CADDISMen's Affordable Breathable Stocking Foot Wader

Easy to walk riverbanks, very breathable.

While I normally enjoy and am happy to pay for high priced top of the line gear this is my second season fly fishing and a pair of Simms waders was just not in the budget for a relatively new pass time. I generally fish only for an hour or two before or after work so I am not on the river all day but I have been going reliably a couple times a week. These are replacing a pair of PVC hip waders handed down to me from my great grandfater which finally dry rotted through last season. For the price point of these waders I will be happy if they last a season. If they continue to serve me well I will likely buy a second pair as a backup even if these still work.I am 5'11" 230 and ordered the large. Overall the fit is great. There is plenty of room for me to move around and there isn't allot of excess material everywhere. As others have stated the calf area is a little snug but i generally fish in a pair of jeans and there is plenty of room for that. There would not however be room for a pair of fleece or wool pants. Also as others have stated the feet are quite large. I am fairly used to that being the case as i have fairly small feet for my size. I push my foot to the tip of the sock and let what would be the heel sit behind my foot in the boot and it is comfortable for me. I paired these with a set of Korkers Greenbacks in size 12US. my boots are generally a size 9.5 US and that leaves room for a pair of socks. Korkers recommends a size up for their boots so I went one further to make room for the overly large sock on the wader and I'm glad I did.The included wading belt leaves a bit to be desired. It is a simple nylon strap with a buckle that will not lock down. The tab of the buckle sticks out because the webbing of the belt is too thick for its design. It stays closed for me most of the time but it has occasionally released which bothers me when it comes to a piece of safety equipment. I will likely look to replace the belt shortly.So far I have been out with these three times and have always emerged dry. The first time was EARLY in the season when snow melt runoff was high and cold. I comfortably fished for about two hours and my feet were cold but not uncomfortable wearing only cotton socks and jeans. The subsequent two outings the water was still cold and high but the air was approaching 80 degrees F. As soon as I cam out of the water the waders became comfortable to walk in. Nothing at all like the sticky swampy feeling of the old PVC waders.

Over my 40 yrs of flyfishing, I've bought about a dozen pair of chest waders from big name brands to big box store brands at all price points. The one thing they all had in common was that they developed slow leaks, usually at seams within 2-3 years. So, I bought a pair of these for $75, figuring I could replace them annually and still save $$ v buying the ones made by that evil Private Equity owned conglomerate in MontanaTo my surprise, they are also great waders in their own right. Very light weight and breathable. The stocking foot is made of thin, flexible neoprene and is bigger than most without bunching up inside wading boots. Makes them really easy to put on and take off and very comfortable to wear all day long. They have gotten me nearly all the way through the '22 season without a leak, so it appears I'll be wearing them to start next season, too. For reference, I fish about 12 days/month from mid-May through Sept.

These arrived just in time for the 2016 trout fishing season in Missouri. I used them 4 consecutive days during the opening week (fished anywhere from 2-8 hours during those days) and had no problems with moisture accumulating at all. I found them to be extremely comfortable and versatile when moving about the stream (I usually do a lot of walking). They fit great; I ordered them in Large (I'm 6' and 190 lbs.). The water early in the year is fairly cold and the weather ranged from 40-60 degrees; I stayed comfortable wearing a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie. I would recommend wool socks on colder days. I ordered the Frog Togg Rana Rubber wading boots along with these waders, and they work great together.The only issue, and I would barely even call it an issue, is that the safety belt isn't in any type of loop; it just freely wraps around you. I imagine I'll probably misplace it sometime in the near future.These are a great pair of waders, and I would highly recommend them. Great price as well!***UPDATE*** I spent 8 weeks in Colorado over summer fishing in various streams and the well-known Fryingpan and Taylor rivers, and I'm still having no issues with leaks or dampening. However, in mountain runoff, my feet froze! And rightfully so; I kept forgetting to wear wool socks. If you're fishing frigid waters with these waders, you definitely need to be wearing at least one pair of heavy socks and warm pants (I usually just wore sweatpants.) I'm still extremely happy with the waders. I'll be interested to see if they hold up over the off-season. Until then, I'll be sporting them in Missouri streams!***6-26-18*** UPDATEStill using the same pair of waders. I’ve had to patch a couple spots on the heel with shoe goo but they’re still holding up! They’ve easily been used well over 100 times. Over the last 2-3 years.

Not too shabby for the price. Going on 3 seasons of beating the heck outta these, bushwacking etc…. Haven’t had to repair a hole yet!

Very well made. I got the large regular and I'm 5' 10'' 170lbs slim but not skinny build. 32'' inseam. They fit perfectly and without a jacket I have to take up all the slack in the shoulder straps to get the waders to snug up to my arm pits, so lots of extra strap for bigger people. Boots are a little big but well made. No problem sitting down, enough room at knees. Good quality material, good seems.

Solid product at a good price. Delivery time was excellent.

The in seam measurement was to short so a little tight where it counts , but over all seems like a they'll work

Update: 6 months later and about 10 uses in, they have officially leaked, and not subtley. At the end of a 3 hour fishing trip with minimal trekking through water, the booty will be filled with water and my sock soaked. The frustrating part, I can't find the leak!! I bought another pair for my brother around the same time and BOTH of ours leaked from the same foot on the same day. Terrible timing as fall salmon season has only just started to kick off.I will be reaching out to the seller.---So far so good with these waders. I was a bit skeptical as they are budget friendly.They are much thinner than your typical Simms waders, material definitely feels cheaper but well sealed. Not very well insulated so be sure to layer up.One thing that was a bit annoying, one bootie was shaped slightly different than the other which made it a bit awkward to slide them into boots. Once they got wet they took shape, so not a major issue. I probably got unlucky with this pair.Only worn them twice so far with a fair amount of walking and crouching and they've held up. I will update this review after the fall salmon season.