Looking into buying my son and myself some new waders. What are your guys thoughts on chest v waist high. Will be doing a lot of public hunting, walking in and not really sure about going with chest high. Thanks!

You don't plan on hunting any sloughs or flooded timber? If your son is still young (small/short), there is less room for error if you step in a hole, even in flooded fields. Just a thought. I went with neoprene chest high for sloughs, which I usually hunt once it gets colder and hip waders for early season and flooded fields or shallow ponds.

Only with a firm sandy or clay would I wade past the waist. Silt and muck bottom no way. However chest waders give you the option and neoprene material is a good insulator. My waders are good Cordura nylon, bigfoot (to keep from sinking down), felt liners and Advantage pattern. But if you have to walk in a distance their very heavy.

So my next pair will be chest high neoprene Mossy Oak. Like I said I don't do chest high either but in case I fall in or hit a hole their good to have.

I would much rather have a pair of chest waders over hip waders. It opens up more opportunity IMO. Might as well

I have waist high and really like them. They are much more comfortable on me. I rarely have needed to go deeper than waist deep as of yet. But as ironspikelab pointed out..if you step in a hole there is less room for error. I almost did that a couple of weeks ago. I stepped off into a creek channel and was pawing at the slick bottom with my feet trying to keep from going in deeper while holding onto my canoe. My buddy thought it was pretty amusing watching the canoe push out to deeper water while i was trying to keep weight on it to keep from going in deeper. I averted disaster by about an inch from filling my waders. haha

So it depends really on how deep of water you will be in. I use mine for fly fishing and duck hunting so im liking the waist high so far.

I forgot to mention, I'm only 5'3". Most folks are barely over their thighs when I'm already in up to my waist.

And SpaceMonkey, I had a very similar experience a couple weeks ago with my dog jumping in and accidentally 'launching' the yak I was holding onto. I was solo so I would really have been SOL if I went down!

I have all of them, waist high, chest high, hip boots and plain old rubber boots, it all depends on where I plan to hunt

Best deal I've found in a while is Columbia Gadwall waders. They are 3.5 MM with 1000 gram boots. You can use the suspenders as a belt and use them as waist-high. Rogers has them for $99 plus free shipping. Cabela's also has them on sale right now for the same price.

yeah, i was just glad he didnt have the camera handy..lol I hunt mostly solo too, so im only counting days until i do that while im alone...hope its not cold when i do.

IMO, the chest waders are the way to go.

X2!!

Macks prairie wings 3.5mm chest high Neoprene waders are the best waders on the market bar none!!!!!! I will never buy any other brand as long as Macks is in business!!! They come with a built in wader belt that is handy when you roll the top down for a trek through the woods.

That being said i tripped and fell in shin deep water last weekend and put my hands out to catch myself. Had i been wearing waist high waders i would have been completely soaked. I got away with just a wet sleeve.

When duck hunting you never know what you will come across and for that I would say be ready.
Chest waders are the way to go,the hips are good if you know without a shadow of a doubt that you will never wade past your thighs.
And what lakesteak said will happen to every wading duck hunter one day.

I bought a pair of waist waders last year. Not hips. waist. Those things pulled all the way up are only about 6, 8 inchs shorter than my chest waders. I love them for long walks. Sloughs etc. Only time I wear my chest waders is if I am hunting big water, or silty areas.

Get chest high if it will be your only pair, you will limit yourself with waist high as your only pair. if 2 or more pair, get waist high. I got chest high breathable, chest high neoprene, and waist high breathable. I use them all depending on the hunting situation... And good to have back up..

So in summary if you only have the one pair to get him get chest.

Your Welcome,

THF

Buying waist waders is like buying half a pair of waders....

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