Now I may not be the hardest core fisherman out there but I do put myelf and my gear through the ringer. Like most of us waders have always been a problem at one time or another. Yes, there's always that one, "I have had my $100 waders for 10 years", good for you. But for most of us, especially those fishing the salt and use bootfoot waders, something alway comes up, or undone. Of course there's the dreaded leaks, tears, and soles that come unglued. Then there's always that weight
gain thing, you know, where you wind up looking like you're sporting a sausage skin. Waders aren't supposed to be for life. And if you've read here I am not in support of these 100% LIFETIME guarantee for whatever reason. You're fat and you blow out the seams, that's on you. You rush through a briar patch to get fishing and they tear, that's on you. You've used them for 10 years and the fabric is just about worn away, that's on you, so but a new pair you cheap f%&k.
You know through thick and thin and politics and everything else political correctness and wokeness and whatever I'm an Orvis guy. Always will be. But after 10 + years of buying and returning the various bootfoot offerings I had to go and order the Simms G3's which I did last January. That was before Orvis came out with their Orvis PRO bootfoot wader, which retails for $898, which is some investment, and better not leak. I may take that plunge.
One of the things that sold me on Simms last year was their "custom made" waders just for me. Somehow I expected the guy above to come out and take my measurements and make my waders "custom". But basically what I did was order the same size L11's like I had with my previous set of
Simms waders. Since these were "custom" the wait time was like 8 weeks, but in reality, a L11 is a stock wader based off the size chart they provide online when you order. Okay, the "custom" I guess is the waders are made when they are ordered. I "custom" order it and it's "custom" made. Because how would Simm's know I'm hung like a light switch, have no ass, and built like a horse?
Ivan Orsic photo
Now Simms. Started in 1980. First one's to come out with breathable waders in the 1990's. Some say the gold-standard in waders, although there's always those tree-hugger Patagonia faithful...lol. But the comptition is fierce, Orvis, Simms, Patagonia, Frogg Toggs, LL Bean, Cabelas's, and Redington, and I'm sure there's more. But Simms headquarters and factory is right here in the good old USA in Bozeman. American made by, I guess American's, so keeping money within our borders is good. The images below were taken by Trouts Fly Fishing (Ivan Orsic) during a factory tour,
So I placed my order in January 2022 and in mid-March I received them. Pretty cool, like I felt ( no pun intended) like I was custom-special, since my name "Mr. Colin Archer" was on the box. When
put them on for my first outing on March 18th they felt a little "non-custom". A tad tight in the chest and little long in the legs. What's annoying about the leg length is water tends to pocket just above the boot connection so you have to pull them up to drain the water. Otherwise they were good. Over
the last year they have been used, like really used. Fresh and salt. Sand and stones. And everything in between. The best part is no leaks! Maybe a sweaty in the balls but that's because I fish in the cold and don't wear all those fancy, and expensive breathable layered professional undergarments. Simms
has a fantastic warranty and repair policy, one I never used, but have heard about. Within the first year it's on them, then after they'll repair for a cost, which is fine by me. So yesterday I was out in the Delaware River testing some flies. When I was done I just happened to look down and something caught my eye. The soles, or toe guards, I guess that's what they are, that wrap up and around the toe section of the boots, were coming undone. A further check when I got home showed the space and a collection
of sand and small rocks that had accumulated inside. Not good and I'm not waiting for it to progress worse. So I reached out to Simms by filling out the warranty claim including photos and waited for a reply which I got an few hours later. They said after review they need to have the waders sent
back so I packaged them up and went to UPS. What happened to shipping? First my wader box isn't an approved box, so for their box and to package it is $29. Then ground shipping, $97, and if I want the insurance, another $16. So the total....$142. So I'll be waiting for next payday top get that out. I wish I kept the original outer shipping box. When they fionally get it I hope it won't be too long of a turn around as they are the only pair that I have left. These waders were $749 last year and like
everything else, like eggs, they have went up and now go for $899. So another pair won't be my back-up anytime soon. Interestingly, on the website, they now list waders as "made to order", dropping thge word "custom" as we know they are not. To note the felt bottoms have held up well but I might see if they could drop some new soles on them, ones I would have no problem paying for. Also, rergardless of what waders you use,
if you have studs screwed into them, just because you can hear metal against rock, doesn't mean there's anything there but smooth metal. I used the Simms Hardbite studs and will repalce them if they won't or can't replace the soles or order new ones if the do. Make sure when you order you get the ones for felt or Vibram, or non-felt. It makes a difference. Stay tuned.
And lastly, and a good thing about attending some of the fly fishing shows, is that some of the manufacturers will be there with things to touch and try on. You need to do that with waders. What I am not suggesting is going and bothering Andrew Moy from Tightlines and getting schooled on waders and trying them on and then going home and ordering them from a cheaper place, that's just douchy. But Simms will be at the show next week so if you're in the market it's a good time to find out what your "custom" size would be so you can get a pair "made to order".