Best quality waders?

[Todd B.]

Actually the Green Drake listened to their customers and now carries Reddington and Simms waders as well as some of the Simms boots.

[OBD]

Heading out to Greendrake this afternoon to take a look at their waders. Thanks guys!

[Raif]

i have a pair of simms lightweights breathables and they've been pretty good. i have 2 seasons on them (perhaps 30-40 days). no sign of breaking down. they were $250.

next time i buy waders, they'll be patagonia. they would also be about $250 but i like their environmental policies so i'll be giving them my money from now on.

i'd also re-iterate the suggestion on breathables over neoprenes. my breathables are ok in the winter (with long johns underneath) and i would wet-wade in the summer. you wouldn't be fly-fishing in the winter below say 0'ish anyways (or at least i wouldn't).

but if you electro-fish, you'll need the neoprenes.

my 2 cents.

Do you have a reference for Patagonia's environmental policy? I think most of the big gear manufacturers have policies of sorts or at least they make an effort to 'put something back.' It's always interesting to know what.

I know the subject is Neoprene but my penny's worth is to watch out for seems on the inside of legs on breathable waders - they go quite quickly if you do a lot of bush whacking - when they go they're difficult to patch.

[Salar]

Here's a link to Patagonia's environmental initiatives:

http://www.patagonia.com/web/us/patagon ... setid=2329

[Raif]

Thanks for the link to Patagonia's page, it's good to know who's doing what for the environment. Here's where I directed my efforts of late: http://www.wildlifefocus.org/ (Not directly fishing related but all part of the global environment)

[troutnmuskiehunter]

Here's a link to Patagonia's environmental initiatives:

http://www.patagonia.com/web/us/patagon ... setid=2329

Thanks for the link to Patagonia's page, it's good to know who's doing what for the environment. Here's where I directed my efforts of late: http://www.wildlifefocus.org/ (Not directly fishing related but all part of the global environment)

MODS.....these posts really should go to the non-fishing posts...

[Raif]

Forum faux pas... perhaps PMed would have been better...

[Fishboy]

Don't worry about it. The info is relevant to the products contained in the thread.

[redge]

Heading out to Greendrake this afternoon to take a look at their waders. Thanks guys!

Last week, I called them from New York and asked them about their position on pricing given the current value of the Canadian dollar. The upshot was that a couple of hours later I spent $2,000 at Urban Angler in Manhattan. It doesn't offer discounts on anything, but at least it doesn't impose what Green Drake told me is a 10 per cent surcharge, except on Orivs rods, on U.S. prices. I have since made an order with Urban Angler for stuff worth another $900.

It's too bad, because I'd like to do business locally. But it ain't gonna happen.

[Fishboy]

You don't seem too committed to buying from Canadian companies if a 10% surcharge to cover their costs chases you all the way to Manhattan.

[Todd B.]

A 10% surcharge, given what some companies are charging for customs/duty fees when ordering from the US isn't bad, especially considering the customer service you receive locally.

That being said, what is disgusting is the way some international companies gouge their customers. For example, there is a wading jacket that I was looking at made by *********** out of the US, that has received numerous good reviews.

The US retail cost fo the jacket was $325 (US). Now the store from which I was going to buy it has to order the jacket from ******* Canada, who in turn want their cut from the customer. The suggested canadian retail price (from ******** Canada) was $550. The manager at the store told me that the canadian whosale cost was $275 cdn.

It's fairly obvious that the actual cost of the jacket is probably closer to $200 US, given that the $275 Cdn figure is after ******** Canada takes it's profit cut from the reseller. The store manager simply recommended that I pick it up in the US. While the US cost is still overpriced, at least it's not as hard to swallow as the Canadian price.

[redge]

You don't seem too committed to buying from Canadian companies ...

You're right, if I'd known that the two Islander reels that I own were made on Vancouver Island, I wouldn't have bought them.

I have chosen to give $2900 worth of business, including waders and boots (the subject of this thread), to Urban Angler instead of Green Drake for what I consider good reasons, one of which I stated here. You have every right to disagree with my reason. If you are so inclined, I suppose that you also have a right to be sarcastic and condescending, but it does seem to me that if one is going to do that, it's a good idea to come up with something that is at least slightly clever.

By the way, Urban Angler sells Islander reels, and they have them in stock, so that one can actually buy one when one wants one. It is one of about five brands that they carry. A number of other fishing shops in the New York area also sell them.

So here's the message. If you want to buy products made on the backs of cheap Chinese or South Korean labour, buy in Ottawa. If you want to buy Canadian, and get it now (maybe because you want to see how this Canadian reel feels/balances with three or four rods that you are considering, all of which you can try out), go to Manhattan. Or Queens. Or 30 minutes away in Norwalk, Connecticut. Etc, etc.

In other words, Fishboy, if you want to pay a 10 per cent premium over US prices to buy Asian goods in Ottawa, only to be told that the retailer has to bring in what you want (which raises an interesting question about what the retailer is, beyond a broker) during a time when the Canadian dollar is at par or worth more than the US dollar, that is your undoubted right.

I would ask only that you do me the favour of not lecturing me. It's been some time since I have been the schoolboy that you either think I am or choose to treat me as.

Cheers

[redge]

Todd B.,

It's news to me that a fisherman would refer to a product that he has issues with as xxxxxxx.

In fact, this is the first time that I have seen this happen.

Which is a good thing.

Do you think that you will be murdered unless you refer to xxxxxxx in code?

Are you living in some kind of Godfather fantasy?

This isn't a James Bond movie, it's fishing :)

All in jest. Catch a lot of fish, and enjoy letting a lot of them go home.

Cheers