Gear » Waders & Boots

The 2026 wading gear market has arrived with recycled fabrics, PFAS-free water repellents, and smarter sole technology as the expected baseline. Several major releases in the past few months—from Patagonia, Simms, Skwala, Guideline, and SITKA Gear, which just entered the fishing category—reflect an industry where materials science now pairs durability...

Image by Rick Mikesell Between work, kids, and everything else that fills the calendar, most of my time on the water this time of year ends up falling on the coldest nights and the worst weather. After work in the dark. Canceled weekend plans due to cold or snow. Quick ice-fishing windows when the wind is howling and the temperature barely cracks double...

Consolidation has played an increasingly important role in the fly-fishing industry over the past couple of decades—see companies such as Far Bank and Mayfly Outdoors—but interest from private-equity groups is a more recent thing. And according to an article by Andy Becker on Bloomberg.com, many fly-shop owners are unhappy about it. In fact, many shops...

I've never been a big fan of wading shoes or sandals. I've tried a few pairs over the years, and none of them made a good enough case to be used over my wading boots, even for wet-wading small water that's barely shin-deep. They never felt comfortable, or durable, enough to merit the cost of yet another piece of gear. I have embarrassingly bad ankles that...

Chris Hunt, over at Hatch Magazine, penned a review of the Simms G4Z waders. I recently reviewed these waders here at MidCurrent, but I was interested to see what Chris had to say about them. In short, I think the two of us agree, although he offers a few different perspectives that I didn't dive into in my review. If you're thinking of buying a pair, I'd...

Korkers has announced the release of a new series of wading boots, according to the folks over at Angling Trade. The Wade-Lite boots are unique for Korkers because they're a fixed-sole boot (no interchangeable soles). The Wade-Lite boots are also, as the name suggests, supposed to be as light as possible. You can view a video highlighting the release of...

Grundens has their new spring line out, but of particular note to fly anglers are the two new waders the company has released. Their Boundary wader was one of my favorite new waders, so I'm intrigued by their two new releases: the Bedrock and Vector. Both the Bedrock and Vector are built from new, non-Gore-Tex fabrics. The Bedrock retails at $349.99, and...

Skwala has officially launched -- after teasing it for a while now -- their newest wader, dubbed the Backeddy. I have a pair myself (and an in-depth review will be forthcoming here at MidCurrent) and I've been impressed in my limited time with them so far. The Backeddy waders are designed as the do-it-all wader for Skwala, filling a niche that neither their...

Simms has officially released their new Confluence waders. The big draw on these waders is the inclusion of built-in compression-molded knee pads. These knee pads are designed to offer more comfort and durability for anglers who bust through brush, or often kneel, while fly fishing, according to Simms. The Confluence waders are built from four-layer Toray...

Before breathable waders, what did anglers use to stay dry in the river? Neoprene and rubber, largely, which are both materials fraught with their own issues. Breathable waders are a remarkable innovation in the sport, which is why Ross Purnell over at Fly Fisherman Magazine  online pharmacy...