How long does a pair of waders last?

A

Andrew Holley

Well-known member
Typically how many season do you get out of pair? I must be pretty hard on my, Ganders Mountain's "Best" and I have a leak in the inseam, think I got just about two years out of them.

Any recommendations?
 
Andrew,
it all depends on how they are abused and the brand you buy from my experiences . i am on my 10 or 11th pair of neo waders as of now , I finally bought the Armorflex waders Cabelas carries and knock on wood i will be in my 4th season with them . I used neoprenes for fishing , hunting launching the boat and so on and they never held up like the Cabelas waders . I have a pair of Orvis feather lights for fishing those are great also . i guess you get what you pay for . Good Luck



Dave M
 
Depends on what you're walking through. I took an almost new pair of neoprene's down to a hunt in Ohio. Had to go walking through buck brush to find ducks. Came home with several leaks. Now I use canvas/rubber/canvas on that trip. Up in Wisc cattail marshes I switched to waterproof breathable waders and they've lasted 5 years with one small seam leak that neoprene sealant fixed. Stay away form the 2 ply rubber, they don't last. Ozone kills the rubber. As the man said; you get what you pay for.
 
Something else to consider when buying waders.

I am on my third pair or cabelas ultimates. The first had the interior boot fall apart. ( glue let go). This was in the first year. Cabelas replaced them with a new pair no charge. Second pair didn't like riding a snowmobile in below zero weather to check traps and the inside of the boot near my ancle bone cracked with the stress. Again in the first year. Cabelas replaced them as they should have not failed. Now on my third pair and 5 years in I am still wearing them. Had to patch a them at the begining of season where it all comes together in the .... um rear section. Aquaseal fixed it and I have no reason to think it wont hold. I have worn through the left knee from kneeling in the boat and turning and flexing. Its starting to leak since its worn into the actual neo now.

Cabelas will stand behind any product with the Cabelas name on it. If it doesnt live up to what you think it should they will replace it no questions asked. With the gamble on waders I think thats worth buying from them. My new pair next season will be from them as are my breathables.


I hunt 45 days a year so my waders take some use. I am happy with 5 years thats for sure.
 
Andrew
I've used the LaCrosse boot for years for duck hunting in freezing weather and trout fishing in warm weather. They do get hot in the summer and are clumsy on a rocky trout stream but man they are nice in November on the Mississippi in freezing weather. I do wear an external ankle figure 8 strap summer and winter for better control. LaCrosse is still a quality boot and you aren't always repairing or exchanging for new.. The best thing is to get a GOOD intial fit and proper storing in the off season. My 13 cents.
wis boz
 
My Cabelas Armorflex are on their 5th season I thnk, maybe 4th. No leaks. I have not had a pair of waders last this long previously and I have owned one other pair of neoprenes (lasted one year, repaired, lsted one more year) and before that the old rubber ones which I was constanly repairing.

Mark W
 
My first pair of Remington 3.5mm neoprenes last 4 seasons of hard use & abuse (as in 20-25 days per season for 4 seasons straight). A second pair of the same ones lasted that long as well. However, another pair I had lasted about 2 seasons before the seat & upper seams were no longer sealable with aquaseal. My current pair are $79.00 3.5 mm from Academy. They saw only 5-6 days of use last year, we'll see how they hold up.
 
I have a pair of Cabela's Titanium waders. They are basically fabric with insulation from the knees down. They have been great for all 4 seasons and have lasted 5 years now with no leaks. I keep them wadded up in the back seat of my truck the whole season and they haven't cracked at the boot. I had a pair of LaCross Thrashers that lasted 1 year before the crotch leaked in 32 1/2 degree water. Talk about shrinkage!
 
I'm on my second pair of La Crosse waders, the new ones--now 3 years old--have leaked in the seams every year, but I just keep patching them. Seam leaks are easy to repair, but it's damn inconvenient when it happens in cold water. There's no reason that a company that specializes in boots and waders shouldn't be able to make a waterproof seam that last three season.

The worst waders I've owned have been hodgman. They are complete crap. The breathable ones had a complete breakdown in the fabric--water just started seeping through everywhere from the knee down. Customer service said it was my fault for not drying them properly -- and that they have since changed the product so that it doesn't happen with new ones. They offered to give me $50 credit on a new pair--which cost $60 more than the old pair--and I would have to pay the shipping. What a generous company. I'll make sure to recommend them to whoever asks.

Many years ago I had some hodgcrap neoprenes. Inside of the boot fell apart; seams leaked; buckle broke--all after one season.

In the past ten years I've been through 4 pair of Cabelas breathables. If they last less than two years I return them for replacement; if they last two years I figure I got my money's worth and buy a new pair.

Best waders I've ever owned are Simms breathables. They are on their third season of year round use, both fishing and hunting, and I haven't had any problems with them. They are spendy, but if I can get 5 years out of a pair, I'll be real happy. I go through a lot of waders because I lend them out to guys who don't have their own equipment and I take kids out quite a bit.

