Quote Originally Posted by DG View Post
My waders almost always fail due to compression leaks in the neoprene feet, which would happen with any wader brand. If I really thought a $400 pair of Simms would last me long enough to be cost-effective, I would get someone to buy me a pair to try. So far Simms hasn't sen fit to send me a pair to use to convince me to give them that kind of money down the road.
Dennis -

My first pair of Simms, their Lightweight that cost a couple hundred bucks, went over three hundred days with probably 4-5 hours walking / wading per day before I replaced them. I had to do some minor leak repair along the way ( mostly brush, trees, and an occasional fence crossing ) and they are still quite serviceable for warmer weather, to stay mostly dry with just a bit of "cooling." Simms discontinued my size in the Lightweight so I upgraded when I bought new, but got a good deal on a closeout of that model. After over a hundred days of the same kind of fishing, they are a bit dirty, but no leaks or obvious wear.

Don't mean to contribute to hijacking the thread, but ....

For what it is worth - Dennis makes an excellent point. Its not how long you own stuff, its how you use it. Using equipment frequently in tough conditions is a real test of the product. Having something for eight years and using it lightly may not say much at all about how well the product is made.

Getting back to Fly Tyer's original question. If you are only going to use them 5 times a year, I would recommend getting the most comfortable least expensive pair of waders you can find. To make the point, those Simms Lightweights I referred to above would last you about SIXTY YEARS, if they didn't likely just rot away before then. ( Maybe you can skip the waders altogether and wet wade ?? )

John