Waders

[Nomad]

Noob brain-fry on waders... Thinking about getting some chest waders for fly fishing. Don't want to spend a fortune, but don't want rubbish either. I'm not planning on fishing in the depths of winter (I have a nice, warm workshop for that time of year). I have no idea what kind of bottoms/beds I might enounter.

My thoughts and questions at present...

• I read that the sizing can vary between makers and that trying them on is essential. True?
• They seem to come in a light tan or olive green - why the difference, and what's the better choice?
• What's the belt for if they have shoulder straps?
• Neoprene would seem to offer the best fit, but is it too warm? If so, would some sort of nylon/polyester/whatever fabric outer with a robust waterproof coating inside be a good choice? Are the types with a PVC outer okay, or are they more prone to damage (thorns, vegetation, etc)? I'm thinking of a fabric outer type, with thermals underneath if needed.
• Breathability. I'm assuming that this will be too expensive, or not perform well enough in the cheaper types to be worth bothering with. Also, I wonder about how important it is in something that's mostly submerged and has a big hole at the top. Not worth bothering with?
• Sole types - felt, felt with studs, cleated rubber? Is felt a maintenance hassle?
• Get a shoe size that's a half to one size bigger than normal? Do the stocking foot ones have more leeway in size (ie, stretchy)?
• The bootfoot types are noticably cheaper than stockingfoot and wading boots, but how are they for fit, support and comfort? Are they just wellies at the foot end? If bootfoot means only one type of sole, is that likely to be a problem? If stockingfoot, make sure they have something to prevent disturbed gravel/grit getting into the tops of the boots?
• Boots - go for fully synthetic, or are the ones with leather okay? (I like maintenance free.)

Is a 50-quid fabric outer bootfoot fine enough to get started, or should I realistically budget double/triple for stockingfoot and wading boots? Bootfoot looks cheap on the face of it, but I wonder about comfort and support, and stockingfoot means you have a choice of sole types on wading boots even if you only start with one type.

Anything else I should consider?

 

[Nomad]

Any reason to not go el-cheapo and start with these at 20 quid?

http://www.thesportshq.com/ultra-fishing-chest-waders.aspx
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Michigan-Ol...ie=UTF8&qid=1402937840&sr=1-2&keywords=waders

The Amazon one looks like the same product, and the reviews are generally positive (and some point out that the boot size is US rather than UK, so a 10 for my 8 - 8.5 feet).

 

[Bowlander]

I've no idea about sizing but cheap waders should be fine, I just went one size bigger and put Bama sockettes on. Cleated soles with studs have worked well for me fishing on upland rivers and foreshore wildfowling.


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[Nomad]

Cheers Bowlander. Do you wear the Bama sockettes on their own, or with normal socks? (I was thinking of thick wool socks on their own, or maybe with a thinner liner sock.) Been reading some more, and it seems that felt soles aren't always viewed favourably due to the possibility of transfer of invasive species, so I'll focus on cleated types. Can they all take studs, or only some?

 

[Bowlander]

I just wear normal HJ Countrymans with them.

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[abominable_scouse_monster]

Sorry but cheep waders are a no, no and made from patterns used to make trousers, the seams are glued not "Welded" and they burst at any opportunity. If you want a really good pair that will last you without breaking the bank I would take a look at bass boot's.