Waist high waders

[stan overstreet]

Hey guys and gals,

I’ve been thinking of getting a pair of waist highs for a change and was wondering it anyone has any experience or input on what they are using.

[shane cavitt]

I am in the same situation myself and am interested in hearing others thoughts on this. I am torn between something like the Simms G3 convertibles or the true waist highs. I do like the looks of the new Cloudveils. They are now priced in the right range. The main thing I like about the new Cloudveils and the G3 convertibles are the suspenders. Seems like it would be more comfortble and allow you to wear the belt a little looser. Has anyone ever modified your waist highs to add suspenders? Very seldom will I ever wade into water above my waist just because I am not comfortable doing so. So going with waist highs makes sense to me. However, I am concerned that as soon as I go with waist highs only then I will find myself wanting to wade in deeper water.

[Allan Dozier]

I recently bought some Cloudveil Crystal Creek pants, I wanted something lightweight, cool for walking and to use getting in and out of a driftboat.

I plan on living forever, so far so good.

[stan overstreet]

Hey allan, did you get the crystal creek due to being made of gortex over the cloudveils?

[Rolf Jacobsen]

I‘m going on my second year with the G3 Convertibles. This year I was disappointed to see the true waist high version come out. A friend who I fish with picked them up and while very nice, I’m now glad I went with the convertibles.

[Allan Dozier]

The Crystal Creek and Hellroaring pants are both Cloudveil but it was a little confusing about their differences.

I plan on living forever, so far so good.

[Zach Matthews]

The Crystal Creeks are the more expensive at $365, and they are made of Gore Tex.  The Hellroarings are about $260 now, I think.  They are made of 5-layer in a “proprietary” fabric.  (Whenever you see the term “proprietary fabric” anywhere in fly fishing, it typically means the fabric is made by a large Japanese company called Toray, which has a competing microporous membrane to Gore-Tex.  The only other breathable membrane available on the market is a DuPont product and only William Joseph uses it currently).

The Toray fabrics are not as breathable as Gore Tex.  However, durability is not related to the breathing rate of the microporous membrane inside the fabric “sandwich.”  Rather, the exterior face fabric typically defines how strong a pair of waders will be.  I don’t know why Cloudveil went with 5 layer on the Hellroaring, but I like it.  What you can take away from this is that the Hellroarings will be more durable but less breathable than the Crystal Creeks.  It’s all about what you need.  3-layer Gore-Tex is typically plenty for almost any application; I have 3-layer Gore-Tex in the seat and bib of my first pair of Simms Guides, which are now 7 years old, and they’re still fine.

I personally like the cosmetic look of the Cloudveils *way* more than the Simms.  My main objection to the Simms’ waisthighs is the double-buckle belt, which to me looks awkward.  However, Simms traditionally has far better sizing than anyone else in the industry.  I wear a medium in just about everyone’s waders and I can’t use Medium Hellroarings: the legs are too short and I get a lot of tension in the crotch when I raise my knee above halfway.  I haven’t tried on a pair of Medium Longs; that might fix my problem.  I haven’t heard any sizing complaints about the Simms waisthighs.

Now, conversely, Lauren wears the Hellroarings because they fit her perfectly, and she really, really loves them.  I think ladies are especially suited for waist-high waders since you avoid a lot of the technical complications that just come with being a lady on the upper bib.  Lauren has waded deep in her Hellroarings and as I recall the zipper did percolate a bit, but not enough to worry about.  If you are regularly wading deeper than your crotch to fish, (a) stop, because you’re standing where you need to be fishing, and (b) you need to be using bib waders for safety reasons anyway.

Zach

[lauren]

Just to add to and clarify some of what Zach said, I didn’t have any trouble with the zipper in the fly leaking; I did notice some seepage in the zippers in the pockets.  

And I do love my Hellroaring waisthighs.  They fit me much better than any other wader I’ve worn (except perhaps the old school Simms waisthighs that they sadly no longer make).  And I love love love not having to fold down a pair of bib-style waders to get to waisthighs; not having all the extra fabric makes them much cooler and more comfortable for wading once you get to the river, but it also makes long hikes to the stream a lot more pleasant, too.

You can see some pics of my first outing in the Hellroarings here:

-Lauren

[stan overstreet]

Hey Lauren,

What was your experience as far as breathability is concerned since they are made from different materials than gortex.

[lauren]

Hey Stan-

In my experience with the Hellroarings, I saw no noticeable difference in breathability between them and my Simms chest high waders (which use Gore-Tex).  I’ve worn them in a number of weather conditions, too.  No leaks; no problems with getting clammy in the waders, either, regardless of layering.  I’m wearing them in Yellowstone in August, so I might have more to add to this then after I hit them with hot outside temps, strenuous hiking, and fewer layers.  If I were to guess now, based on my experience with these and the other waders I’ve worn in the past, I suspect the Hellroarings will fare just fine (which means I’ll probably get sweaty and clammy hiking in, just like I would’ve in any other pair of waders).   😉

Lauren

[David L. Darnell]

I have the new Simms true waist highs and are very satisfied.

[shane cavitt]

I have been looking at waist high options for awhile now and as I mentioned in a reply earlier in this thread I was interested in what others had to say about the options currently available. After much back and forth and much research here and on other sites, I decided to go with Orvis Tailwater XTs. There are a couple of reasons for my decision. Orvis currently has the Tailwater XTs on sale for a good discount and they are also including a free pair of their Ultralight felt sole wading boots with a purchase of the waders. With the sale on these waders I figured it was worth a trip to my local Orvis store (only 20 minutes from my house) to check out the waders. The waders are exactly what I was looking for. Even though the waders qualify as chest highs, they convert into excellent waist highs without the added bulk that results when you roll down most chest highs. Actually I think these waders are more like waist highs that happen to convert into chest highs. You just take off the detachable suspenders and the upper folds down neatly inside the waist of the waders. When I tried them on I didn’t even notice the upper was there. I paln on using them as waist highs the vast majority of the time, but wanted chest high capability in case I needed it. With these waders I feel like I got the best of both worlds in that respect. Also, I like the colors and looks of the waders better than the Simms waist highs. I had $50 in Orvis gift cards, so with the sale I was able to get out with only a little over $200 out-of-pocket for a new set of waders and a backup pair of wading boots. I am somewhat concerned that they are not Gore-Tex, but at the price I just couldn’t pass them up. I get to spend the month of July in Basalt, CO on the Frying Pan and Roaring Fork and it is the main reason I was in the market for a new pair of waders. That month should give me a good chance to really put them through their paces. I will report back on how they work out.

[john michael white]

Shane,

I feel the same way and I just replaced my old Orvis Silver Label II Chest highs with the new Silver Label III convertibles.

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