Frogtoggs waders

[Steeldrifter 0]

1 hour ago, The Mad Duck said:

Buy cheap, replace often

Honestly in my experience when it comes to waders I feel just like Bryon does. If you spend a decent amount of days per year in them, then waders wear out with in 5-7 yrs no matter what brand they are or how much you pay. I have had $400 Orvis and Simms and they where no more durable than some $125 waders I have had. These I just bought today, far as the material & stitching/quality, looks to be pretty much identical to my $230 Orvis ones I am replacing them with.

[The Mad Duck 0]

I bought a pair of neoprene bootfoot Red Ball waders almost 20 years ago that I still use in the late fall before it gets cold. I think I paid $89.99 for them. They have held up better that Lacrosse waders, Cabelas waders and every breathable waders have ever owned. There is so much aquaseal on the seams and shin/knee area, it looks like someone blew their nose all over them.

I ALWAYS hang my waders upside down and dry them them thoroughly. I leave them upside down for storage

[Steeldrifter 0]

13 minutes ago, The Mad Duck said:

I ALWAYS hang my waders upside down and dry them them thoroughly.

That's something I am somewhat bad to forget. I always try to do it, but admittedly I have been known to come off the river, throw the waders in the gear bag and head home, then forget to take them out for a day or two 😶

[The Mad Duck 0]

I would recommend getting a peet boot dryer,especially for your long trips. Nothing like putting on dry gear in the morning

[Mlandry 0]

I am lucky to get two years out of any brand of waders.

[DFoster 0]

For what it's worth I wrote a previous post about my recent experience with Orvis waders.  Long story short after my new pair of $300 Orvis waders started leaking after roughly 4 outings they offered to upgrade me to their $600 pro waders for short cash.  I took the deal.  While the wader material on the Pro's is definitely heavier than the $300 pair the neoprene booty's seem to be the exactly the same.  After my 4th outing in the "Pro" waders my I noticed that my socks were damp, not soaked but damp. Is this normal?  Last week after my 6th outing I found some small quarter size wet spots on my wader pant's just below the knee of both legs.  Again not soaked but these waders list for $600 bucks - there should be zero issues after 6 outings right? 

 I have not been "bushwacking" in them and have "babied" them in every way possible.  I never kneel down on gravel to cast (like they show in their promo photo).  After every outing they are hung on a coat hanger and the only thing I have worn under them have been cotton pants.   I'm sure Orvis will replace them but considering the prices companies are charging for waders they should last a hell of a lot longer than a few outings.  I get that all waders will leak eventually and I'm prepared to fix holes from time to time but It seems like the price is irrelevant to how water proof a pair of waders will be or for how long.   Here' and idea, how about just waterproof?  I don't give a damn about "breathable, sipper front, extra pockets, D rings, fly patch" blah, blah, blah because none of that matters when they leak.  

So to Mad Duck's point  I'll stock up on aquaseal, buy cheap and replace when needed.   

[SilverCreek 0]

1 hour ago, DFoster said:

For what it's worth I wrote a previous post about my recent experience with Orvis waders.  Long story short after my new pair of $300 Orvis waders started leaking after roughly 4 outings they offered to upgrade me to their $600 pro waders for short cash.  I took the deal.  While the wader material on the Pro's is definitely heavier than the $300 pair the neoprene booty's seem to be the exactly the same.  After my 4th outing in the "Pro" waders my I noticed that my socks were damp, not soaked but damp. Is this normal?  Last week after my 6th outing I found some small quarter size wet spots on my wader pant's just below the knee of both legs.  Again not soaked but these waders list for $600 bucks - there should be zero issues after 6 outings right? 

 

Probably sweating especially if BOTH socks were EQUALLY DAMP.

[Steeldrifter 0]

On 5/7/2022 at 8:35 PM, The Mad Duck said:

I would recommend getting a peet boot dryer,especially for your long trips. Nothing like putting on dry gear in the morning

 

Now you have me looking at those. That's not a bad idea to maybe get one to take to the motel with me next month. Looks like you can get them on Amazon for about $35

[skeet3t 0]

This has been in interesting thread and posts! Several years ago, one of the freebie fishing magazines had a review of several brands of waders. I don't recall the brands and specific models but it was a "no holds barred" review. Two or three brands had such bad reviews, they went out of business. You would think they would work to improve their waders.

I'm looking at Chota South Fork waders for a trip to the Toccoa River in two weeks. A bit pricey at $274 but the quality was good plus heavy duty reinforcement for any time breaking brush if needed. I know the shop owners and feel I can get good service if needed.

[DFoster 0]

2 hours ago, SilverCreek said:

Probably sweating especially if BOTH socks were EQUALLY DAMP.

Maybe- next outing I'll wear some thin socks under the wool and see.  I still need to address the leaks in the shin area.

