Wader comparisons Simms vs. Cabela's

[dmccririe]

I am looking at the Simms G3 guide waders and also noticed that the Cabela's guide tech waders are $220 vs. $425 for the Simms. Does anyone have any opinions about whether the simms are worth $200 more with respect to quality, guarantee, durability or any other qualities that may be salient. Thanks.

[Steeldrifter]

I dont have anything bad to say about the cabela's waders because i have never had a pair of them...but i have had Baileys,*****,bass pro,bone dry,and now simms(as you can tell i'm HARD on waders) and i have to say these simms are the best money i've ever spent on waders!

SD

[T-Bone]

I've been fishing with gear from Cabelas for as long as I can remember and it's never failed me! I think for the money it's the best stuff out there. I fish with a guy who owns everything Simms and he's had no better luck than I have had with my stuff.

I own the Premium Dry-Plus Beathable Waders for $140, they've been great for the past 3 seasons and are still going strong. Team them up with a fleece wading pant and your super comfy in cold weather as well. Cabela's stands behind their gear and will return/exchange almost anything with no questions asked.

Hope this helps with your purchase, and good luck on the river.

T-bone

[vsk]

If you have the time to shoot over to the Cabela's store in Dundee, they carry Simms waders, their own brands, and numerous other choices. Its a great opportunity to judge first hand any differences in quality or fit. I have found this to be helpful with other purchases. I also have Cabela's, *****, and Simms products and have been pleased with the performance of all of them. You may also want to check places like ebay or sierratrading.com to see if there are any for sale in the size that you want for less dough. Best of luck!

Chad

[dmccririe]

Thanks to all who posted replies. Steve or Herb, any additional comments?
Dale

[mcflyfisher]

I can't speak for the Cabelas Waders, as I have not used them. I bought the G3's this year. There is a lot to like about these waders. The first thing I noticed is that the feet seem to fit a lot better than any of the my others. The five layer front seems to be just about bullet proof. These are real Gortex. Gortex breathes better than all the others, and won't melt when you pour the DEET on it (not that I have had the problem with any others). One last thing about these waders is the storage. This is a very small thing, unless you need it. They have a bunch of pockets, and one of those pigtail retractors built into the top. If I am wading, I can get by with my lanyard, and large box stuffed in the front pocket. I don't need a heavy old vest, or a clumsy chest pack (I know they aren't all clumsy, but mine is.) There is only thing not to like about these waders, the price.

[Gaffle]

My father had the Cabelas Guide Tech waders for our first early steel trip and disliked them. The gravel guard that is built into the techs made it real tight on his ankle no matter what he tried.

After that trip we went back to Cabelas and bought the Gold Medal Dry-Plus Bootfoot waders. I swear the build of the Cabelas vs. my brothers Simms Guide breathables are the same. The bootfoot, I personally think, keeps my feet more warm. Simms are more comfortable though. Any pair of Simms will be way more comfy then their competitions. It came down to the Cabelas costing half as much as the Simms, and they did the job just as well. We even got lost in the woods for awhile around Gleasons, and after 45 minutes of walking my feet didn't hurt, even in a bootfoot wader. If price isn't killing you get the Simms, if it is get the Cabelas, they both will keep you dry.

[steeladdict]

I own the G3 waders and I like them. I would say they are overpriced and overated. Maybe I just don't fish enough (40+days/yr), save your money and buy the Cabela's, they will last you many years.

[Superhog]

I have had nothing but bad luck with the Cabelas waders, the gold medal and the Guide waders. I went through 3 sets of the gold medals before they upgraded me to the Guide model. All 5 pairs have leaked in the seams, around the foot/ankle area. The last pair I have (still have) made it just over 1 year. I don't feel that I was any harder on the waders than an average fisherman either. I also fish with a guy that has had the similar experinces with the same models. I personally don't think I will buy another pair, unless they make some vast improvemnets.

my bad luck........Adam!

[flyrod4steelhead]

I bought a pair of Simms Gortex waders 2-3yrs ago, and have not been disapointed in them at all. The only thing wrong with them, is I put a hole in them while going down a hill up the BM. My feet slipped, and I went for a ride and found a root sticking up that nobody else did in our group :mad: Came home, put the glue on that was provided with the waders and no more water.

