Impressions of Cloudveil Waders
I used my new Cloudveil 8x waders for the first time this week.
It was a 3 day trip into the Colorado backcountry.
We backpacked in, and then fished rivers. Terrain varied from easy flat wading to quite strenuous wading up steep, fast, heavy water with lots of boulders and pot-holes.
Here are my initial impressions:
Fit is excellent. The articulated knees and gusseted crotch and overall fit were great. The pants fit me well, without a bunch of extra fabric to balloon out. In spite of the trim fit, mobility was terrific, and high steps and stemming were not a problem. I have a big butt and thick legs, and I got the regular size instead of the "king size" (which had uppers that were too big) so I was a bit unsure how the pants would fit, but it turned out that they fit very well.
The booties were comfortable. I hiked and waded in them, with no issues. They were a bit large for my feet, but the excess neoprene didn't bunch up.
I like the pockets. There are two pockets on the chest. One fly box pocket and a large kangaroo pocket. Both close with water resistant zippers. The kangaroo pocket was perfect for storing a water bottle, and the other pocket held my snacks. The water resistant zippers were good at keeping out the occasional splash or tumble in the river, but if you wade up past the zipper level for extended periods, they will not keep the water out forever. The pockets have enough storage that you could easily go without a vest for short trips.
The waders have one hand elasticized drawstring closures on the top. This draws them close to your body and lessens water entry if you get in over your wader tops. I (accidentally) tested this feature three times taking tumbles into the river. Very little water came in. I was able to continue on fishing each time without having to stop and dump water out of my waders. For wading difficult water where you might fall in over your waders, I think this is a good feature.
The waders are comfortable and not overly hot. Breathability was good, and I was able to hike several miles to our fishing spot without overheating. The only time I got hot in the waders was on the hike out, when I was carrying my backpack.
Durability seems to be very good. I have no idea what long-term durability will be like, but they still look almost new, after several days of hard use, scraping over boulders, bushwhacking through dense brush, and treating them hard.
The built in gravel guards performed well, keeping sand and gravel out and keeping my laces tied. The guards stayed put all day long. My only complaint is that the gravel guards are made of a stretch fabric with a soft fuzzy face that attracts burrs when hiking, and loves to snag hooks when fishing.
The bottom line is that I am very pleased with these waders. They were expensive, but the fit and performance were terrific, so I don't really regret paying the extra $$.
