I’ve been wearing breathable waders for more than twenty years and sometimes they are not perfect, but I still think they are invaluable and I haven’t found a viable option

I can still remember the looks on their faces. I reckon my second TV series had recently come out on some obscure Discovery Channel offshoot that was always changing its name, and we were (bait) fishing up on the Bristol Channel for cod and thornback rays. I hadn’t long started doing some photography work with a fly fishing guide and instructor who has become a very good friend, and his lightweight, breathable and far mobile than your regular sea fishing chest waders began to make a great deal of sense to me for my own mostly bait fishing at the time. So we’re fishing away and a mate hooks what turned out to be a thornie. Because I can, I walk towards the sea and start walking into it to go and grab his fish. I turn to look and I can see as plain as day a few anglers watching me and no doubt thinking what’s this tit going to do now, walk on water? But I don’t and I haven’t quite managed to yet but damn I’ve tried with some of my wading failures! I waded out to my waist or so, grabbed his ray, unhooked it for him, and released it. I walk out of the water all nice and dry in what to the untrained eye looks more like a pair of bib and brace waterproof overtrousers, and whilst the world kept turning, over not a lot of time lightweight, breathable waders became utterly indispensable to me…………….

I never saw any other UK or Irish saltwater anglers wearing breathable chest waders back then, but I guess that over time as lure fishing for bass has become more and more popular, more and more anglers have gone through the lightbulb moments like I have when it comes to waders. I dread to think how many pairs of breathable chest waders I have gone through over more than twenty years of using and abusing them now, and I have used what at the time were the most expensive on the market right down to some of the cheapest ones you could find, and everything in between. For sure the most expensive breathable chest waders tend to be that bit nicer to wear and move around in, but twenty+ years into these things I know one thing for damned sure - with how I use them, the most expensive waders ain’t worth the money. They don’t last any longer than a good pair of more reasonably priced waders, not for me. If I get more than a year out of a pair of breathable chest waders I’m doing well with how I fish and photograph and guide, so I’d far rather spend reasonable money when scary money doesn’t buy me any more product lifetime.

For a fair few years now my go-to breathable chest waders have been the Vision Ikon ones, but I can’t see them on the Vision websites anymore and I believe they are being discontinued and replaced by the new, upgraded, and similar priced Vision Koski waders. I have been wearing a pair for a fair while now and so far they are as good as I hoped, so I am hopeful they will be a more than viable replacement for the outstanding Ikons. Review to come when these Koski waders have been through a load more abuse, but around this price point is where I am kind of okay with my waders and how much I use them for so much of what I do. Hell, this bloody winter has been so wet and muddy that I am going on a lot of my dog walks these days in my Vision Koski waders and a pair of wading boots. Seriously, why the hell not? They are also perfect for when I’m marshalling at our local Park Run where our girls both run - if the weather is filthy then I’m nice and dry while all the nutters run their 5K and I cheer them on at my marshall point whilst sipping from my flask of nice hot coffee!

I also find myself wearing non-breathable and in theory somewhat tougher rubber/PVC or whatever chest waders for much of my surf fishing when studded wading boots for extra grip which also fill up with sand simply aren’t needed. I am currently on a sample pair of Vass waders that aren’t on the market yet but they’ve been working well so far. Boots attached to waders (boot-foot) make so much sense in these situations and I guess I need to explore the various boot-foot breathable chest waders options next because I reckon these could be very handy for summer surf fishing especially.

I also turn to very easy to wear and what I firmly believe are far safer if I end up in the water (check here) breathable waist waders whenever possible these days. Because I can more easily get hold of some of the Savage Gear stuff now it made sense for me to at least give their “Denim Waist Waders” a good go - and I have been. So far they are honestly bloody brilliant and I will report back in due course, and no, nothing will ever change as regards me being completely honest about the fishing gear I use. Hell, if I had my way Savage Gear would be making chest wader versions of these Denim Waist Waders as well because I reckon they might be rather interesting. I have been in the water in both chest and waist waders and I know what I want to be wearing if the proverbial does ever hit the fan - with auto-inflate lifejacket on of course - so I’d be a bit daft not to wear waist waders as much as I can get away with. I talk to Savage Gear directly so I haven’t gone looking for their Denim Waist waders online before this morning, but I found them with a seriously healthy discount at Veals Mail Order right here if that is any help. Sizing on these waist waders is accurate, as in I go for an XL pair of Vision chest waders and the XL pair of SG Denim Waist waders fit me perfectly. The supplied neoprene belt isn’t very good though so you may want to use a different belt to tighten them up. Waist waders are so comfortable and easy to wear.

So that’s where I’m at with waders these days. They are never going to last forever with what I put them through but since my stumbling upon the Vision Ikons I haven’t had anymore of those “where’s that bloody water suddenly coming in from?” after far too short an amount of time moments. I have had that with plenty of other chest waders I have tried and discarded over the years whilst accepting that if I slip and tear the waders then that’s my fault - but it’s those sudden failures after far too little use which really niggle me. My record for a brand new pair of breathable chest waders is less than a day, in that I was rather smugly talking up my new waders that morning and then having the piss taken out of me by mid-afternoon with a soaking wet foot because the neoprene sock had failed in under one day. I notice that those particular waders are no longer on the market!

But are there some viable options to waders out there if we take into consideration our climate and water temperatures? Well I have looked and tried a few things and I can’t find them but you have to bear in mind that I hate cold water so wet-wading in the UK and Ireland is not for me. I have tried some lightweight neoprene type leggings which meant you get wet feet in your wading boots which is kind of okay if you’re bouncing around the rocks for a while but is a complete no-go for me if I need to be actually in the water for a while. You might well be a bit ‘arder than me, but I like to be dry when I am fishing in our country because wet-wading those gloriously warm waters on the Indian Ocean flats it ain’t! Every time I have explored the use of the lightest possible weight ¾ wetsuit I have had a number of anglers or anglers/surfers come through to me and say don’t even try walking miles and miles in neoprene, so I guess for the time being it continues to be various kinds of waders for me and my UK and Irish fishing, guiding, and photography - plus a lot of dog walking as winter continues along its merry way………….

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