I'm looking at getting a pair of breathable waders soon and was wondering what you all prefer. I can't afford Simms or Baileys and I am looking at Cabelas Premium Breathable wader or Hodgnab Wadelites. What's the consensus among you guys and gals. Thanks.

I bought a pair of the Hodgman wadelite guide pants last June. I took them back to GI Joes about a week ago they were leaking around the seams on the foot. I hope this pair lasts longer I really like the breathables.

What price range are you looking at??

If the $199 Simms and Bailey's are too expensive for you, take a serious look at the new Simms Freestones.

They are just being shipped to dealers are an excellent value at $149....they are coated breathable like the Bailey's (Simms' Lightweights and Guideweight (now Classic) are a Gore-tex product.

They come complete with the excellent quality and construction that is typical with Simms products and a good freind of mine has been fishing in them for the past couple weeks and breathe better and are much more comfortable then his pair of $330 Patagonias.

Ryan,
thanks for getting me to buy those Dan Baileys. I have no complaints. You know how much I fish and I dont baby my gear. I have worn those waders through hell and back and have had no leaks tears or anything. Only complaint I have is the velcro that sinches up the gravel guards it is always comming undone. It dosent take a rocket scientist to tell you that velcro dosent stick together under water very well.

I just bought a pair of breathables this summer.I did a search on this bourd and a couple others and found that fishermen preffer the Simms.Alll I read was how tough and comfortable they were.Also expensive.Second in the running were the Cabelas Dry pluss 2's.I bought a pair of dry pluss twos in the spring and have put a couple hundred miles on them in pure comfort and no leaks.I do not fish where other people fish or have fished very often so it is safe to say that I have put These breathables through the wringer.

Do not skimp on the boot either.I had to upgrade after my first choice.Get the best you can aford.

My son and I have had Hodgmon Wade Lites for 3 plus years without a problem or leak. However the new ones that came out in 2001 to today have had leak problems, so I would stay away from them until they fix the problem and who knows when that might be.

I have the Dan Baileys and love them. Although expensive they have a life time warranty.

I bought a pair of hodgemans and after a few months the seams not only leaked but the tape on the inside was pulling away from the inside of the waders.. Second pair same thing. I will never buy another hodgeman product ever. I bought a pair of simms and fished in them for 3 years. A bargain and 360 dollars as it would have takem me 6 pairs of hodgemans to fish thoes same 3 years. time for a new pair .. i'd only buy simms!
I would second the above comments buy the new inexpensive simms waders.. You get what you pay for and only very rarely do you ever get what you don't pay for.

I got a deal on the Orvis Silver Label's, I have fished them HARD for a year,I've had no leaks and they offer a sweet warranty. I love these waders, but am still saving up for the Simms. I gotta have the best

I'm pretty sure Bailey's makes a couple different sets of waders and the "Barebones" style are down around $120 or so. If the quality is anything like their high-end waders you can't go wrong. I got mine at Salmon Bay in Ballard.

Bruce

Still haven't figured out why folks here in WA want breathable waders?
I use a pair of Cabela's nylon waders ($60). I have fished hard in them year round, for 4 years. Lightweight, easy to move in. I layer with fleece pants/long johns in the winter. In the summer, I'll wear shorts underneath or if it's too hot for that, I'll drop the waders and just put on a pair of trunks and enjoy standing in the water.
Got every temperature possible covered and the extra loot saved on pricey waders can go to important stuff... like pricey rods.

Jersey

ever worn a pair of breathables?

Breathables are better in every circumstance than any other wader material.

4 years ago I thought i'd be fine up on the Hoh in March in my simms neoprenes problem was i went bushwhacking into this spot and worked up a good sweat doing it i froze the rest of the day inspite of all the warm clothes and the neoprene. In a northwest winter to stay warm you have to stay dry. nepprene does not do that if you sweat nor does nylon.
Then there is the summertime on the Deschutes hike 2 miles up the river before light fish till the 11 am the hike the 2 miles back out in the blazing sun. no matter what your wearing under your nylons you'll be sweating and roasting and again wet!

breathables keep you warm and dry in the winter and at least dry in the summer even if you sweat badly nothing will keep you cool when it's 95:)

if you are comfortable in your nylon waders by no means should you ever wear breathables. but once you spend an hour in then your nylon waders will be in the trash so fast you won't believe it..

I am very pleased with my Dan Bailey's. The Cabalas Dry Plus are also a good by for the money. I have a friend that uses the Dry Plus and is very satisfied with the quality of the wader and the warranty.

If you can scrap up the money I would go with the DB's. I also got my DB's from Salmon Bay Tackle here in Seattle. They have an excellent warranty and are very comfortable to wear. Good luck and tight lines.

I had a pair of cabelas dry plus gold metal waders that started leaking in 2 months. i sent em back and got my replacements yesterday hopefully these work out better than the first pair...

TTT

FYI. Gart Sports has a three day sale 40% off all waders starting today. I don't know if they carry anything but Hodgmans though.

It sucks being an ogre. The cheapest breathable waders I can get are $480.

ive had a pair of hodgeman wadelites for about 4 years...they are much cheaper than the big name brands and breathe just fine...ive never had them leak on me but if they do its only a couple of bucks for a patch kit.

do like Jersey Fresh says and save your money for more important things.

your waders are going to get wet, dirty, scratched up and faded over time and their only purpose is to keep you warm and dry, not to make a fashion statement...keep this in mind, when you are standing in the river with your vest on, no one will be able to see the brand name label that you paid the extra $$$ for

I bought a pair of Hodgman Wadelites about a year ago. Many trips, with much bushwacking and they are still fine. If I had $300 dollars to spend on waders I'd still get these and spend the rest on a new rod. I heard that a lot of the Hodgmans failed because they were not dried properly after use. I'll buy a pair of Simms, someday, after I have more rods than I can ever fish, more reels than I'll ever need and my trucks paid off. That's my .02

You would have heard me say the exact same thing couple years ago. Not any more. I sprung for a pair of Simms Guide weights two a year ago, and let me tell you, there IS no more important fishing gear than light, dry, confortable waders.

I'd never been able to fish an entire season without leaks. I beat the crap out of my Simms and they have yet to develop a leak or shown any signs of wear. I was a LITTLE more careful than usual after laying down $365, but not much.

You can amortize the cost to see if they're worth the money. 5mm neo's will set you back about 70 bucks. Mine never lasted a year without breaking out the goop and climbing in the tub to find the leaks. Screw that crap. If that 350+ bucks keeps me warm and dry for three or more years, then I'd say that was money well spent.

You can get cheaper than the Simms Guides, but I don't think you can get better.

Well, I've always been a fan of the Simms as many of you may know.

I'd heard lots of good things about the Cabela's Dry-Plus waders so when Fishgal asked about getting a pair of bootfoot breathables, I thought we'd give them a try.

I was impressed with the lace-up boot that I thought would be more comfy / stable for her and things were great ... until she got in the water

The first half-hour in the water and they were leaking a little.

Day two found the wader material delaminating and she was absolutely soaked ... they got put away and were sent back to Cabela's for a refund.

We'll be going back to the Simms