nothin like a good waders thread to get my loins-a- rumblin

Silver Labels
 

Lets just imagine for a minute that all the wader brands had the same return policy, which is the same as Orvis' current one. Would people still buy the Orvis' Silver Labels?
What I mean is, are the silver Label waders good quality regardless of the warranty? Thanks!

I had the same hodgeman's that finally died.. About 4 seasons give or take, my memory aint too good...
In the market, but will probably go cheap again..
and Aquaseal rocks....

Stocking feets for me.

Why?

+ Stocking feet waders dry much faster than boot foots.

Why not?

- Sand gets into the boots, you have to empty it from time to time.

-WW

I have been reading everyone's input and waiting to personally respond. I fish what I feel is pretty hard (just about every night) and put a lot of miles on waders walking the beaches of the cape and later in the season, Rhode Island. I can see how people's opinions of what works for them really depends on the the type of environment they will mostly be in, i.e rocks or sand.
Last year alone, I went through 8 pairs of Orvis waders, with another pair waiting to go back. I think I am the main reason they changed their policy,(sorry).
I used to fish with Cabella's neoprene waders, but after too many close calls with heat exhaustion draggin fish, I tried a pair of the Proline breathables figuring they were a good value, a brethable wader for under hundred beans. Well, they didn't last a full season. They started to leak in the knees from kneeling with a lack of double knees, and they gave me that dreaded leg rubbing that would rub my legs raw where the boot met the wader material.
I figured I would go with the Orvis due to the great warranty that justified the 200+ dollar investment. I usually got about 3 weeks out of each pair before they started to leak in that neoprene strip between the boot and the wader.
I will say that they never rubbed me raw though.
After my 6th pair, they upgraded me from the regular Silver Labels to the hking boot model, and I'll tell ya, it was like going from 2 wheel drive to four wheel drive walking. Made a huge difference.
It seems Slingah has found what I warned him about based upon others opinions regarding stocking foot waders and sand. You just can't keep the sand out of the boot.
Gonna have to look into some of the other wader options suggested by many since Orvis no longer seems like a justifiable route.
But then again the nights I see guys out on the beach fishing in shorts and barefoot makes me wonder why I even need waders.

Just a thought but has anybody ever taken an old pair of neoprene waders that were heading for the trash, Cut out some strips that could be used as a make shift knee pad and put them on over the waders just to protect the knees from getting decked. or maybe even wrapping an Ace bandage around the knees for protection.

Just a thought...if its a bad one let me know...but please be gentle

Adding neoprene to the knees is a good idea, I need to remember that one :think:

Only had the Orvis Silverline bootfoot waders. Been treated well by them so far. Never had stocking models on before. Boot foot limits hiking ability, no question, but I wear two pair of socks to take up the extra room. I think they run large in the shoe size. Extra socks help with ankle chafe, which I have found to be very minimal. Have to give Orvis the thumbs up.

That said, they'll probably leak half of Mass Bay first time out this year:smash:

in my opinion, if not for the warrantee that orvis used to offer, their waders are not worth the cost. i paid for the warantee. i fish rocky, barnacle encrusted areas. no waders last me more then a few weeks at most.

I put an extra pair of insoles in my waders to fill up some of the space and it gives me decent cushioning as well.

By the way, I must fish like a real puss because I have a pair of $79 Cabelas waders and Ive been using them a couple of years now. :D

FWW gave me a pair of old Redball canvas and rubber waders. If I could find another pair of those Id be real happy. They were easier than neo and super tuff
Other than that I wouldnt spend over $100 for any wader, since they are gonna get trashed in a matter of weeks. Breathables leak within a month even after all the patching

Dr. Scholls makes an insole for people that are on there feet a lot. they are green felt tops with black and red foam cushion under. they make standing on your feet all night much more pleasant on your back.