I love 'em

[Steeldrifter]

The G3's are expensive, I use the freestones and love them. Worth the $150 and then some IMO :cool:

[shawn00sa]

I have went thru 3 pairs of the Cabelas myself and my wife has went thru 2. They are just ok about returning them (They had problems with the seams in the older ones and upgraded to new seams. When they did this they clearanced all the older models. When returning my older models because they leaked at the seams they would only give me the clearance price towards the ruturn. This seemed kinda cheap to me seeing how it was the seams that THEY had problmes with that caused all of this. Now I have 2 pairs of simms (guides and freestones) which are much more comfortable. My kids and wife now have dan bailys(not as comfortable but better built than cabelas) Bottom line is that you get what you pay for, sure Simms are more expensive, but also woth it.

[coltblaze]

Well I am using G3s and fish about 125 to 140 days a year I have had them going into the 3rd year and no problems maybe just luckey but when they go I'll certainly consider the same like/type/brand again

[Steve@BBT]

Hummm... Lets see, what can I say? Oh!! We don't carry Cabelas, how's that for a reason to order the Simms!?

Steve

[MoFlyFisher]

Honest answer, Steve. Buy the Simms.

[shawn00sa]

G3's that you have had for 3 yrs?....They just came out with that mdoel this spring.

[MoFlyFisher]

For the sake of arguement, I got mine Jan. '04.

[wetdreams]

I have guided in Alaska and put my waders through the paces. Simms for sure but go with the classic guide series not the G3's I have owned both and they have not got all the kinks out of the G3's and if you call Simms they will even tell you that. The classic guides are bomb proof and have proven themselfs over and over for me.

[bandit]

I have a pair of the Simms classic guide series that I bought a little less than two years ago. They are the most comfortable waders that I have ever owned. My only disappointment with them is that I have had a couple of leaks in them, despite the fact that I do not put a lot of stress on them. Maybe that is to be expected with any waders, but I was hoping that with premium waders, they would be a bit more durable.

I owned a pair of low end Cabelas breathable waders before I owned the Simms and they were ok but not as comfortable or as breathable as the Simms. I still think gore-tex is tough to beat as a breathable fabric.

I also have a pair of ***** Tailwaters XT waders. They are breathable and are supposed to be stocking foot waders with wading boots attached. That really amounts to boot foot waders with boots that lace up for better fit. They are not as comfortable as the Simms and I don't think the breathable fabric is as effective as the gore-tex in the Simms. They seem to be built like a tank with reinforced seat and knees so they should be durable. They also have a nice feature that allows them to easily convert to waist highs.

All that said, the next pair of waders I wil buy will be Simms.

[VagabondSteel]

I just bought a new pair of Simms last week. I made the trip down to Cabela's first to check out what they had and I was able to compare them side by side to Simms, Simms are more comfortable, the construction seems better, and the warranty is better, the employees at cabelas told me that they have a new policy for waders and they will prorate a return for up to a year if you have the reciept. If something goes wrong that is Simms fault they will replace it for up to 5 years, if you get a hole in them they will fix it once for free, and after that they will fix it for a modest fee.

[BrianF]

I would try on both and see what fits best on you. I dont gage what I buy so much on the price but on fit, function and reliablity. Not that price is not an issue but I would spend the extra $$$ for whats going to feel best on a day fishing and my confort then wading around in waders that dont fit as well but cost less. FYI I get a good amount of use from my waders every year. :)

[rhino]

if you are looking for good qualty waders hodgmans are not bad for the price. but i hear simms are better . i do owen a pair of hodgmans for the last five years. they out lasted my cabelas neo's which i had to return and get another pair on store credit because of a seam failure. so i got a cheap pair and a good reel out of it which was a tibor light that they were clearing out at the time. shows i am not going to buy cabelas twice.


any ways good luck and tight lines rhino...........

[VagabondSteel]

Iv'e tried out my new Simms Freestones a couple of times now, and I love them. Worth every penny.

[IM 2 Sage]

They are the best. The G3 technology is a improved gore tex formulation from the basic Simms gore tex. I have both. I can say that the G3 breathes better, and the basic gore tex model is no slouch. They are expensive, no doubt about it. Made in Montana. ...... and they do take abuse.

[BOB@BBT]

I believe (not 100% certain) that Hodgman makes Cabelas breathables. Or at least whoever makes Hodgmans overseas's. Again, I'm not 100%, but they sure look the same. We sell Hodgman waders, but only their neo's and canvas waders. We also sell many Hodgman accessories and rain coats. But we can certainly order Hodgman breathables for you. As far as "in stock" breathables, we carry Simms.