Neroprene or breatheable

[geoff_fishie]

looking at buying some new waders as the ron thomsons are stuffed. so, neroprene or breatheable?

[wildwgtn]

Mate... Go old school... And neoprene all the way!

They are nice and warm on those cold mornings (especially when you’ve had them up close and personal to the oil heater the night before like breathable couldn’t handle) and resist blackberry and other sharp nasties when pushing through to those hard to reach spots..

And if anyone tells you they are hard to walk in.. Tell them they're SOFT!.. I regularly walk in my walrus waders from red hut down to town pools on the Tonga, all the way to the winter limit on the TT and likewise on the Waitahanui. Not to mention long days on rivers closer to home like the Hutt...

I had a pair custom made by Walrus NZ about 6 years ago (I don’t think they do them anymore) and they are great. Still going strong after one (free) repair.

[Freddo]

Hiya Wildwgtn,

From an oldish codger. If you're talking old school it would be rubber waders, as in the same stuff gumboots are made from, not neoprene, or even older school it was canvas ones, that my grandad used, pre WW2 I think.

Had an old pair of the black rubber ones hanging in the shed till not long ago.

Cheers,

[geoff_fishie]

yeh i was leaning towards neroprene just becuase i know how cold it can be in the rip at 6am on a winter day. i dont use waders for backcountry anyway except for in the mornings. still, any other opinions?

[catch N release]

hey Geoff,

It all depends on when you do the majority of your fishing mate. If it is in the Taupo Winter fishery then neoprenes are probably best for you. You don't have to get the 5mm either as some come in 3mm. This means you can still stay warm, (with an extra pair of thermals) for the rips, and they should enable you to walk considerable distances without over heating. Remember though they do get warm!! Down side as well is that the boots are plain rubber soled, good for limiting Didymo but SUCK on slippery rocks!

Breathables are excellent at keeping you cool in hot conditions, are FAR more pleasant to walk in, you can add the Aqua stealth boots to be safe in and they look better too. Down side is that they rip, tear and leak easily, even the $700 ones are not infallible to this problem and of course in winter when you are standing for long periods in cold water without moving they can be cold.

[Bigfish]

Geoff , I've had both and definetly prefer breathable ,  very very comfortable , particularly because of the boots...Rubber soled with tungsten studs  brilliant for muddy tracks and slippery rocks and of course   Didymo.
I'v'e never been cold in the winter.I wear a pair of sports skins and a pair of merino long johns under.Just buy them big enough to allow for the underwear.Mine are the Riverworks ones now in their 3rd season.They don't rip that easily in fact I think you'd have to crash right thru the middle of a blackberry bush to do any damage , and if you did you can easily fix them with aquaseal.
Good luck

[geoff_fishie]

majroity of my fishing is backcountry but i dont wear waders for that, just thermals and shoes. anyone know of a non felt soled wading boot that you can get for under $200? looking at scierra blackwater breatheables right now. will these be any good? only ever had neroprenes so dont know anything about breathables

[Trout Stalker]

hey GF long time no talk, i have the Scierra breathables! Bloody great into their 5th year now and still goin hard ! and i have been crwing in them etc etc reasonable price and stylish looks to

[wildwgtn]

True true Freddo! Im a tad young to remember canvas, but definitely my first outing in waders were an old pair of black rubber hip waders..

But to tell you the truth, when i was back in uni and went to the Waitahanui in winters, my mate and I just wore thermal long johns.. After about 5 mins you go numb and feel warm anyway!..

And a great incentive to suss out those pools that can be fished from the banks more easily!

Also, i though with a belt firmly attached, neoprenes offer the best floatation assistance of all wader options if you happen to ass over in the rip or river?

[geoff_fishie]

hey stalker, havent heard from you in ages. tried to txt you the other day for a fish, but im guessing the number ive gots been well outdated. you should come up for a fish 16th to 18th of july at the waitahanui, itll be a minter. keen for a fish soon man? what boots do you have with your breathables?

[Trout Stalker]

gidday GF yeah i could be keen for a bit of that, have a few things to sort up that way so may haven to turn it into a fishing trip also. see how we go..

But certainly if im up there around then we can go for a flick.. My boots are only felt bottoms and were about $99 and theyve lasted the 5years also.. But im thinking i had better changem as theyre looking old now..

[geoff_fishie]

yea man itd be cool to have a flick wif ya. yeah i was thinking of just felt bottoms and chucking them in the freezer lol

[Bigfish]

Geoff  I have the seirra dynatrack boots with the tungsten studs and they are awesome ,they grip on everything and are superb for long walks. What you could do to save yourself some money would be to buy some tramping boots on Trade me then buy a set of tungsten studs from a fishing store and screw them into the soles yourself.

[geoff_fishie]

oh yeah true good idea. would those acommodate the stocking foots too though? so that fresh did some good then catch?