually getting through.
So, I've bitten the bullet and…
Hi Gordon,
I have the same problem so will look with interest at the replies you receive, Cheers Craig
My Simms G3 waders are 15+ years old! (I keep them patched up). That said, Orvis do great waders that you can roll down to wear at waist level. As an alternative, a friend and long standing fan of Simms has been wearing Hodgman for the last few years and he thinks they are very good.