Wader Belts
Just curious because I've never used one, what purpose do they serve? I am showing my ignorance here, I know, but I've just recently aquired a pair of chest waders and was wondering if a wading belt was a useful/necessary additional purchase. Any help would be appreciated.
NEVER wade without on!!!!!!!!!!. Without one, if you fall you may never get up with waders full of water.
NCVirginian,
My opinion is that a wader belt is very much needed for the following:
Safety - A wading belt will keep water from entering your waders if/when you fall in
Health - A wading belt will provide some, maybe not much, back support
Handy - If it is hot and you decide to roll your chest wader top down to convert them to waist highs, you can use the wader belt to hold them up.
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Warren
Warren
Fly fishing and fly tying are two things that I do, and when I am doing them, they are the only 2 things I think about. They clear my mind.
Thanks a lot for the input. Any suggestions on a good one to buy? I've looked on Cabela's and Bass Pro. Is there any feature that I should look for?
NCVirginian/Vocelli
Surprised your waders didn't come with the strap, it's standard. No big deal, probably not purchased from a dealer or woulda been there. You smart enough to pick up on it and query and find out about it. Pretty important, so nice move.
Vocelli,
Thanks for the post and link. I have just a strap like a belt and it works fine. But I have back issues and sitting in/on a pontoon boat with a stadium seat or on a seat in a real boat all day gets to me. That Simms belt looks awfully good to me. Thanks for putting out the info.
Gem
I recommend the Hodgeman Wadelite support belt. I have had 2 Simms and the buckles fail after a while. One came off in the middle of the river never to be seen again. The hodgemen uses Velcro and I think it is much better, it also has little non-slip bumps on it that help keep it in place. I have a pair of the Simms gore-tex waders and they don't have any loops for the belt and I was always having to reposition the Simms belts. Why some waders don't have loops I'll never understand - but my next pair will!
Dan
My Simms is several years old and I've never had a problem with it.
Just fyi.... Several years ago, in a very controlled environment, just to prove a point, I got in a pool with an old pair of rubber, boot foot waders on. I let the waders fill up with water and guess what happened..... I floated!!!
I swam to the side of the pool with no problems.
Now, don't get me wrong, I would MUCH rather use a belt to keep the water out. I always wear my Simms.
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Ken
"The memory of a fisherman is more like fiction than journalism, that is, it doesn't ignore the facts, but it is not entirely bound by them, either."
John Gierach
ALWAYS Wear the belt.
Bend down to expel the air and tighten the belt.
Floating is not the big problem.
When submerged, if your waders fill with water they will be so heavy, you will not be able to climb out of the water.(Ever try to walk with a concrete block on each leg....forgetaboutit!)
Very important in winter with shelf ice.
Cheers
DuFf
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Some days it's just not worth chewing through the restraints....
[This message has been edited by Duffin Boy (edited 03 February 2006).]
When I first started fishing I fell into a stream less than 16" deep in oversized chest waders without a belt. The waders immeadiately filled with water and I was unable to hold my head out of the water, much less stand up. Filled with water the waders were over 300 lbs!
They will also act as a hydrolic \sail, ballooning out and catching the current, I was rolled over 100 yards downstream before I was able to get into a slow pool and save myself...
Make sure you wear the belt as tight as you can. If it's to loose it will effect it's ability to keep the water out.
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Some of the best questions are asked by the least educated!
[This message has been edited by StephenPrunier (edited 03 February 2006).]
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