Chest Waders - educate me

TheCoachZed

TheCoachZed

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
40   0   0
Location
Southern NB, aka "Canada's Bible Belt"
Having enjoyed my duck hunting expedition, I think I want some chest waders; I was looking at prices at Cabelas and Sportsmans Guide, and I think I can afford to spring for a pair, but I have some questions.

Is it essential to get 5mm neoprene, or will 3.5mm work fine?

Is it essential to get camo waders, or will the dark brown ones work OK? Can they be painted to any pattern I want, or will that ruin the neoprene?

I assume the booted waders are much better than the ones with the stocking-style foot. Am I right?
 
If you want to go out and be warm in the water in the winter Id spring for the 5mm ones.

I just bought the Cabelas Ultimate Wader 5mm neoprene in max 4 camo. I have been wearing them in 15-20* C and have been comfortable enough to not sweat to death, but you do sweat. I suggest in any wader buying wader socks, I haven't got the money so I just use mil issue woollies and sport socks with the toes cut out pulled up to the top of my knee. The top edge of the boot tends to rub quite a bit on your calves that's why I suggest the high socks.

Most advised me not to buy the Walmart or CDN tire waders due to reliability.
 
My experience with waders is limited to fishing, but I prefer the stocking foot waders with a good wading boot. There are several different types of soles available and you will likely have a better selection of options.

Depending on how cool the weather will be while your hunting, breathable waders are more comfortable than neoprene waders, but not as warm and possibly not as durable.
 
Just food for thought. We use them for boating in skinny water on rivers for when you have to get out and push boats.
Buy them a little on the big side, if you ever slip and fill them full of water you want to be able to get out of them in a hurry. The weight of the water can drown most people and they are not really designed to swim in. Just my 2cents.
 
I'm going throught the same decision process as well. I need a pair for trapping this fall.

My formulated opinion is the neoprenes are nice for fishing but once you add manual labour/walking into the cards the neoprenes are too hot. Plus the good ones are costly to replace when you put a beaver stick through them.

I have decided to get a cheap pair of rubber/boot foot waders for this year.
 
For fishing, I prefer the breathable boot-foot type over the stocking foots ... primarily
because they are easy & fast to take on and off in a hurry. Allows you to move around, ryn & gun, get in and out of the truck, etc. etc., without the hassle of lacing up & unlacing all the time. Not as supportive, sure-footed and comfortable as a good studded-felt wading shoe, but they work. They are fine for most 3 season fishing and early season waterfowling ... depending on what you put on as an underlayer. Very comfortable and tough. The 5mm or 5.5mm boot-foot neoprenes are for cold-weather/winter fishing and waterfowling ... think snow/ice. A lttle bit tougher to put on, but much warmer, and again, dependant on your underlayering. A little to warm for late spring summer & early fall.
 
TheCoachZed said:
Well these will be in use from October - March . .. and not in the summer, so I need warm ones.
Click to expand...

If you are considering the difference between neoprene and breathable waders, keep in mind that you can layer your clothing with breathables in order to keep warm. Lots of guys fish the Bow River here in Calgary all winter long with breathable waders and layers of warm clothes.

I have both neoprenes and breathables, and I would prefer the neoprenes in the cold as long as I wasn't being very active. Like gth mentioned, you can really work up a sweat in neoprene waders.
 
i prefer neoprean with the sock foot .then i can wear a good wading shoe or just old hiking boots thy fit nice and tight .a lot better then slopy fitting boots 3 mill waders will work well in most cases i have both and wear the 5 mill in fabuary for trout fishing .get the best ones you can aford and camo is not a big deal as most will be under water DUTCH
 
I have a pair of the DU Mad Dog 5 mm neoprenes that I got from Cabelas. They fell out of the back of the truck last week and spent 3 hours being run over in the dark on highway 27. Every buckle was shattered but they were still water proof and wearable with a wading belt. When the ice is on the water, they make the difference.
 
I have 4 pairs of waders. If you want to duck hunt, get the 5mm duck hunting waders. Don't matter the color. The only time the 3mm comes out the play is for early goose / steelheading.
 
For October to March waterfowling, yes the thicker Neoprenes. The breathables I find comfortable up until until about freeze-up.

I still like the boot foot, despite a less than perfect fit. Roomy for a felt insole & second
pair of heavy socks. No frozen laces to contend with !
 
Ive got a pair of Lacrosse brush tuff in 1200gramm thinsulate and they are great. A little warm for early season ducks but lots warm later in the year. I just wear less under them early season (just undies). then long undies later in year. Dont recall how thick the neo is.
 
get the cabelas 1600 supermag you wont be disapointed i have been using cheap waders for years and freezing my ass of, not this year though and they arnt as bad as i thought they would be in the warm weather either also another thing to think about is stocking foot waders in mud do you really want to dig around to find a shoe in the mud if it ever comes off? i used my dads stocking foot waders once and didnot like them one bit the boot was full of mud and my feet were reraly cold
 
goose23 said:
get the cabelas 1600 supermag you wont be disapointed i have been using cheap waders for years and freezing my ass of, not this year though and they arnt as bad as i thought they would be in the warm weather either also another thing to think about is stocking foot waders in mud do you really want to dig around to find a shoe in the mud if it ever comes off? i used my dads stocking foot waders once and didnot like them one bit the boot was full of mud and my feet were reraly cold
Click to expand...


I have these as well and they are great waders but be warned they are really really warm and on a warm day 10 degrees or higher your going to boil in these suckers, but if it's a brisk day and your sitting in loon crap up to your waist you'll be good to go!

As was mentioned previously buy them a little bigger to allow for a layer of clothing...as much as I like mine I'm considering a lighter weight pair of non-neoprene waders for early season.
 
If your moving around in swamps ect, wear a pair of cheap rain pants over to protect from sticks and what not. I was making a beaver set and tore the s**t out of 2day old waders a few years ago:mad:
 
I have both breathable waders (Cabelas Dry-Plus) and neoprene waders (Cabelas SuperMag). I love my breathables, I wear them from Sept to Nov and only use the neoprenes in the late season when standing for hours in sub freezing water.
 
While sitting at work last night thinking about hunting, I remembered I have a neoprene Arctic survival suit in the basement, worn once for training, that I bought off a dude for $25.

Maybe I should just paint that camo. It'd be pretty warm for sea duck hunting in February.
 
i have a brand new set ill sell you that i bought from bass pro last fall that i wore once for about 45 minutes to retrieve geese out of a pond. im 6'1 so the standard waders with their low crotch just dont cut it. need to get some "tall" waders.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom