If your waders fill up will you sink like a rock ? I kinda remember on TV an ad with a guy jummping off a dock with waders on and swimming around!
Was it just a hopefull dream? Or if you fall out of a boat with waders on you will sink to the bottom? Myth or ??
Vb

myth.

Myth. It doesn't make you sink, and it won't make you "turn turtle" and float feet up.

What ever you do, DON'T FOT in them!!!! It'll flip you upside down and you'll float away!!!!!

If its a myth then why is everyone paranoid about wearing a wading belt?

The belt does help to keep cold water from getting down in your junk. Plus, they look cool. :laugha: Yeah, right.

duh... they dont want wets nuts DF :poke:

I did a little bit of internet research and found the reason for the wading belt.

You won't sink like a stone if you don't wear one. The reason it is important is when you are trying to get out of a situation. Without the belt your waders fill up fast with a lot of water so if your trying to pull yourself up a bank or back onto a jetty your going to have to deal w/ a couple of hundred extra pounds of water as well as your weight. Middle of the night, on slippery rocks that could be a potentially life ending situation.

Well that and... you dont want wet nuts do ya?

its a myth. and as far as being paroinoid wearing wading belts, never happen. thats 1 thing i always wear with or without waders. has my pliers on it , my hook cutters and KNIFE most important, in case of situations that you point out. wading belts is a safety issue for me and never leave home to go fishin w/out it. and not have wet nuts.

Well that and... you dont want wet nuts do ya?


It Depends.....on HOW they got that way. :hihi:

You won't sink but if your waders are full of water and you try and kick, you're going to have to move the water in your waders as well as your legs. You'll get tired very quickly....

Also, baggy waders aren't exactly hydronamic. Even if you don't get much water in your waders when you go in, waders aren't exactly a bathing suit. There's a lot of drag due to all those folds.

A few years ago the rescue guys did a test with a fellow jumping out of a boat in waders (in full surf gear actually) (in deep water) and swimming to the shore. (Rescue divers were alongside the guy just in case). He did it with Neo's, Rubber, and breathable waders. Once they fill up you don't bob around the surface like a cork, they are dead weight. You don't sink like a stone but as Pete said, you basically get tired so quickly that you can't stay afloat for very long once they fill. They basically measured how far you can swim before you pooped out. He never made it to shore in any of the cases; Neos and rubber were the worst and breathables were somewhat better but even in the best case 50-60' is about all you could make it from what they tell me. I think in the Neos the guy got somthing like 20' or so before he was exhausted. IMO it would be hard to get out of them even with a knife. I have trouble in the parking lot with my feet on land.

If you fish places like that where you could get washed into the sea....wear an inflatable pfd.

Water weighs the same as water whether its inside or outside your waders... ive gone in before and the wading belt helps a ton. It keeps your waders from filling up and youre more mobile.

Indeed water weights the same however the overall mass (weight) of the "enclosed object" being the waders w/ belt, water in the waders and weight of the person is increased by that water weight.

Look at this way, lets say you have two identical plugs, one is loaded with water and the other is not loaded. The loaded plug will sink.

Speaking from experience, waders full of water is NOT fun.

I ride 20+ miles on my bike regularly but I was very concerned REAL quick the few times I've actually swam around with some water in my waders. I got tired rapidly. Staying calm might be the best thing you can do; if you panic you're likely to kick harder and tire even faster. Even without water in your waders, actually swimming is tough.

Splashtops (Aquaskinz or otherwise) slowly burp out the air trapped around your shoulders. True drytops (latex gaskets) keep air in longer, but the seal around your waist will slowly let water up and into your waders. I've intentionally experimented with various splashtops and drytops. Depending on your fit, it could happen quickly or you might have several minutes. Either way, once that air is gone, things are going to get exciting if you're still a ways away from getting back on land.

A lot of people view fishing in a wetsuit as "extreme" but really it should be viewed as a "safer" way to fish. You're going to float a bit AND you've got time in cold water if you do get sucked out. You also never have to worry about leaks in your waders. :hihi:

If you fish places like that where you could get washed into the sea....wear an inflatable pfd.


There are places in Gansett known to take at least one person every season and to tell you the truth it is a scary thought just thinking about it. I'll wear my PFD next time there primarily to safe my life and secondly I don't want to loose my gear if I don't have too.