My first foray into the world of breathable waders was with Hodgman's as well. I bought the Wadelite II's from GI Joe's. They held up pretty good for about a year, then started to leak. I tried to find the leaks by filling them up with water, but I couldn't find any pin holes, like with neoprene's. They held the water without leaking. The thing that I noticed was they seemed to leak more when they were streched snugly around my lower leg from wearing more layers underneath. When they werent snug against my leg, they didn't seem to leak. I think it's kind of like touching the inside of a tent when it's wet outside. The water seeps through the material, when the inner breathable layer is stretched. There is a product called Revivex? at least I think that's what it's called, that is supposed to work on Gore-tex type material to make it waterproof again. I have since bought the Simm's Guideweight waders, and couldn't be more satisfied. They have held up great so far. A little pricey, but I believe the quality/value ratio is right there.