The great wader debate

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Paul W

Well-known member
I am in the market for new waders - I gave mine to a friend (I lost a bunch of weight, he needs waders) but it looks like cabelas doesn't have a lifetime warranty anymore, which leads me to believe they are made more cheaply than they were before.
Breathable? Cabelas? Lacrosse? Itasca? Max price is mid 200's if I want to have them for early season fishing here.


Way too many choices, sick of crotch leaks in the neoprene but will buy a new pair every other year if that is what I have to do. Thinking of taking a whack at buying breathables this year, but there aren't many with insulation besides the stupid banded (350ish$$) brand ones.


Let me know what you think. Thanks!
 
My Lacrosse from 10 years ago still work and are dry... Drakes from 6 years ago had the boots crack. After the season I bout new LaCrosse waders.
 
Yes, Cabelas dropped the lifetime a while ago. I can't say I blame them as it's not hard to find stories on forums about returning waders that ripped on barbwire or "snagged a boot on tree so I returned them..." That said, I quite buying their waders when I got a leak in the crotch at 14 months after purchase with very light use & customer service refused to credit me or exchange them, even though when I bought them the "Lifetime" warranty was in place.

I used Rogers breathables last season & really liked them. More insulation in the boots and a fantastic pocket/pouch.
 
The most long lasting, tough, waders you can buy are UISA...period. They are not breathable or neoprene. So you need some insulation from the cold if working in cold water for long periods. You get a hole or whatever you just send them in and they fix them. They are also custom tailored. He just started doing hunting waders a few years ago after a bunch of folks started bugging him. I came across him when the CG picked up the contract for his dry suits. That's what I wore for surf drills/rescue for years. Anyway. They are pretty much bullet proof and now they come with Bogs boots for the feet. Nothing else on the market would even come close to lasting as long. My two coppers.-Seth
 
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I bought a pair of cabelas 5mm camo waders from cabelas, the $289, on sale for around $199 off season, i bought those back around 2000-2001, id exchanged them 4 times at cabelas with no questions asked, three had crotch rips, one has a big rip on the leg that caught on the boat, so for a one time investment of $199, ive already had 15 years and still gauranteed until they go out of business, ill take the cabelas ones :) .....my last exchange was december of 2015..... Never had an issue in store, they always say go grab another pair and we will exchange it, this is the connecticut cabelas..
 
I bought a pair of cabelas 5mm camo waders from cabelas, the $289, on sale for around $199 off season, i bought those back around 2000-2001, id exchanged them 4 times at cabelas with no questions asked, three had crotch rips, one has a big rip on the leg that caught on the boat, so for a one time investment of $199, ive already had 15 years and still gauranteed until they go out of business, ill take the cabelas ones :) .....my last exchange was december of 2015..... Never had an issue in store, they always say go grab another pair and we will exchange it, this is the connecticut cabelas..

Which is exactly why they don't offer a lifetime warranty anymore.
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The most long lasting, tough, waders you can buy are UISA...period. They are not breathable or neoprene. So you need some insulation from the cold if working in cold water for long periods. You get a hole or whatever you just send them in and they fix them. They are also custom tailored. He just started doing hunting waders a few years ago after a bunch of folks started bugging him. I came across him when the CG picked up the contract for his dry suits. That's what I wore for surf drills/rescue for years. Anyway. They are pretty much bullet proof and now they come with Bogs boots for the feet. Nothing else on the market would even come close to lasting as long. My two coppers.-Seth
Those look great - Pricepoint not too bad, though I'm sure the "custom" ones would be considerably more..
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cabelas has been good to me despite no longer have the live time guarantee. what is nice about the modern waders such as cabelas makes is the they come in tall sizes. i got a 14 tall and love it. never thought id see the day when the crock didnt bind when i walked. makes it easy to step over sticks logs etc, get out of the boat. haveing waders fit properly will increase the life of the product.
 
I bought my first pair of cabelas waders about 4 years ago due to their rep. Boots started cracking before their 2nd season of use. Stored the same way/place as all my previous waders, this had never happened to any of them. Cabelas said they would offer a prorated price towards a new pair after they were sent in and inspected. I said don't bother, I'll never by a pair of cabelas again. Their brand is going the way of that red head bps crap. Really liked my old lacrosses before I cut the boot on ice. My buddies Drakes started coming apart within weeks of wearing his. My next pair will more than likely be lacrosse.
 
I know that it's out of the price range you were looking at but I have a pair of the Orvis waterfowling lace up breathable waders. I was going through waders once a year (not all of them the "cheap" ones either) until I bought these babies. I've had them three years. The boots are beginning to seep water so I called them up to see about having them repaired. They said no problem and if we can't repair them, we'll call you and send you a new pair. I actually like these waders a lot because the boots are lace up plus they have some thick felt liner booties that you wear inside the boot. For someone who has problems keeping her feet warm in waders, these have been great! They've paid for themselves since I've owned them and I'm tickled that Orvis is standing behind their product and will repair them for me or send me a new pair if they can't be repaired. They've been a very comfortable wader (or as comfortable as waders can ever be) and easy to walk around in.

So, for what it's worth, the expensive orvis waders have been a worthwhile purchase for me (though they weren't as expensive as they are now when I bought them) and I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for waders.

Dani
 
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