Orvis River Guard bootfoot waders

[WBDluver]

Reciently I was contacted by Orvis to test their new Silver Guard bootfoot waders. Since it is that time of year when thoughts turn to winter steelhead fishing i thought it would be good to post a review. This is part one. Since tomorrow the wind chill in Pulaski is around -20 my thoughts are not turning all that quickly to winter steelhead and just thought i would share some pics and observations. I will give a review after being tested on the Salmon at a later, (and hopefully warmer) date. The boots do not have the neoprene connecting the fabric to the boot as before, the boot is connected directly to the fabric, thus eliminating some of the former complaints about leaks in that area. The knees have double fabric and the waders come in other sizes like that which are offered by Simms, and not just boot size. so you can get a size 8 short or size 8 XXL for MacFry. I tried them on with the socks i wear for Steelhead and I would suggest just getting you normal size. The boots are the same as the ones used by Simms but you get carbide studs. I did install 3 extra on each boot compliments of A&G Outfitters in Dickson City Pa. Short comings seem to be that there is only one belt loop in the back of the wader and a small inner pocket. The waders come with repair kit and wading belt. Simms did come out with thier bootfoot waders again but these are half the price ($349) compared to Simms at $700 and studs are extra. I will give a report after I have baptized these in the Salmon.

 

[LyNcH]

That's great that Orvis is letting you demo a pair. I look forward to your reviews. A buddy had a pair of the previous generation waders and loved them until after one season when he developed a leak at the neoprene joiner you mentioned which could not be fixed. Let's hope these waders stand the test of time as Orvis doesn't have the best of reputation when it comes to wader durability. This is a decent price for winter waders and if my Simms Exstreams ever wear out, I might consider these way down the road.

 

[WBDluver]

Well i returned from the Salmon River. Water temp was 32-33 degrees. I have some pros and cons. First the cons, The wader could be cut a litter wider in the chest area especially since I am using these for cold weather and had long underwear, heavy weight fleece pants sweater and jacket. These filled up the wader and made them fit snug around my chest and stomach. I ordered a size 8 small I should have ordered size 8 med. That is only issue i had. Now for the pros, the boots were very warm. I only wore a thin wool ski socka and a heavy wool sock and standing in that water and in that weather I can honestly say my feet never got cold. I could not even tell the water was 33 degrees. If you got out of the water you were stand on snow or ice so you would not have had a chance to warm your feet. the studs worked great. Like i said, i bought these for winter steelhead so i should get many years use out of them. If not i will let you all know about it. Hope this helps if you are thinking about them.

 

[jcstikfish]

Not to go off topic, but, how was the steelie bite?

Thanks for the review!

~James

 

[WBDluver]

The fishing was very slow. Saturday morning was about -5 and they dropped the water to 250cfs? Sunday was slightly better but not by much

 

[LyNcH]

Thanks for the update. Nothing is better that warm feet when standing in that cold river this time of year. I'm glad to hear the studs grip as good as what I have read. I just order up a set for a pair of vibram sole boots yesterday. I'm jealous you were able to get out and fish. You are the man fishing in -5 degrees. -4 is the coldest I ever fished in and will never do it again. On that particular day, a buddy who was fishing with stockingfoot lasted about 20 minutes in the water when he started asking me about my waders. He hopped in his truck, drove down to Whitakers and bought their last pair of Exstreams in his size. To this day he says it's the single best fly fishing purchase he has made. Nothing beats warm feet........

 

[WBDluver]

Well i said the temp was minus 5 but i did not fish until it warmed up and hit the river around 10 am. So you are the still the man.