Strapless Waders

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Once I "graduated" from donuts, "low-rider" U-boats and other craft that required me to wear chest high waders (to keep from getting water down my back), I found that high-riding waders were more of a problem than a solution. Having to fumble with straps when making an on-the-water wardrobe adjustment (adding or removing layers) is always a bother to say the least.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Since I started jockeying a high-seated Super Fat Cat about 3 years ago, I have never had the water wet more than just the seat of my waders. There are several other tubes on the market today that also float the fisherman high enough that they really do not need chest waders.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I spotted some "guide pants" and other models of waist high waders in some of the catalogs I get all to frequently. I thought they might be a solution. I tried on a couple of pairs and quickly came to the conclusion that they are fine for upright wading and walking, but are not good for sitting in a tube. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The cut on the waist waders I tried would not provide adequate height on the back when seated. They pull down. Maybe not enough to ship water on a radical lean back, but still too much for my liking.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]So (surprise) I decided to try an experiment and improvise. I have two year old pair of cheap ($69) Stearns lightweights that have served me well, but have recently started using up my supply of Aquaseal on seam leaks. I figured that if my trial run didn't work, I could invest in a new pair anyway.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]GOOD NEWS. I carefully sliced off the straps and bothersome buckles...and the floppy inside pocket (never used) too. Then, I rolled the top down to a level just right for me. It's a matter of preference. Seemed to work fine.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The only problem was that without shoulder straps to hold the waders up, gravity takes over. When you walk, the waders go south. You need to be wearing something underneath to prevent embarassment. Of course I usually wear at least one "layer", even in warm spring weather.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I solved the slippage problem by wearing a nylon strap belt I had laying around. It has the quick release buckle, so once adjusted it will hold your rolled up top of your waders wherever you want. Works great.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Better yet, when you launch early, in cool temps, wearing a sweatshirt, you can take off any extra layers while out on the water and the temps get warmer. Or, if you launch on a warm afternoon, and it cools off later (or the bugs come out) you can quickly add a layer without having to fight the straps.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Not sure I would want to do that to my neoprenes. I like the extra warmth around the midsection on cold days. But, when the water is too cold to fish "wet", but warm enough to make waders almost too warm, the "topless" approach is a good move.[/#0000ff]
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[zonker]

I, too, have struggled with the shoulder straps on my breathables in summer. Seems they're always a pain when I need to get out of them quickly. I've tried rolling them down when I'm in the tube but found that they continue to shift downward as I go through the day - so the belt is a good idea. When rolled up they do add to your body temperature when its warm, even though they breath. (Actually, in that kind of setting it might be better be said that they "pant." But I digress.) After paying 200 bucks for the latest pair, I'm not sure I have the nerve to barber them down to my waist yet. The idea is sound, though - especially if you have a pair that are used only for tubing. Its a great idea.

BTW, Tubedude, I had high hopes for your Stearns breathables after I heard that an ex-Simms guy was on their team these days. I'd even taken a couple of pairs down off the racks to examine them. Sorry to hear they're starting to leak. My hopes came crashing down.

I do use the little belly pocket in my present set of Dan Bailey's. That's where my camera rests, suspended by a long lanyard around my neck that is measured so it never touches the surface of the lake. So if I ever start snipping just above the waistline, I'll need to figure out a new home for my picture machine.

z~
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]You err in your memory of the brand I referred to, as being the company with the ex Simms guy. That is Columbia. It's okay on the memory thing. If we can allow you to post without logging in, we can overlook a lapse in brand names.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The Columbia waders are still holding up well, but TubeBabe "Missus-appropriated" those. She likes the extra "fit" in my size waders.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]By the way, we both started rolling down our waders a few weeks ago. However, I got tired of having the lumpy buckles between my back and the seat. That was the final stimulation for getting out my knife. If the buckle configuration on your waders is such that you can roll them down without having bothersome lumps, then no need to perform a strapectomy.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I got the Stearns just after I moved back to Utah a couple of years ago. They had a huge stack of them at Costco for $69 and I am always game for trying new stuff...if the price is right. That was cheaper than the dreaded Hodgmans, and they had some quality features...like double layers on the knees, etc.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Believe me, they have earned their original purchase, in my estimation. They have been through some tough fishing. I am not easy on waders. The pinhole leaks are only along the sewn/welded seams on the neoprene boots...not in the main waders, as Hodgmans usually are. That is a wear factor, not a design or manufacturing flaw. There are only a couple of spots, and they were easily mended. As long as my Aquaseal holds out, and there are no major seam failures, I will continue to wear them with pride.[/#0000ff]
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[zonker]

Boy, ya got me on the memory thing. I still remember Stearns. (I guess that's a sure sign of dementia, when you believe your own delusion.) I'll defer to your greater powers of recall, since you own the things and oughta know. All that looking at Stearns waders though... Oh well. As for the posting without logging on, that's not dementia. That's plain stupidity. But you guys are (usually) pretty merciful other than a snicker or two.

Fine tuning the "little" things is what keeps this tubing thing interesting.

z~
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Just in case you are interested, here is the [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=260319;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread"]LINK TO THE POST[/url] I put up on the Columbia River Light waders. It was May 8 of this year. Of course, that is over 30 days so us older members can be excused for spacing it out.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The only reason I jab a little (on the memory thing) is that I tend to have little lapses (and napses) my own self. Shifts the embarassment onto others if you can point at them.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]But, as my old buddy Zig Ziglar is fond of saying: "Just remember that when you point a finger at someone else, there are three more pointing back at you."[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Love ya, man.[/#0000ff]
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