LyNcH
Dries, wets, nymphs and streamers...it's all good!
My thoughts on several waders I have tried on the SR over the last year.
I will go from worst to best. The first 2 waders being a tie for the crapola award.
1. Orvis Silver Label bootfoot waders. Fly Fishing Waders / Silver Label Bootfoot Waders -- Orvis I went through 2 pairs of these waders in a short amount of time. The first pair started to leak at the neoprene/boot junction after a few outings. They sent me a replacement pair and after a few times in the water, the drain pocket above the boot filled with a huge amount of water without my knowledge and made wading near impossible and dangerous. The boot also compresses around your toes making for poor circulation and unbearable January wading. I called Orvis, the upgraded me to the Tailwater XT bootfoot waders......
2. Orvis Tailwater XT bootfoot waders. Boot Foot Fishing Waders / Tailwaters XT Waders Bootfoot -- Orvis Even worse waders, although more expensive as their sale appears to have ended. The first pair of Tailwaders were fine until I waded up to my crotch..........they leaked. Ovis replaced them with another pair and after about 7 uses, the felt started to come unglued from the boot. My buddy has a pair of these waders and his boots started to fall apart as well. He has a new pair, so far so good. I on the otherhand am sick of their waders and requested my money back and they gave it to me, which I can't complain about. I love their large arbor reels and fleece gear, but the waders are not worth 10% of their cost.
3. Cabelas dry plus bootfoot - out of production. Cabela's Premium Dry-Plus® Breathable Bootfoot Waders - Regular I picked up a used pair of these waders on ebay for $40. When I receIved them they had a small leak in the stitching where the wader and neoprene meet. A little aquaseal and they are fine. These waders have given me no trouble since the repair and I have worn them many more times than the above Orvis waders. The boot is firm and does not compress, allowing for my toes to wiggle and circulation to continue. The only negative is the boot itself is not comfortable, even with an added gel insole. The sole is too hard and my feet often ached at the end of the day. They are a backup/loaner pair of waders.
4. Simms ExStream bootfoot. Simms Fishing Products : : Exstream? Bootfoots - Felt What can I say except awesome. These waders have the warmest boots imaginable on the, My feet typically get cold in any wader I wear, in these, they don't. Muck knows how to make boots and these are rated at 40 below. They were pricey, but worth the money (the Orvis refund helped) The quadralam is thick and there is a good amount of storage in these waders. I have an email from Simms saying it is OK to put their hardbite studs in the felt muckboots. I love these waders and have now bought a 2nd pair on sale with lug soles for when I am in the driftboat & have the korkers just in case. A friend bought the Simms G3 waders and had them put the muckboots on his, they are rated at 20 below. I tried both boots and thought the 40 below was more comfy and wanted the added protection.
Another friend just bought a pair of Cabelas Spring Run neoprene bootfoot and is very happy with them. I am too tall for these waders, and any neoprene I have tried on. He loves the warm, but admittedly sweats in them when walking any distance.
Since I not have the Orvis waders I would trout fish in, and the exstreams are too hot for spring/summer/fall fishing, I just picked up a pair of Simms G4 pro waders for much less than msrp Simms Fishing Products : : G4 Pro? Stockingfoots and the korkers guide boots with the boa lacing system and omnitrax interchangable soles Fly Fishing | Guide Wading Boot | Korkers Be aware you need to go up 2 sizes when ordering these boots. We shall se how they perform come the spring dropback action on the Salmon!!!
So there we have it. I officially endorse Simms waders with muckboots, specifically the ExStreams.
I will go from worst to best. The first 2 waders being a tie for the crapola award.
1. Orvis Silver Label bootfoot waders. Fly Fishing Waders / Silver Label Bootfoot Waders -- Orvis I went through 2 pairs of these waders in a short amount of time. The first pair started to leak at the neoprene/boot junction after a few outings. They sent me a replacement pair and after a few times in the water, the drain pocket above the boot filled with a huge amount of water without my knowledge and made wading near impossible and dangerous. The boot also compresses around your toes making for poor circulation and unbearable January wading. I called Orvis, the upgraded me to the Tailwater XT bootfoot waders......
2. Orvis Tailwater XT bootfoot waders. Boot Foot Fishing Waders / Tailwaters XT Waders Bootfoot -- Orvis Even worse waders, although more expensive as their sale appears to have ended. The first pair of Tailwaders were fine until I waded up to my crotch..........they leaked. Ovis replaced them with another pair and after about 7 uses, the felt started to come unglued from the boot. My buddy has a pair of these waders and his boots started to fall apart as well. He has a new pair, so far so good. I on the otherhand am sick of their waders and requested my money back and they gave it to me, which I can't complain about. I love their large arbor reels and fleece gear, but the waders are not worth 10% of their cost.
3. Cabelas dry plus bootfoot - out of production. Cabela's Premium Dry-Plus® Breathable Bootfoot Waders - Regular I picked up a used pair of these waders on ebay for $40. When I receIved them they had a small leak in the stitching where the wader and neoprene meet. A little aquaseal and they are fine. These waders have given me no trouble since the repair and I have worn them many more times than the above Orvis waders. The boot is firm and does not compress, allowing for my toes to wiggle and circulation to continue. The only negative is the boot itself is not comfortable, even with an added gel insole. The sole is too hard and my feet often ached at the end of the day. They are a backup/loaner pair of waders.
4. Simms ExStream bootfoot. Simms Fishing Products : : Exstream? Bootfoots - Felt What can I say except awesome. These waders have the warmest boots imaginable on the, My feet typically get cold in any wader I wear, in these, they don't. Muck knows how to make boots and these are rated at 40 below. They were pricey, but worth the money (the Orvis refund helped) The quadralam is thick and there is a good amount of storage in these waders. I have an email from Simms saying it is OK to put their hardbite studs in the felt muckboots. I love these waders and have now bought a 2nd pair on sale with lug soles for when I am in the driftboat & have the korkers just in case. A friend bought the Simms G3 waders and had them put the muckboots on his, they are rated at 20 below. I tried both boots and thought the 40 below was more comfy and wanted the added protection.
Another friend just bought a pair of Cabelas Spring Run neoprene bootfoot and is very happy with them. I am too tall for these waders, and any neoprene I have tried on. He loves the warm, but admittedly sweats in them when walking any distance.
Since I not have the Orvis waders I would trout fish in, and the exstreams are too hot for spring/summer/fall fishing, I just picked up a pair of Simms G4 pro waders for much less than msrp Simms Fishing Products : : G4 Pro? Stockingfoots and the korkers guide boots with the boa lacing system and omnitrax interchangable soles Fly Fishing | Guide Wading Boot | Korkers Be aware you need to go up 2 sizes when ordering these boots. We shall se how they perform come the spring dropback action on the Salmon!!!
So there we have it. I officially endorse Simms waders with muckboots, specifically the ExStreams.