How many seasons do you get out of a pair of waders?

[Joe]

Depends a lot on where you fish. If you ride the beaches and fish sand and don't walk very far in them, you're going to have a different experience than if you fish Block and the RI Breachways like Tattoo Bob.
Waders are priced high because they factor in the replacement pairs. It probably only costs $30 to manufacture a pair of light breathable waders - but the bean counters factor in the replacements so you're really buying three pairs for the price of one.
Cabelas charges less, but they may have a undeclared policy of "we'll replace "X" amount of pairs, after that you get Aquaseal." That may be why they cost less - but I don't know.
Once you say "lifetime warranty" you now get people who poke holes in perfectly good waders at the end of each season in order to start each new season with a new pair. I've known several people to do this - this is probably why we see the companies offering declining warranties.
From a merchant's perspective, helping people out with wader replacement can kill the bottom line if the wader company balks on providing a replacement. The customer is happy, but now you need to sell four pairs without a return to get back to zero.

[Canalman]

You can get more than one season out of them?

I regularly go through 2 pairs a year...

[Joe]

Nope.
When I fished hard I would go through 2-3 on most years and it took so long to get the replacements I bought two pairs to start.

[ronfish]

I can generally get two seasons out mine fishing every weekend plus aded days here and there, but I switch from the neoprenes(Cabelas') to canvas(Lacrosse or Red Ball Masters) depending on the time of year. I have fished areas requiring alot of walking and the canvas waders are just fine for me, but the neoprenes are alittle heavy for extended hiking. To me the breathables are just a leak waiting to happen. If moisture can permeate out whats going to stop it from going the other way? It seems to me that many have problems with leaks occurring in the crotch. This says to me that the leg length is not long enough to allow fulll motion of walking/climbing especially on the jetties. I try and matvh the boot size with a leg length so there is alittle extra for when I have to stretch out my legs, of course this means that the top of the waders are up to my pits usually but a good belt takes care of that situation. I have never had a pair of waders fail inthe crotch generally at the boot top or knee area. Ron

[wheresmy50]

Originally Posted by ronfish

If moisture can permeate out whats going to stop it from going the other way?

The moisture going out is vapor, the water trying to get in is liquid. Water vapor can fit through smaller holes than liquid water, which is the principle behind Goretex.

With that said, I don't think breathable waders still breathe when you're in the water. I don't think the vapor can escape when the surface is covered in water.

I just got about a season out of a pair of Hodgman's, but I didn't fish too much this year. Even if breathables don't last as long, I just can't go back. Even when I wear my hip boots and rain pants, I'm always wet from condensation.

[ThrowingTimber]

I do the swap between dif stuff as well.

breatheables, 2/3 wetsuit oneil, 7 henderson, 3.5 hodgeman neos Gonna pick up a pair of hippers for the coming season for open beaches and jiggin where a long cast is necessary but you dont really have to get wet.