Topic: The Best Duck Hunting Waders (Read 48 times)
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Why it Made the Cut
These are the best priced duck hunting waders in the review and also well constructed. You get more for your money if you buy the Grand Refuge.
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I have several frugal friends that wear these affordable, durable waders. None of those buddies reported a failure in the first season of hunting in them. The boots are excellent considering this is a $300 wader, though they are slightly heavy if you must walk into the blind. But I would put the tread and warmth of the boot up against any in this review except for Sitka, Lacrosse, and Chêne. The internal fleece-lined handwarmer keeps your hands much warmer than the pass-through types on the outside of waders. Since the warmer is on the inside of the wader you have the added warmth your own body heat provides.
A zip-out liner allows you to add insulation late-season or remove it during hot September teal hunts. The shoulder straps provide plenty of adjustment. I’m 6’4” and had plenty of stretch left in the straps. Frogg Toggs’ buckle system is a raised piece of plastic that fits into a hole on another piece of plastic affixed to the wader. You simply slide the strap up to secure it in place and it sits flat against your chest. A 10-shell holder on the chest of the wader keeps ammo at the ready, and there is also a small, zippered pocket above that for small items. There is a one-year factory warranty on the waders, which is remarkable for a $300 wader. Available in boot sizes 7 to 14 in slim, regular, or husky, and Mossy Oak, Realtree, and Natural Gear camo options. MSRP: $300
Why it Made the Cut
These are the most versatile duck hunting waders of the bunch. You can duck or deer hunt in them. The liner is also easily replaced if it leaks.
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Waders don’t get much simpler or tougher than a pair of Dan’s. The Froggers are essentially a waterproof liner glued to a pair of insulated boots and covered with a briar-proof bib shell. So, if the waders ever spring a leak, it’s easier to pinpoint the hole and fix them because you can separate the liner from the bibs. There are no exterior frills with Dan’s, but they are co*fortable. There’s a handwarmer on the outside of the front pocket, which is kept closed by Velcro. You can’t really put anything in the pocket if you want to utilize the handwarmer though.
The boots are smaller, thus lighter than most waders. You could wear these bibs in a deer stand or the duck marsh, so these bib waders are an attractive option if you hunt multiple species. There’s a zippered leg on either side, just like you get with bibs, and the boots have a neoprene upper that makes it simple to tuck your wader pants into them, so they don’t bind up. The exterior material is briar-proof. I walked through some thorn thickets at my parent’s farm no problem. They were a little high in the crotch for me, but Dan’s has a variety of sizes to custom fit the waders to anyone. Boot sizes range from 7 to 14, and you can select from three different waist sizes (38, 46, and 58 inches) as well as a standard (29-inch) or tall (32-inch) inseam. Dan’s also caters to big guys with chest sizes over 60 inches. MSRP: $325
Why it Made the Cut
It’s a lightweight wader that is ideal for walk-in hunters, and the G3 is also moderately priced even though it’s a premium wader.
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In terms of quality, it’s hard to beat Simms. And even though most co*panies won’t admit it, every wader still in existence was probably modeled after the engineering Simms has put into its waders. Now, the G3 was not meant for waterfowl (they’re fishing waders), but a lot of duck guides and core southern hunters wear them because they’re lightweight, durable, and flexible. If you hunt warmer climates, this wader is ideal. The G3 is extremely breathable, and you can walk for miles in them without feeling like you’re wearing a pair of waders, which is why you will see a lot of young public-land hunters using these waders. And even though they were not meant for duck hunting, you still get some of the amenities waterfowlers require in a wader, like a fleece handwarmer pocket and boots built to grip any kind of terrain you will encounter. I also found that the Vibram-soled boots performed well on slick rocks, likely because fly anglers fish in such places.
The boot is lined with 7mm neoprene and grid fleece, but there’s not a ton of room in them for thicker socks. Also, the boot upper digs into your shins and calves a bit. It doesn’t hurt, but it is an annoyance, especially when you pay over $700 for a wader. The G3s are also not built for big guys. If you’re a regular-sized person, you will be fine, but even the XXL size barely allowed me to fit a winter parka into the waders. I could do it; it was just tight. There are all kinds of sizing options to fit different body types. Boots range from size 7 to 14, and there are 27 options for wader fit, though some of the sizes incur an upcharge. MSRP: $750
Why it Made the Cut
Banded has significantly improved this wader from its first offering—RedZone—when the co*pany initially formed in 2014. They are more flexible, durable, and the boot has been upgraded.
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Banded has co*e a long way since introducing its first RedZone wader. Their Black Label line and the RedZone 2s were significant upgrades, and the new Catalyst goes a step further. The fit of the Aspire waders is finally on point. Even though they have considerable bulk and weight, you can move freely in these waders. That wasn’t the case in previous Banded options. They were tight in the gut, crotch, and thighs, which made them hard to walk in and an absolute pain in the ass to hop into a boat from shallow water. These waders are much roomier. The boot treads are an upgrade over previous Banded waders as well. They are aggressive and give you a strong grip, though the sides of the boot uppers are a bit thin.
The fleece handwarmer snaps into the upper of the wader, so you can remove and wash the stink out of it at the end of every season. It will also keep your hands warm in the bitter cold. Above that is a cheap zippered pocket for your phone that I would not rely on to keep it protected from the elements. There’s another fleece-lined pocket on the front of the upper, and a second horizontal pocket for storage. A flap conceals a small light bar above that pocket kept closed by magnets. A small battery pack that runs on three AAAs (sold separately) is concealed inside the wader. I pulled out the pack to put batteries in, but it was not easy to get the pack back into the pocket it stays in, so I just pulled the whole unit out. Also, the fact that you must buy batteries for such a pricey wader is a little off-putting. Knee and shin padding were stitched onto the exterior of the wader pant. They will provide some protection, but it’s a thin layer of material.
Banded made great strides with the Aspire, but the pricing is high at $900. You do get a 3-year no-hassle warranty that covers workmanship and materials (but you may still have to pay something out of pocket). It’s available in boot sizes 8 to 14 (regular) and 10 to 13 (stout) in brown, Mossy Oak Bottomland, and Realtree Max-5. MSRP: $900
Why it Made the Cut
The Chêne wader’s construction will keep you warm despite the fact that it is an uninsulated, breathable wader. You can tell this is a premium wader out of the box.
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As the most durable duck hunting waders the construction of these waders was one of the best of the review, which is to be expected, because they are also the most expensive. Chêne built its wader with a four-layer nylon fabric that is thick and durable. You can feel the quality of the material as soon as you take the waders out of the box. The boots, constructed of 5mm neoprene with a rubber overlay, are co*fortable, though after standing in them for a few hours of hunting, my feet did begin to ache slightly. It was tolerable. They are also warm with 1200 grams of Thinsulate. There are covers that slide over the boot so the weld from the boot to the nylon wader material is better protected from sharp objects you can’t see underwater. The front zip waders utilize a YKK zipper that keeps water out, but when you first receive the waders it’s hard to unzip. I ended up using a piece of paracord from one of the pocket zippers and looping it through the front zipper to make it easier. YKK zippers are known for being stiff. It’s a byproduct of keeping you dry, but Chêne should have designed the waders to unzip with more ease.
The wader upper has two zippered fleece handwarmer pockets, and two more deep zippered pockets on either side of the YKK. There are a pair of internal pockets that use a magnet to stay closed, so you can keep small items secure. The wader belt stretches but is also rigid, so it doesn’t pull too far away from your waders if it hangs up on a branch and is less likely to tear. Average-sized hunters will like the fit of the waders. They are spacious and flexible. If you are tall, the Chênes will ride up into the crotch a bit. It’s not terribly unco*fortable, but it is noticeable. Also, the wader straps need to be a little longer. They are built of the same strong material as the belt and steel loops can be inserted into multiple slots on the straps for adjustment. But at 6’4”, I’d like to have a few more loops so I can co*fortably tuck a parka into the waders. As it stands, the straps and harness they are attached to put a significant amount of pressure on my shoulders when I add a jacket. A limited lifetime warranty co*es with the waders, which are available in boot sizes from 9 to 13, body sizes medium to 3XL, and Mossy Oak Bottomland camo or Drab Green solid. MSRP: $1,099
Why it Made the Cut
The fit of Gator Waders is incredible when you consider the $400 price tag. Most mid-level waders are not as co*fortable.
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When Sitka introduced the Delta at almost $1,000, a few co*panies decided to start charging more for their waders without really upgrading them that much. Gator Waders didn’t do that, which makes the Shields one of the best buys for the money in this review. It’s not a premium-level wader, but the fit is excellent, and you get just about everything you need in a functional duck hunting wader. The snap buckle straps are attached to a padded shoulder rest, so you can layer up without feeling any pressure on your neck and back. There are two plastic D-rings on the chest, and though they may not be ultra-durable, they are thick enough to last the life of the wader. You also get a large front chest pocket for storage and a fleece-lined handwarmer in front of it. Six elastic shotshell holders are also stitched onto the front of the handwarmer.
Quilted thermal cotton lines the interior of the water from the chest down to the top of the rubber boot. You can also get the Shield in an uninsulated version. The 1600-gram Thinsulate boots are plenty warm, but the soles are thin, so if you stand a lot when you hunt, your feet will feel it. The treads are aggressive, and I didn’t experience any slippage while wading or walking down levees. Gator waders only co*e in even shoe sizes eight to 14, and you can order them in regular, stout, long or king. The Shields also co*e in Realtree and Mossy Oak camouflages, plus a brown solid. MSRP: $400
Why it Made the Cut
Cabela’s started to put more effort into the design of its waders with the debut of the Renegade. That continues with the second generation of the wader, which has a warmer boot and a wide range of adjustability in the shoulders.
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