So y'all know by now I live on the river and spend a lot of time in wetlands. I've also been working remotely the past year which has given me an insane amount of time to get outdoors. This has allowed me to hypothetically hunt every day of duck season, and I have missed maybe 6 days since Thanksgiving due to bad weather and holidays.
I ordered a pair of High N Dry waders after seeing them reviewed by Joel Strickland on the Surviving Duck Season youtube channel. He spoke highly of them and claimed that it was the first pair of waders he had owned that survived a full season as a hunting guide in Arkansas. He compared them favorably to several other high end (Drake, Banded, Sitka) chest waders. I have been contemplating buying a nice pair of chest waders after my cheopo 100 dollar frogg toggs started leaking in multiple areas after 3 seasons. I figured as much as I wear waders it was worth getting a good pair. I obviously wear them duck hunting, but a lot of times here in the delta they are necessary for deer hunting and cold-weather fishing.
I received the waders on December 14th, and have hunted 18 mornings in them so far. Here are my thoughts.
First, if you're 6ft or better or run a 34" inseam or longer, get the talls. I ordered regulars and they were tight in the legs and inseam. The material does not stretch at all, so you want them to fit a little loose to accommodate physical activity and layering.
They are non-insulated except for the boots. I personally like this since we have very few truly cold days. I can get by with a pair of fleece pajama bottoms and polypro long johns under them down to the 20s. The boots are quite nice. Natural rubber with some thinsulate and neoprene insulation from the bottom all the way to the top. This makes them surprisingly warm. I've always said you can't insulate your feet sufficiently to keep them warm, but I may have to stand corrected. They're really nice.
18 mornings in plus a few evenings sits and scouting trips and they seem to be holding up nicely. The kevlar knee reinforcement seems nice. It's very big and seems like it would do a lot to keep the odd stick out of the waterproof fabric. These waders are mainly billed as being simple and tough at a moderate price point. They were made by a fella who owns an aquaculture business who got tired of buying new waders every couple of months. There is a minumum of seams, and they all seem well made. They're "sonic welded" and taped. Supposed to be the strongest part of the wader.
The chest pockets are functional. They hold my wallet, phone, keys, and a handful of shells fine. Plain and simple. The shoulder straps are just 2" webbing with some pretty crappy pads to go on your shoulders and hold the excess strap in place. I need to hurry up and ditch them and order some strap clips, but they work fine for now. Definitely simple. The wading belt is also plain ole 2" webbing, and it is not attached to the waders. It threads through a single loop at the rear of the wader about where your tailbone is. I don't use a belt so it's a non-issue for me, but if you like a belt I think theirs is pretty cheap.
Best feature is that the waders are thin enough and fit loosely enough that I can unbuckle the shoulder straps, roll them down, and take a tinkle with no problems. Much easier than my old neoprenes. Given that I'm a caffeine addict, I've also had to take probably half a dozen swamp deuces as well. It's about like performing that operation in cotton bibs. Not bad at all.
Overall, I like them a lot so far. Time will tell how well they hold up, but they wear great and are just nice and simple. I can see wearing them as an outer layer during really nasty days when deer hunting, and will probably make a habit out of wearing them for all cold boat rides and fishing trips. They're not at all unpleasant to wear as long as you dress smart under them. You can also roll them down and cinch them around your waist when you're walking a long ways. I've made a couple of 2 mile walks and one 7 mile hike in them.
I ordered a pair of High N Dry waders after seeing them reviewed by Joel Strickland on the Surviving Duck Season youtube channel. He spoke highly of them and claimed that it was the first pair of waders he had owned that survived a full season as a hunting guide in Arkansas. He compared them favorably to several other high end (Drake, Banded, Sitka) chest waders. I have been contemplating buying a nice pair of chest waders after my cheopo 100 dollar frogg toggs started leaking in multiple areas after 3 seasons. I figured as much as I wear waders it was worth getting a good pair. I obviously wear them duck hunting, but a lot of times here in the delta they are necessary for deer hunting and cold-weather fishing.
I received the waders on December 14th, and have hunted 18 mornings in them so far. Here are my thoughts.
First, if you're 6ft or better or run a 34" inseam or longer, get the talls. I ordered regulars and they were tight in the legs and inseam. The material does not stretch at all, so you want them to fit a little loose to accommodate physical activity and layering.
They are non-insulated except for the boots. I personally like this since we have very few truly cold days. I can get by with a pair of fleece pajama bottoms and polypro long johns under them down to the 20s. The boots are quite nice. Natural rubber with some thinsulate and neoprene insulation from the bottom all the way to the top. This makes them surprisingly warm. I've always said you can't insulate your feet sufficiently to keep them warm, but I may have to stand corrected. They're really nice.
18 mornings in plus a few evenings sits and scouting trips and they seem to be holding up nicely. The kevlar knee reinforcement seems nice. It's very big and seems like it would do a lot to keep the odd stick out of the waterproof fabric. These waders are mainly billed as being simple and tough at a moderate price point. They were made by a fella who owns an aquaculture business who got tired of buying new waders every couple of months. There is a minumum of seams, and they all seem well made. They're "sonic welded" and taped. Supposed to be the strongest part of the wader.
The chest pockets are functional. They hold my wallet, phone, keys, and a handful of shells fine. Plain and simple. The shoulder straps are just 2" webbing with some pretty crappy pads to go on your shoulders and hold the excess strap in place. I need to hurry up and ditch them and order some strap clips, but they work fine for now. Definitely simple. The wading belt is also plain ole 2" webbing, and it is not attached to the waders. It threads through a single loop at the rear of the wader about where your tailbone is. I don't use a belt so it's a non-issue for me, but if you like a belt I think theirs is pretty cheap.
Best feature is that the waders are thin enough and fit loosely enough that I can unbuckle the shoulder straps, roll them down, and take a tinkle with no problems. Much easier than my old neoprenes. Given that I'm a caffeine addict, I've also had to take probably half a dozen swamp deuces as well. It's about like performing that operation in cotton bibs. Not bad at all.
Overall, I like them a lot so far. Time will tell how well they hold up, but they wear great and are just nice and simple. I can see wearing them as an outer layer during really nasty days when deer hunting, and will probably make a habit out of wearing them for all cold boat rides and fishing trips. They're not at all unpleasant to wear as long as you dress smart under them. You can also roll them down and cinch them around your waist when you're walking a long ways. I've made a couple of 2 mile walks and one 7 mile hike in them.
