Wader brand warrantys

[Jordon W 0]

I recently was given a $150 gift card for a local fly shop and thinking about buying a pair breathable waders. I've heard they are subject to tears and was wondering if there are any decent breathables with a good warranty for under $200?

[Voodoo 0]

save some extra cash and get some Redington Sonic Pro's they are epic!!! great warranty service too

[H.Champagne 0]

If you can save just a little bit of cash, the Dan Bailey Lightweight breathable stocking foots are fantastic waders for around 250 i think, I dont know the exact details of the warranty but i beat the shit out of mine and have barely any issues with them. This spring will be the 4th season i've had them. Doesnt fit into your price range exactly, but its close so i figured I'd post up. Good luck, make sure you move around in the shop when you try on waders, helps a lot!

[troutguy 0]

I bought a pair of Hodgman's when they came out. They went bad after a season or two. I replaced them with better Hodgman's and the went bad after a season or two. I bought Patagonias and they have lasted at least four years. A guy at the local fly club said send the waders back to Hodgman. Hodgman is now Coleman, they sent me two brand new waders and a letter explaining about early breathables not working well. Hodgman is a stand up company. I was surprised, but I do have a 50 year old Coleman stove and lantern that still work.

[troutguy 0]

I bought a pair of Hodgman's when they came out. They went bad after a season or two. I replaced them with better Hodgman's and the went bad after a season or two. I bought Patagonias and they have lasted at least four years. A guy at the local fly club said send the waders back to Hodgman. Hodgman is now Coleman, they sent me two brand new waders and a letter explaining about early breathables not working well. Hodgman is a stand up company. I was surprised, but I do have a 50 year old Coleman stove and lantern that still work.

 

I do love the Patagonias.

[blakejd 0]

From what I hear from various sources SIMMS stands behind their product based on the number of days fished (how they figure that out I dont know) where as Dan Baliy's ask no questions and just repair from my most recent experience. I haven't seen how far SIMMS can be pushed yet (just got a pair) but My DB's are on their forth season and began springing leaks and DB said to send them their way without question and assured me they would be repaired. You can't beat that kind of warranty.

[H.Champagne 0]

When I bought my Dan Bailey waders I researched waders pretty heavily. From my investigating, SIMMS can be a nightmare to deal with. They make great waders but i guess they have a machine that tests your waders to make sure you bought the correct size (if they are baggy it can void your warranty). The machine checks the wear points and assesses how many times you have fished (roughly) and if you bought the right size. I tried on several different simms waders at my local fly shop and for them to be baggy enough to be comfortable, they would have voided the warranty, granted i like my waders kinda roomy so I can layer and also not as hot in the summer. The Simms G3 waders from back in the day are famous for being one of the best waders ever made, I read soo many posts and reviews about people loving their "old G3's". 2ndly, I also have noticed quite the change of paradigm, many people were really unhappy with their new simms waders. Let it be stated that I have never owned simms waders, all of this information is either online research or from conversations with some local guides at my local fly shop. I decided several seasons ago, that for the price simms charges for a pair of waders there should be a much much better warranty. I'm sorry but if I drop 500 dollars on waders I want them to work, and if they dont, they better get fixed for free, no questions. So I bought dan baileys, and was kind of reluctant at the time, I felt like I was cheaping out and we all know how that can end, but i absolutely love them. 3 seasons done, going into the fourth, and they rock. Tons of pockets, hand warmers, tippet dispensers are in the perfect spot, nice and baggy for layering up in the winter, for being cheap (~$250) they are great.

 

I am very curious to see how things will go at simms over the next decade, today they stand as the premium "guide approved" wader and all of their stuff looks great and their marketing is spot on but if they are jerking people around with warranty stuff, there are plenty of other options for waders.

[SilverCreek 0]

I also own Dan Baileys. 5 years without a problem.

[JSzymczyk 0]

My problem is that I'm tall with big feet, and I'm not as fat as the wader companies think I'm supposed to be. I'm far from skinny, but to get a size 13 foot in stockingfoot waders, I almost always have to go to an XL which is way too baggy everywhere else. After Christmas, I was prepared to spend +$400 on some Simms waders but was surprized to find they don't offer "tall" sizes as a standard item. I tried some on at my local Bass Pro and I had to go to the XL to get my feet to fit, the legs weren't long enough to comfortably sit and move as I do in my Kayak, and they were WAY too baggy.

 

I ended up going with Cabela's "guide tech" waders in Large Tall... my feet fit with room to spare and they fit good all around. Half the price of Simms and the build seems comparable in every way I could see. They have a lifetime warranty, but on the tag explaining it they state lifetime warranty "but fair is fair." I respect that, and over many many years of buying stuff from Cabelas I've only had a couple items I ever returned under warranty and those were handled instantly with great customer service.

 

Basically, you can have bulletproof, heavy, stiff, sweaty rubberized canvas waders which will protect you from barbed wire fences and will never leak, or you can have lightweight breathable sort-of baggy waders which must be taken care of and might leak a little after a while. I really don't know how much "fair" is really fair...?? If you get four years of honest hard work out a set of waders, is that fair? What if you abuse them by constantly snagging them on brush and not taking care of them? There are so many possible variables that there's no way to answer what is fair. I think if you rip them on a fence or a stick, that's bad luck and not the manufacturers fault. Be careful. Accidents happen. If the seams start to leak because you walk 6 miles to the stream and back 25 times a year (good for you) maybe you need to carry the waders and put them on when you get there... ?? I don't know.

 

I have a pair of Simms wading boots with the BOA closure system, and they are by far the best fishing boots I've ever had, ever.

[SilverCreek 0]

 

My problem is that I'm tall with big feet, and I'm not as fat as the wader companies think I'm supposed to be. I'm far from skinny, but to get a size 13 foot in stockingfoot waders, I almost always have to go to an XL which is way too baggy everywhere else. After Christmas, I was prepared to spend +$400 on some Simms waders but was surprized to find they don't offer "tall" sizes as a standard item. I tried some on at my local Bass Pro and I had to go to the XL to get my feet to fit, the legs weren't long enough to comfortably sit and move as I do in my Kayak, and they were WAY too baggy.

 

 

Did you check out the Simms "Custom Shop"? You can choose the foot size matched to the best fitting upper.

 

http://www.simmsfishing.com/site/custom_shop.html

[wallyv 0]

I think you are on the right path to getting the best for your money

 

my sarcastic approach - most are made thin and cheap; they'll all fail eventually, not made to last along time

 

I concerntrate on the warranty and how the company and shop purchased from handle failures

[invasionqt 0]

I have trouble buying waders. I am 6'3" with a 42" chest and a size 14 foot. My current set are the Orvis Pack and Travel which after one season I really like. They are a bit baggy, but that has come in nice this winter to wear a fleece vest. So far no complaints. I will have to keep in mind the Simms Custom Shop for my next pair, but after the upcharges I may just have to deal with baggy or gain weight.

[Steeldrifter 0]

 

I ended up going with Cabela's "guide tech" waders in Large Tall.

 

I'm going to agree 100% with Jim here. Over the past 22 years I have owned every type/style/brand wader out there it seems. I've had numerous pairs of Simms, numerous pairs of Orvis, Dan Bailys, Bone drys, Hodgeman, Bass pro waders, pretty much any company you can think of I have tried their waders. Spent as much as $450 a few times on them. Now my most recent pair is a pair of Cabelas waist high breathables. Had them 3 years now and absolutely love them. I'd go as far as to say one of the best waders I have owned.

 

Point is contrary to what some people in the fly fishing world want you to believe, your waders don't need to say "Simms" or "Orvis" to be great waders. Some of the cheaper waders are not all that good, I had bad experiences with the fit of Bass Pro waders, and I had bad experiences with Hodgemans....but Cabelas breathables (and I only paid $120 for mine) have been an excellent pair of waders.

 

And Cabelas are great about honoring their warranties on items.

 

Steve

[DryFly1 0]

I have become a pretty solid fan of Orvis. For the longest time they had a limited warranty that discounted the value depending on how long you had the waders. In the last few years I have had some good experiences. I had a top end pair of their waders that had a seam failure, I had no receipt but they gave me a new pair anyway. A year or so later I had another failure which at that point I was convinced was a design flaw. When I went back to their shop they said that they had come out with a great pair of lighter weight waders (under $200)that were seamless. I traded out for a pair of them and was given enough credit back to purchase a new gear bag as well( My original Orvis bag was 10-15 years old and was showing its age but I did get a ton of time out of it and use it as a backup).

 

So there you have it.

[Steeldrifter 0]

I have become a pretty solid fan of Orvis. For the longest time they had a limited warranty that discounted the value depending on how long you had the waders. In the last few years I have had some good experiences. I had a top end pair of their waders that had a seam failure, I had no receipt but they gave me a new pair anyway. A year or so later I had another failure which at that point I was convinced was a design flaw. When I went back to their shop they said that they had come out with a great pair of lighter weight waders (under $200)that were seamless. I traded out for a pair of them and was given enough credit back to purchase a new gear bag as well( My original Orvis bag was 10-15 years old and was showing its age but I did get a ton of time out of it and use it as a backup).

 

So there you have it.

 

 

No different than Cabelas. Will (owner of this site) took back a pair of Cabelas waders after about a year with no receipt, mud and all still on the waders and they exchanged them for a brand new pair.

 

The problem I have with Orvis wader warranty is it is entirely store dependant as to how they honor their warranty. One store may be very easy to deal with such as the one you did, but others will stick hard&fast to what the Orvis policy says word for word (I experienced that first hand in Baldwin Mi store).