[The Mad Duck 0]

1 hour ago, Steeldrifter said:

Now you have me looking at those. That's not a bad idea to maybe get one to take to the motel with me next month. Looks like you can get them on Amazon for about $35

I would recommend getting one of the double barrel models. You can dry your boots AND your waders overnight. Warm and toasty in the am

[Bryon Anderson 0]

On 5/7/2022 at 8:35 PM, The Mad Duck said:

I would recommend getting a peet boot dryer,especially for your long trips. Nothing like putting on dry gear in the morning

+1 on the Peet boot dryer -- my wife got me one a years ago and I love it, especially in the chilly Michigan spring and fall! Nothing worse than starting a wet, cold day in ice cold boots. 

[Bryon Anderson 0]

4 hours ago, DFoster said:

After my 4th outing in the "Pro" waders my I noticed that my socks were damp, not soaked but damp. Is this normal?  Last week after my 6th outing I found some small quarter size wet spots on my wader pant's just below the knee of both legs.

I have had this same experience at random times with every pair of breathable waders I've owned. When you think about what we're asking the breathable/waterproof membrane to do, it's no small feat: completely seal out liquid water, while simultaneously allowing water vapor (from perspiration) to escape. That would be a tall order even if we wore them standing fully upright, perfectly still, in a uniform current. Of course, we do just the opposite -- we walk, crawl, climb, kneel, squat, sit...at any given moment, some of that fabric is under no stress at all, while other parts are being stretched or compressed into folds, or ground into a hard surface, etc. Some of us barely sweat at all; others sweat a lot. When we sweat, we don't do it uniformly. Add in the fact that we're frequently submerging the waders in water that's much colder than the "environment" inside the waders, and you have ample opportunities for condensation. 

The first few pairs of breathables I bought, I ended up returning/exhanging multiple times because I was sure they were leaking. Then I had a pair that really did leak, and concluded that I'd been returning waders that were just abiding by the laws of physics.

I'm no physicist, these have just been my experiences and my thoughts about them. 

[DFoster 0]

49 minutes ago, Bryon Anderson said:

I have had this same experience at random times with every pair of breathable waders I've owned. When you think about what we're asking the breathable/waterproof membrane to do, it's no small feat: completely seal out liquid water, while simultaneously allowing water vapor (from perspiration) to escape. That would be a tall order even if we wore them standing fully upright, perfectly still, in a uniform current. Of course, we do just the opposite -- we walk, crawl, climb, kneel, squat, sit...at any given moment, some of that fabric is under no stress at all, while other parts are being stretched or compressed into folds, or ground into a hard surface, etc. Some of us barely sweat at all; others sweat a lot. When we sweat, we don't do it uniformly. Add in the fact that we're frequently submerging the waders in water that's much colder than the "environment" inside the waders, and you have ample opportunities for condensation. 

The first few pairs of breathables I bought, I ended up returning/exhanging multiple times because I was sure they were leaking. Then I had a pair that really did leak, and concluded that I'd been returning waders that were just abiding by the laws of physics.

I'm no physicist, these have just been my experiences and my thoughts about them. 

Byron I really appreciate you comments.  I've never owned top of the line waders until now but was under the impression I would be bone dry (no one ever told me otherwise).   The dampness I'm describing in only on the outer layer of my clothing not down to my skin.  Am I to understand that damp may be just a normal state because of their breathable quality combined with body heat?   Condensation?  If so I can live with it.  I'm on my 5th pair of waders and all of them have been damp inside from time to time and eventually the damp became wet which became soaked.   I was thinking this was just the start of what will become a problem.   

[SilverCreek 0]

18 minutes ago, DFoster said:

Byron I really appreciate you comments.  I've never owned top of the line waders until now but was under the impression I would be bone dry (no one ever told me otherwise).   The dampness I'm describing in only on the outer layer of my clothing not down to my skin.  Am I to understand that damp may be just a normal state because of their breathable quality combined with body heat?   Condensation?  If so I can live with it.  I'm on my 5th pair of waders and all of them have been damp inside from time to time and eventually the damp became wet which became soaked.   I was thinking this was just the start of what will become a problem.   

"Even in good conditions, Gore-Tex doesn’t allow sweat to pass through faster than you produce it, especially when you’re exerting yourself. This is especially true for your feet, which are the second sweatiest part of your body after your armpits. And this limited breathability is completely eliminated if the surface of your boots gets saturated with water, which is inevitable in sustained wet conditions. Once this occurs, you’re essentially trapping all of your foot sweat inside your boots,"

https://www.outdoors.org/resources/amc-outdoors/gear/why-do-gore-tex-boots-get-wet-inside/#:~:text=

Essentially this is the equivalent of "Wet Out" which is what happens when Gortex rainwear loses it Durable Water Repellent Coating

https://sectionhiker.com/why-does-rain-gear-wet-out/#: