Ok, i bought a pair of Cabelas premium dry plus waders about a month ago and i’m really starting to get irrated. First i went exactly by their size chart and got a large(ordered them online). The large seemed like a whale could fit in it. I drove all the way back to the store(about a 2 hour drive one way) and ended up getting a small which fit perfectly. (can you belive a small!? I’m 6’2!)
So i wear the waders a couple times and love them. The third time out i noticed my left foot was damp. No big deal i thought, probably just sweat…
So i wear them for the 4th time today and its definetly not sweat. I could feel the water coming in through the little stocking foot booty. The leak has to be very small because i was IN the water for about 5 hours today(fishing was great!) and all i got was a wet foot. Its not even the whole foot, it just the front half…
I’m thinking it has to be a leak at one of the seems on the stocking foot booty. So anyways my dilemma is what to do.
A. Ship them back and go through all that hassle with returns and be without waders while i await a new pair
B. try and fix the leak my self since it doesn’t seem to be major.
If B, how do i find the leak?
I have to say i’m a little disapointed since cabelas talks about everything they have done with this line of waders to prevent this very probelm from happening.
[This message has been edited by Ripper (edited 11 April 2006).]
I had EXACTLY the same experience. I sent the first ones back, and they moved me to a smaller size that fit fine. Then that pair started leaking within a too short a period of time. I sent them back again. The third pair worked like a charm and I’ve worn them for 4 years.
That pair is starting to wear out. I researched the heck out of waders and discovered that Cabela’s has redesigned them to eliminate the wearing I am getting on inside seams. So, I’ve ordered another pair and will keep my old ones as back ups.
From everything I’ve read on a whole lot of threads, defective waders can be found in every brand. While I wasn’t happy with my experience, I was happy with Cabela’s handling of them. Absolutely no hassles and the replacements came fast.
Don’t try to fix them. Just keep sending them back until they get it right. They will, sooner or later.
[This message has been edited by oldfrat (edited 11 April 2006).]
I gave up on waders, either they start leaking, or I stumble and water comes over the top. I now use wet scuba covering for my lower body, along with wet scuba stockings. Little bracing, when first entering the water, but after that, stay nice and warm. Also use them for my tubing on stillwaters. ~Parnelli
I really wanted to buy Simms, cuz I really want to give my biz to my local shop and that is what they stock.
But they were going to cost me a whole lot more than $139. And the more I asked on the boards and researched, I just couldn’t get to the point where I could justify that.
I’m not saying this is the answer for everybody. It is just where I ended up after a lot of agonizing over the decision. Your mileage may vary greatly. There are few absolutes in this sport.
I’m always open to recommendations. I was looking for the best bang for the buck. I got my waist highs on sale for 99 bucks and had heard decent things on cabelas.
It should not be surprising to anyone that any brand of breathable waders can leak. I bought a pair of Simms Guide weight waders over six years ago, and after a few months, I had to send them back to Simms to be repaired. After that, I put over five years of hard use on them before they leaked. I returned them this winter to Simms to have some leaks repaired. I have no complaints with Simms or the waders.
I bought a second pair of waders this year to use as backups. My Simms guide weights are probably at the end of their useful life, and sooner or later they will just lose it. With backup waders (Simms lightweight), I’ll have something to wear when my Guide Weights give up the ghost. I’ll wear my backup waders a few times to make sure that they don’t leak out of the box and then save them for a rainy day.
If I bought a new pair of waders of any brand, it would not shock me if the Cabelas/Orvis/Patagonia/Simms waders that I buy leaked. If you read this or other fishing bulletin boards, you will hear good and bad stories about every brand of waders. Breathable waders are relatively fragile and will not last forever. Breathable waders are so much better than the alternatives that it is worth putting up the hassles of occasional leaking waders. If you spend the money for the higher end brands like Simms, you are more likely to have fewer problems with leaking waders.
One stop gap measure that I have used while on the river or using waders that I knew leaked (Cabela’s Dry Plus) was to stuff my feet into a tall white kitchen trash bag then into the waders. Leaky waders-dry feet. This in an Alaskan river. SO no wet feet meant no cold feet. I fished I caught I smiled. I bought Orvis Silver labels- no leaks in two AK trips and have glued the leaks on the Dry Plus and used them for backups on my AK trips or whereever the water is warmer. Works for me. The Dry plus are 5 years old now going on six the silver labels are going back to AK this fall.
My Simms G3’s recently started leaking. Every wader can and will leak at some point. My suggestion is to buy a good wader that has a fantastic warranty! Think Patagonia or Dan Bailey…
I have found at some point they all leak that is just the nature of the beast. If I leave my waders hanging as opposed to folded up in a wader bag they tend to leak less and I have even had leaks go away. Another suggestion I have recieved is to run them through the washer (no soap). For some odd reason that I can not explain that will also stop leaks.
waders leaking - get out of the water … (sorry - 1st thing that popped to mind)
Yeah - head back to the store. It’s a hassle, but better than a cold wet foot (then cough & cold … then no fishing) … How many hoops / returns to go through - I guess it’s based on price of the waders and how much effort one wants to put into it. But nearly right off the bat like that … I’d say it’s quite worthy of some effort.
I was in the same situation last spring, leaky Cabela’s waders and I needed to resolve the issue fast with a upcoming trip planned.
I was going to send them back and buy a new pair and take the credit once they got the old pair back but for some reason they couldn’t do this because they wanted to evaluate the waders before deciding whether to replace them, or issue a partial credit. I didn’t get what the problem was but I was too impatient to wait for this option anyway.
Instead I called the store to make sure they had what I wanted and I drove there and they swapped my TWO YEAR OLD, OUT OF WARRANTY pair for a brand new pair, no questions asked!
A two hour drive is a hassle but if you can’t wait, the problem will be resolved at the store in minutes.
[This message has been edited by Bamboozle (edited 12 April 2006).]
Are you sure that they are really leaking, or are you just pissing in your waders in an unconscious attempt to stay warm in the frigid april waters? Get new waders, if in fact, it is the wader that is leaking, not yourself. Dan Bailey waders are excellent.
I had those same ones. After 4 excursions they started leaking, except on mine, it was the inside seam. It wore away. I sent them back and got another pair. They did the exact same thing. I sent them back, got my money back and got a pair of Simm’s Guideweights. Much better.
My new Cabela’s Gold Medal '06 waist highs just arrived. They’ve been improved quite a bit from my last pair.
The old ones had a vertical seam running up both sides of the legs. The seams on the inside of my knees rubbed together as I walked and wore through the breathable fabric. The new ones are seamless where the legs rub together. The new ones also appear to have much sturdier taping on the booties.
My biggest worry was the bootie size. I have a size 13 foot, bordering on a 14, but knew if I followed their size chart for this, I’d end up with incredibly baggy waders. I ordered the large, with theoretically size 9-12 bootie, and they fit fine with heavy socks on.
I have purchased 2 pair of the Cabela waders for 2 of my sons. One of them fishes in them many times a year and has had no problems. The other son only uses his one or twice a year, no problems. However, I recommend you trade your Cabela waders in for a pair of Simms. It sounds like you use your waders regularly so you desire the best.