The Wader Terrorist speaks...
Do not buy neoprene, first of all. Anyone who says the breathable waders are too cold in the winter has no idea how to properly layer. I wear a pair of Simms fleece-lined long underwear and over that I wear a pair of Simms fleece sweats. I never get cold...on those really cold days though, I have a pair of lined nylon lightweight pants that I wear. Never ever do I get cold.

I stay totally comfortable in the winter and never get too hot in the summer.

Now onto brands...if you want to spend the big bucks get a pair of Simms Guidemodels. They are $375 but very well worth it. I've got almost two years on mine and have had a couple minor intermittent leaks but nothing that has ever brought me to search them out and patch 'em.

If you want to spend less money, you can either go with the Simms Lightweights or the Bailey's Lightweights or Bailey XTH's. I have never seen pair of the Simms Lightsweights come back and they run $199. The Bailey's Lightweights run $199 as well..we've had 2 pairs come back but we've also sold atleast 100 pairs of these buggers. The Bailey's XTH's are a wonderful wader as they are a heavier ply then the Lightweights in the legs and like the Lightweights they have built in gravel guards and a built in wading belt. They run $295. Both Bailey's come complete with a limetime warranty which we will perform over the counter for you. The two pairs that we had come back, we gave brand new waders over the counter no questions asked. You can not beat that!!