Waders........

So the Bandeds finally bit the bullet and leaked this last weekend after 3 years. They wont return them. So Im in the market.......

Let me hear thought on the Drakes or sitkas. Looking at Drake Neopreme and breathable with rip away lining. But not the 6 in 1.

I have been giving serious thought to the Sitka, only because of the repair/return policy. It seems like I go through a pair every year.

I would go breathable, especially in Texas. Can hunt teal season and layer for Canada. But almost all my hunting is walk in too, I don't like to sweat like crazy walking in and out.

I'm probably going to go with the Sitka Zip this off season. That zipper is worth a lot, especially for someone like me who drinks and pees a lot while hunting.
And that lifetime warranty is nice. You can temp fix it with what they send with the waders, then send in at the end of the year for a permanent fix.

There are stores right now that have the sitka waders on sale, and that very rarely happens, it's an end of the year gear dump.
There's also a few sitka buy/sell/trade pages on facebook where a person can find deals.

Link to sitka waders on sale? Got a buddy that is looking for some. I saw rogers had em on sale but they were out of all the normal sizes by the time he got on and looked.

Rogers was the place I knew of. Those waders go like hot cakes when they go on sale. Waders are the only thing no one gets a discount on, so even pro staff has to pay full price for them.
Maybe midway usa had some on sale?

https://www.eurooptic.com/Sitka-Waterfowl.aspx?utm_source=eoic2017&utm_medium=JBS

All sold out... Figured. Oh well his fault, i told him about em and said you better jump on it if you want em. He pondered for too long and then regretted it. Ya snooze ya lose.

MidwayUSA has all the other sitka stuff but not waders.

I've got cabelas 5mm neoprene boot waders for cold hunts and hunts I dont have to walk more than a mile or so. I've got some simms g3 stocking foot for early teal and warm weather hunts and hunts I have to walk over a mile

I just bought some Frogg Toggs breathable with the zip out insulated liner. I absolutely love the features and the fit of these vs. the Rogers I had before. It is the Refuge 2.0. Give them a look.

I’ve used gator wader insulated breathables for 2.5 seasons and I haven’t had any issues. Most comfortable boot and waders overall I’ve used. Come with hand muff, magnetic locking pocket, shell holders and a waterproof phone pocket.

They usually have clearance sales once or twice a year.

I buy 2 cheap cabella waders every 3 years or so, and rotate em after each hunt to dry em.
They still get a lot of use, prolly 20 hunts each pair per season.

For as much effort we put into duck hunting, y'all need to look a little harder....like past page 1 of google search. Try....


..... Bob Wards

ive seen sitka waders on camofire, not sure what models though, they frequently have sitka gear on sale there

After having worn the Sitka waders for 2 seasons I can tell you they are worth the price. If you spend 50+ days a year in waders it is a no brainer to go with Sitka. Tougher than nails and the comfort is far beyond any other pair of waders I’ve ever used.

Just my 2 cents.

Ive been doing some research on this and made some calls to some buddys at Macks and Rogers. So......Sitka and Banded Black Label have to lowest returns after bought. At barely 1%. Some of the other brands have a 50 to 75% return rate!!!!!

Sitka proably has a low return rate because if people have a problem with them they go directly through sitka. I'm on a few facebook pages and they definitely leak like any other waders, it's just something that comes with the territory of the thin breathable waders.
But Sitka uses a Lacrosse boot that runs $250 and they are the only company that can fix the wader/boot seam leak if it happens.

And i dont know about banded, they get an extremely bad rap, and I can't say that they're that bad or it's a bandwagon thing and people like to hate on them.


I have a pair of the uninsulated shield gator waders, and I slightly messed up by not getting a tall version, I need like a 2" longer inseam.
I'll say they're comfortable, but I wish they had less material. I don't need a stout version, and it seems these are made kind of big.
I like the shield series though, we do some busting through briars, and I really like that outer layer of protection.

The cons to the gator wader is, the hand warmer pocket is too low, it fills with water easy and becomes useless.
It has a nice magnetic pocket, but that's it. No other waterproof pocket or anything.
I don't like that it doesn't make an x cross in the back. I absolutely hate shoulder straps sliding down, and these are pretty bad about sliding imo.

The hand muff is too low, but I try not to get that deep anyway. I like the space in the waders because I will never have to worry about my coat being too big. Mine came with a waterproof phone case on the inside of the waders, but I cut it out because it was annoying me.

The straps can be annoying and do slide quite a bit, but I like the elasticity of them. I haven’t used them on a long slug through water or marsh, which I can see being an issue while carrying gear.

I think they’re comfortable, though, especially the boots.

I usually try not to get that deep either, but the hole we hunted last week I had water come over the sides of my waders, it just happens sometimes.

I wish mine had that pocket, must of been a new upgrade. Sometimes it's nice to have the phone handy in case you want to take a pic.

I buy Magellan from academy, take em back every year and leave the store with a new pair. Only money spent is when I want to upgrade.

They send them back thru the manufacturer warranty. They are not returns. The Drakes he said has too many moving part and connected seams. And the Velcro lining is not staying in on most of them. As far as Banded goes. Its the 2.0's thats having the major problems.

No way im spending $1000 for sitka, i can buy 6 cabella waders for that and be set for 18 seasons

But being able to unzip and pee is dang near priceless.
And they use an exceptional boot, with lifetime warranty.

I'm not saying it's a no brainer, but I think it's worth it.
It's def not worth it if you only hunt 3 or 4 tonnes a year though.

Man, I keep saying the same thing! I can buy 2 pair of Black Labels for 1 Sitka.

If I had Sinkey money I'd have a pair of Sitka for each day of the week.

We use Sitkas for corn hole games at camp!


In all seriousness, I really think Im going back to neopreme. Never had leak issues at all unless I popped a big hole in them in Arkansas on a stump!

I was somewhat anti-Sitka until I got the Duck Oven Jacket. It's the warmest and most comfortable jacket I've ever owned.

Their customer service is second to none and they offer discounts for military and first responders.

I have a few items now and every one is top notch.

I want the Sitka waders but I believe a re-design is in the works on the boot because they were having some issues where the boot is connected.