Rick
 
mfg's their own waders?

They don't....

Who does???

HODGEMAN, (at least some of the ones they offer).....

So if you like Cabela's you like Hodgeman.....the difference being if you buy from Cabela's and the wader fails they'll take em back and stuff em down Hodgeman's throat with the surity that while Hodgeman might tell you "GO AWAY" they won't say that to Cabela's....

Tough being brand loyal when a brand you hate and one you like are the same isn't it?

Steve
 
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I'm trying something different this year. I bought a pair of Filson waders and a pair of these:

http://korkers.com/product.php?recKey=37

I wore out my Lacrosse swampfox waders, boots went to crap, but just wasn't happy sloggin' through Florida muck with the bootfoots. I tried out the new waders and boots at MI during early season and it's like wearing a pair of jeans and hiking boots 'sept ya don't get wet. I love them and I doubt the boots will come off, even in the nasty stuff up north. The boots have interchangable soles, which at first I thought might be a novelty, but they are tough and comfortable boots, and the soles are hard to change even when your trying. The waders are super tough, and breath better than others I've owned.

I'll report back later in the season.

Hitch
 
I'm a fan of shoe goo--- or aqua seal. So to answer the question "How long does a pair of wader last?" When I can't find the hole or it's just too big to fix.


I'm using cabelas ultiflex (or something like that) onto my 5th season--- but In the 1st 30 days I put a hole in the boot, and fixed it with the shoe goo.
 
I only have brand disloyalty. And the reason I like Cabela's is that they'll stuff the Hodgeman crap down Hodgeman's throat. The waders I've returned to Cabelas that didn't last two seasons were made by Hodgeman. The ones that did last two seasons were from other companies. One of them was a pair of waist-highs made by a Yugoslavian company, but they don't sell them anymore. I do think that Cabela's return policy is a good reason to buy from them, and that if you are buying from any other retailer you should stay away from Hodgeman. By the way, I used to be loyal to La Crosse products, mainly because I live in La Crosse. I still think that their products are better than Hodgeman, but that's not much of an endorsement.
Rick
 
I am currently the owner of some Hodgeman neoprene waders. They leaked in the seams, but I liberally applied Aquaseal to all seams and solved that problem. My real problem with them is that the boots have cracked in the crease where my foot bends after 1 year. I have put Aquaseal and ShooGoo on during the second year. They both work for a while and then you end up feeling that seeping wet feeling in the boot later down the road. I don't know why a boot manufacturer can't get a boot to not crack. Then to top it off, it is made of some plastic/rubber compound that doesnt bind to the usual repair products. Therefore,I read this thread with interest as I thinks I may be in for new boots as soon as my latest patch try is tested this weekend! Bottom line, no to Hodgemans!
 
I have a pair of the Cabelas ultimate 1600 and have beat the heck out of them. I wear them about 4 days a week and hunt in every condition possible. I do not have a single bad thing to say about them and will not buy anything other than these.
 
I wasn't sure what type of Cabela's mine are but the Armorflex that others are talking about sounds right. I've been VERY impressed. They are heavy and keep me warm and have not leaked in over four years of hard boat use. I don't spend a lot of time in the water, but I spend a lot of time being soaking wet. Whenever I get in the boat (for hunting) I have waders on.

I've worn out several other plain neoprene waders from various manufacturers, no fault of theirs, just wore them through the material. These reinforced one have been great.

Gene
 
now I know that its not the power of buying that allows Cabela's to offer a Hodgeman product to the consumer....its the power of ripping off someone else's design, (yeah I'm sure they change whatever is needed to get bpast copyrights-like thread pattern, or the cross strap on the back of the wader strap), and having it made by child slave labor in some thrid World country....YEAH CABELA's......you go girl....

Seriously I do appreciate the correction.....I'll know the truth next time...and have yet another reason not to shop Cabela's for anything but non Cabela's brands.......

Steve
 
don't necessarily disagree, If the public didnt want it the product wouldn't sell. Any way I'm so far down that food chain I'm not even bait.
 
that for all I know Hodgeman also employs "third world slave labor" and that by buying their product, regardless of the store I get them from, I'm supporting that.....so no "holier than thou" attitude was intended in my original post beyond the fact that as a product mfg. myself I tend to highly dislike those companies that prey on the design efforts of others to produce a cheaper product for those that shop price rather than quality.....

Steve
 
I have a pair of redball waders from 1991. I stopped using them 4 years ago since they are pretty ragged looking. Two of the suspender button have fallen off so I tie the suspenders on with rope. There are 3 patches where I have torn them getting out of the airboat. Other than the fact that they look awful...the seams have never leaked and the boots are still water tight. They are now my "guest waders". They are light weight and have no thinsulate which is wonderful when hunting the 80 degree weather in the Everglades. I wish I could still buy a pair. All the replacement waders I have purchased have lasted 2 seasons each.
 
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