zippered waders
- Thread starter okaloosa
- Start date
coug
Well-known member
I am in my second season with mine. Should have made the plunge long ago. Love them!
brownbass
Well-known member
I have several friends with Sage zippered waders and they love theirs.
Bill
Bill
dillon
Well-known member
I have Patagonia zippered waders and they are nice, but I'd go back to their non zippered ones if they were free...
ejsell
Well-known member
2nd season of my LLBean zippered. Love them, great for when you gotta go.
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tcorfey
Well-known member
I have the Orvis zip fronts for about 3-4 seasons now. No complaints.
mcnerney
Administrator
I'm on my second set of Orvis zip fronts, and love them. They are starting to develop a few small leaks so I bought a set of Simms G4 zip fronts on sale, but haven't used them yet.
I'd love to see a graph of anglers with zipper wader satisfaction vs prostate age. 
op2:
View attachment 19223
Sucks to get old.
op2:View attachment 19223
Sucks to get old.
photoguy
Well-known member
Count me in with the choir. IMO, once you go zippered...
Benefits for me:
-Bathroom breaks
-Getting 'em on
-Getting 'em off
-Cooling off by unzipping
I have an older pair of Orvis Silver Sonic Guides with the zippers that have started to age (and leak a bit) and a newer pair of LL Bean Kennebeck zippered.
Benefits for me:
-Bathroom breaks
-Getting 'em on
-Getting 'em off
-Cooling off by unzipping
I have an older pair of Orvis Silver Sonic Guides with the zippers that have started to age (and leak a bit) and a newer pair of LL Bean Kennebeck zippered.
sparsegraystubble
Well-known member
I haven’t done this yet, but probably will for my next pair. They are no longer listed at LL Bean or Cabela’s. Is that seasonal or were they more trouble than they were worth in terms of customer service?
I will check Orvis and some other suppliers. In the past I have always been happy with Cabela’s waders, but sort of expect that the zippered versions might warrant investing in more expensive waders.
Anytbody have good (or bad) experiences with the less expensive versions?
Thanks,
Don
photoguy
Well-known member
I had a conversation with Orvis recently asking when they might return with a zippered wader. I was told that the zipper added $100 to the cost of the waders and that they were really struggling to figure out if they should/shouldn't offer one again despite getting lots of good customer feedback.
When mine Orvis Guides wore out, I struggled with an alternative as I just didn't want to get into the $700 range of the Simms but was really committed to having a zipper. The Patagonias seemed like a good, slightly less costly alternative (but still expensive). I've heard good things about the Redington's though I don't know the price of those and I haven't looked into the current availability of the LL Beans, which so far I've been happy with. I wouldn't be surprised if like Orvis the cost of the zipper is a big deal in deciding whether or not to offer them for virtually all of the manufacturers.
strmanglr scott
Well-known member
You have to work beer drinkers into that graphing somehow.I'd love to see a graph of anglers with zipper wader satisfaction vs prostate age.
View attachment 19223
Sucks to get old.
I got a pair of Cabelas ones last year, they've been doing good.
I've been really intrigued by the zip front waders, but I was always hesitant, as I was afraid a zipper just provided another potential point of failure, but you all have alleviated my fears. I'll have to seriously consider some when my G3 Guides wear out.
ejsell
Well-known member
I think the booties will leak before the zipper ever does in my Bean waders. I don't generally stand that deep in water though for long periods of time.
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dillon
Well-known member
With Patagonia's warranty, I have no fear of a leak anywhere in my waders. BTW, the zipper worked great in an emergency this morning...
sparsegraystubble
Well-known member
Bought a pair of Cabela's zip front waders to see if I would like them. I love them, getting in and out of them is easy, I'm 70 and the flex in the body just ain't there anymore. Plus the fact when you gotta go is great. When they wear out, I'm getting a better make pair , but they will have a zipper.
biker1usa
Well-known member
I have Simm's Freestone Z waders in their second season and won't buy a zipperless pair of waders again. I have a friend that goes diving a lot and he gave me part of a silicone bar to rub on the zipper once in a while. He says it is good for the zipper on his wet suits and so far has been good on my waders. I don't know what it does but it seems to work so far.