Columbia Riverlight Waders

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]We just had a question on waders over on the Utah board. I had been meaning to post a review on my new Columbia RiverLights on this board, but hadn't got around to it. So, here is a copy and paste from the Utah Board.[/#0000ff]
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[size 1][#0000ff]Most experienced wader users hold the Simms to be the quality standard of the industry. They are made well and hold up for many years. They usually outlast several pairs of the cheaper waders, so costwise the original price tag is not so bad.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As part of my ongoing research on different types and styles for float tubing, I have tried most of what is readily available. Under $100 (for breathables) you can find several makes that will be OKAY for a few trips, but will not hold up over time. Some (like Hodgman Wadelites) often leak right out of the box, or at least develop areas with several pinhole leaks after only minimal use.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I am still using a pair of Stearns lightweights that I bought two years ago, at Costco, for only $69. They have never leaked and they are cut full, to allow layering during cold water trips. Good buy.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I recently bought a pair of Columbia RiverLights at Sportsmans, for $89. That is about what the Hodgmans are going for these days. I was told that this new entry in the breathable wader market was introduced by a former Simms executive who was hired to join Columbia. It is supposedly made to Simms high standards. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have worn the Columbia RiverLights on my last four or five tubing trips and I am very happy with them so far. I have examined all the seams and they are well made. I also love the material, and the neoprene boots at the bottom are properly cut. There is not a lot of extra neoprene flopping around to overstuff your wading boots, like there is on many of the cheaper models.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Great built-in straps, with quick-release buckles. They come way up high on the chest, but I actually roll them down to waist level while tubing in my Super Fat Cat. I sit up high in that tube so I really do not need the full height of the waders and rolling them down in warm weather is more comfortable.[/#0000ff]
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[zonker]

Thanks for the review, Tubedude. My hope is that we're beginning to come out of the "infancy" period of breathable waders and manufacturers will begin to get it right so that the junkers either sell better products or go out of existence. Technology and competition generally leads in that direction. I haven't seen any of the waders you mention above but I'll certainly be watching for them now. Columbia products are ubiquituous here in the Northwest.

We're clearing our cooler water season now and a few warm days will have me shedding my neoprenes for the breathables. I'm still using a pair of Dan Bailey's that I bought several years ago. No leaks so far but as I recall I paid 200 bucks for them. A sub-$100 model that delivers as promised would be a welcomed item.

z~
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]There are going to be some changes to keep track of in the wader industry. I had heard that another company bought Simms, and I knew that Stearns has bought Hodgmans. It will be interesting to see what those changes do for both price and quality.[/#0000ff]
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