Advice Request for Neoprene Chest Waders

[Bruce Litton]

I just want to take any info from you guys I might get. At first, I screwed in a ceiling hook and hung them in a closet. Yesterday. Then today I noticed the strap boot hangers kind of twisted the plastic of the boots, and I know that's not good. I tried to arrange them so the boots would hang without any sort of creasing, but it doesn't seem to work. Does anyone have better results from metal wader hangers? What I did: I just put the waders under a bed. Fully stretched out. (I figure the rubber boots will un-crease themselves.) I'm still nervous about the waders, because any way they're stored, there's going to be folds...which is why hanging them seems to make sense. If there's some way to keep the rubber boots from creasing and eventually cracking.....

[Mark B.]

Lose the boot foot waders.

I've found the best to be neoprene stocking foot chest waders (Frog Toggs) and wading boots (Simms). Basically, an underwater hiking outfit.

[thmyorke1]

I found the boots on bootfoot waders just dry/crack overtime. All waders won't last. All waders will leak.

I would go to the stocking foot style , get comfy wading boots (felt and or studs)

for protection wear contractor bags as leggings underneath the waders, over ur sweatpants. Works as a defense against pinhole leaks and bad seams when youre getting the most out of a pair before replacing them. Cause some seams are just impossible to patch it feels.

[Bruce Litton]

I've got Simms wading shoes and Simms breathable (stocking foot). I bought the extra bootfoot for really cold weather and water. Actually, I was moved to buy waders, because my Simms breathable are seven years old, and they began to leak this fall. A brother of mine and I had Pulaski in mind, which got put back to next fall (maybe), for steelhead in November. I decided to get bootfoot for that trip and also the river photography I do....like standing in the middle of the half-frozen South Branch with my $3500.00 camera on my tripod, crazy stuff like that. I tested these waders the other day, and I'm very pleased with how warm and comfortable they are. The boots are 600 gram thinsulate and felt toasty. My only complaint is minor but could possibly become major. The boots ain't made for walking. And they don't grip the river bottom nearly as well as my Simms wading boots do. I will have to put my Korkers cleats over them, and when my brother and I walk the Salmon River a mile or so.....you can see where that MIGHT go, but then again, by walking carefully, maybe they will hold up awhile. If anyone else does have better experience with metal boot hangers, or any other advice, please. And thanks for the input so far.

[Bruce Litton]

And if we head to Pulaski, yeah, I'm bringing my Simms, too. I've just got to apply, liberally, that stuff that hardens by sunlight. That might take care of the leak at the seam at my crotch. I do think my feet got cold in these stocking feet waders last time, but that could be a false memory. It's not like the Salmon River in November is the Salmon River in January. The neoprrene will definitely do well for my photography, though.

[thmyorke1]

Leak in a seam of the crotch is one of the hardest to fix/glue. Neoprene bootfoots are definitely great for warmth tho. Ive owned sone comfortable pairs too, they just gotta fit nicely.

I always lay my waders down with the booties hanging. Not sure if i should get a rack if it actually impacts the chances of leakage.

[Bruce Litton]

Originally Posted by thmyorke1

Leak in a seam of the crotch is one of the hardest to fix/glue. Neoprene bootfoots are definitely great for warmth tho. Ive owned sone comfortable pairs too, they just gotta fit nicely.

I always lay my waders down with the booties hanging. Not sure if i should get a rack if it actually impacts the chances of leakage.

Yeah, I think I'm going with keeping them laid out under the bed. I screwed up by hanging them only one night before I got ceiling hangers from Amazon the next day, hanging them low when I knew it wouldn't do crease damage to the neoprene that quickly, but I overlooked the hanging straps on the boots. I never adjusted the straps so the boots would fit close & snug. It scrunched one of the boots and two days later, it hasn't resumed normal shape. Don't think it's a real problem, because nowhere on the boot's surface is it really creased, just misshapen. But I don't plan on hanging them, because now, no matter how close & snug I get the strap, that boot gets bent a little worse out of shape.

[FASTEDDIE29]

I hang my waders off a rod in my basement. The rod is placed at 6 feet tall. I loosen the shoulder straps so that the feet of my waders are sitting gently on the ground. My wife hates it because there in the laundry room and every tine she turns the light on she thinks it’s a person. Lol!!!

The waders are hanging naturally with no tension on them other than the little bit that’s on the shoulder straps connected to the rod!

[Godrew1972]

I have a pair of hodgman neoprene chest waders with the boot, I hang them the same as fasteddie29. They are 25 years old. No leaks. They are pretty heavy, I prefer the breathable stocking foot waders with long undies even in winter though.

[Bruce Litton]

Eddie, that's funny as hell, pictured your wife seeing them, perfectly. My wife would be the same, and I have no basement & very limited space otherwise. I think you and Godrew are doing just the right thing. I can tell you're like me: Once you buy something you want it to last well & as long as possible. I know I'm making a compromise on my waders because the set up I have isn't perfect. I'm going to pay attention to that warp in the boot I mentioned, and if it gets its original shape back, try hanging the waders by the boots.