Simms Headwaters Pro Stockingfoot Wader - Men's for Sale, Reviews, Deals and Guides

This is my first pair of big boy waders (I gave away my neoprene ones with the attached rubber boots) and I wish I had done it sooner. They might measure a little long in the inseam since my pants are typically 33” and the waders were a 33-34 and seemed to have a bit extra at the knee and come right up under my arm pits. No worries though as I love them. I purposely paid extra for the Gore-Tex just so they were made here in the USA and that had the added bonus of keeping me nice and dry. I tend to overheat and get a bit sweaty but with these, and a pair of thermals, I was just fine and stayed cool and dry. The gravel guards fit extremely well over my boots and, with the clip on the first cross of laces, they never came undone. The booties fit true to my size 11 and were very comfortable. The only issue I had was the waist belt dye left a black ring on the waders where it got wet and bled onto the grey but that’s just cosmetic (hopefully).

I had the Headwaters model before this one, but this applies to all of Simms. I had my waders less than a year, roughly 20 days of fishing. I never came out of the water dry, but I didn't want to be waderless so I waited to send them in. I figured their warranty would protect me against a pair of lemons. Big mistake on my part. My brother has the same pair, roughly the same age, and we almost always fish together. He had a rip and got it sewed up by Simms, and they found maybe one pinhole. I sent mine in soon after, and I had "over 300 pinholes". I performed the alcohol test myself before sending them in and have pictures of the results. The attached one certainly appears to be a seam leak to me, but you be the judge. They offered 30% off a new pair or they could aquaseal the entire inside. I chose the latter even though the waders will still be leaky and not breathable. I would have let it go if they made me a better offer, but apparently their "warranty" is only good for 30% off another pair of expensive waders that may or may not actually work. I expressed my concern with the matter, and was responded to by a testy rep that was committed to not making it right. I asked them how mine could be in such bad shape and my brother's were almost perfect when he is far more reckless, his waders fit tighter, and we fish together. I told him they had just inspected my brother's waders and they were fine, and he responded with "did I inspect them personally?!" After having him look up the repair notes, he changed the subject. He told me not all waders are created equal even from the same batch. If you are under the impression that that is what their warranty protects you from like I was, you are mistaken. He basically said, "sorry about your bad luck, but having the same waders for the same amount of time and in the same place as your brother means nothing to us. Not all waders are created equal. What is it that you want from me?" I had every intention to let him convince me that Simms is a good company, and he instead chose to talk to me like I am an idiot. I was nothing but polite and he acted like I was in the wrong for questioning their handling of my situation. They did offer me 30% off right off the bat, and they handle small repairs for people on a regular basis. Kudos for that, but 30% off another gamble is not what their warranty states. It's written in such a way that they can legally get away with whatever they want. They update the status of your waders in the repair process along the way. My status went to "in customer service" at least a week before they contacted me for a 5 minute phone call. If you call in make sure to let it ring 10+ times before giving up. I gave them the opportunity to make good on their warranty, and they chose to treat me like I was looking for a handout. Nobody I know will be buying Simms products anymore.

they just make me wanna fish more

So my knee was killing me while wading in my old pair of very baggy waders with over ankle gravel guards. I literally would be dragging my bad knee out of the river after fishing. Decided that the Headwater waders looked much more hydrodynamic due to the neoprene gravel guards and slightly more fitted legs. Happy to say that these have been great and the much reduced drag on my knees has resulted in a lack of knee pain. I primarily fish a tail water that has varying degrees of depth based on generation from the dam at the impoundment. These have kept me dry and free to roam. The booties are also very well cut and result in better feel/ intuition of traction. I would recommend these to anyone as a solid selection for waders. Simple and highly functional. No needless bells or whistles. I hope that Simms continues to cut waders that fit fishermen with my build. (Tall and slightly lean). For fit - I am 6'2" and 190 lbs. I wear size 12.5 in Nike sneakers. My Simms are Large-Tall and size 12-13 feet. Fits great. Hope this helps. Happy fishing and as always... #keepemwet

I spent a lot of time looking for the right new pair of waders after my last ones got too leaky to keep patching. I was looking mainly at Simms and Patagonia and did research, talked to local shop and tried them on before making a purchase (I give my local fly shop all my money, just won't do it when it's over a 30% markup compared to online prices). Backcountry provided a killer price on these and superb customer service. Shoutout to Chad Mingie who helped me get one-day shipping on these without breaking the bank. Spent the day in them yesterday, and not only were they dry and warm, they were very comfortable after hiking around 5 miles through the day. Looking forward to wearing them again tomorrow for another day searching for streamer eaters! Here's a picture of the first fish in them since you already know what the waders look like.

I've used these for two seasons fishing for stripers around Boston. They've held up well to the salty conditions and long walks. I generally just wear thin socks in the boots as they are very warm. I don't tend to overheat either, seems to be very breathable.

6' 160 lbs usually wear a 32 in inseam pants - I wear the M Typically here in Utah I wet wade during the summer months. These come with me for my Fall-Spring fishing. I'll use them with a baselayer bottom and a heavyweight wool sock and the Simm's Rivershed boot and they perform great. I usually walk at least a mile from my car until I start fishing and in cooler temps I haven't overheated. The gore tex keeps me dry and breathes decently well on the walk to the hole. The pocket in front is not water tight (the front panel is mesh) so its not the best place to put your phone or camera, but it works great for handwarmers during the winter. There is a micro fleece lined kangaroo pouch behind that pocket that gets nice and toasty with the warmers. The only con about these is that there is no zip up front, as a guy that come in handy during long days on the river. But if you are looking for that there are others in the Simm's line that have one.