Neopreme or Breathable?

[stephan009l]

Simple Question. Whats the difference between the two? Pro's? Con's? Thanks!

[Arctic]

Neoprene is sort of a family of synthesized "rubbers" that are produced by the pure polymerization of chloroprene... Basically what that means is you turn this stuff into a rubbery substance. If you "foam" it. Or essentially put air bubbles in it, it becomes an excellent insulator, with out having the weight of a solid substrate.

Simply, Neoprene is a coated rubber substance that hold in heat way better than a breathable. You sweat like crazy unless you are sitting in a boat, or its exceptionally cold. Most guys wear breathables.

Which are a fabric that is woven in such a way that the spaces between the threads will allow vapors thru, but not liquids. Your body will push the sweat vapors out of a good set of breathables fairly quickly, but they are not warm in the least.

You need to layer well, and wearing good base layer is the most important. After that I just throw on a pair of thin polypropylene sweats, fleece pants, and sometimes a pair of Carharrt's if its freezin!

[stephan009l]

Good to know! Thanks Ian, looks like i'm stickin with the neoprenes! Still haven't gotten used to the coldness here in Oregon so, more layers it is!

[Gabe]

Simple question....what is 95% of everyone on the board wearing? Breathables. There's a reason why, layer up Tex.

[lesserevil665]

Also depends on what you are doing...if it's just fishing, the breathables rock! Yet if I am going out for a duck hunt, I much prefer neoprene as it's standing in one spot for extended time...

So what would have to be asked is...what are you planning on doing in them? Are you going to play multiple duty with them?

Other thing to consider is you want something in your budget, but the best you can get for that $$$ as both are going to wear and some faster than others... :)

[Osmosis]

My .02 is that it depends how far you plan on hiking. long hikes or bank scrambles the breathables win. Long day sidedrifting in a boat the neoprenes are nice.

[hamfish]

I've been a bankie most of my life, and used rubber waders w/boots only for many years, however this limited me to where I could wade without some water over the top! Then I went to Neo's but after spending 6 hours tromping through the brush and blackberries I was soaked from sweat and the pinholes from the blackberries. Now stricktly wear breathables and depending on the weather how I will dress under them.

[Blue Fox]

I have a pair of breathables and I like them but I can't seem to stay warm enough so I've been thinking of getting a pair of inexpencive neoprenes for the winter.
Ricky

[spactrukn]

I have a pair of breathables and I like them but I can't seem to stay warm enough so I've been thinking of getting a pair of inexpencive neoprenes for the winter.
Ricky

Ricky, I know that you have the same problem that I do with the breathables fitting way to tight around your calves. You should try some Under Armor type bottoms and some fleece bottoms cut off a few inches below the knees. This should keep you very warm. Been working for me and it all fits under the breathables.

[toolman]

breathables with under armor and a pair of flannel bottoms works great for me. with as much as i hike neo's killed me...

[stephan009l]

Alan, long hikes are common for me but I dont have any issues with the neoprenes when it comes to the distance, so I wouldn't know how to compare it with breathables.
But I do have a tendency to stick at a hole for a while, and with the wind I was dealing with last trip it made me wonder if the neoprenes were any better as a wind breaker then the breathables were.
Ham, i'm still not accustomed to the weather here, and alot of the times i'm tripled in layers when out on the water. Sounds like i'd be walkin around like an eskimo if I decided to use breathables.

[Arctic]

If I were you, Id look at a nice pair of breathables. Some for under 100 bux will have triple layer construction in the knees, and arse! Plenty tuff to bushwhack, and actually relatively warm due to the fact that vapor has trouble escaping easily. So the warm vapors can hang around, and you will feel warmer, but a little damp too. But if you dont sweat, and arent soaked after a day of hiking in Neo's.. Id stick to them for winter use. Summer is gong to suck tho!

I have some pretty serious circulatory issues, both from Type 1 Diabetes, and a weird vasoconstriction of the perhiperal blood vessels, and my extremities will get crazy cold if I dont prepare accordingly.

No joke... If its gonna be a slightly cold day... Both tops, and bottoms, it starts with UA skivvies, and after that I hafta wear a gnarly heavy wool base layer, followed by a fleece layer, then a light flannel layer(usually dont wear a flannel top til its frigid!). Then I do Carharrts, and a couple long sleeves and a hoodie. Always pack a good coat too. At very least keep it in the rig. And socks in wading boots... Make sure you have room to fit a couple pairs of socks in there with the boot foot too. I always have miserable mornings when I forget, and just stuff my foot in and bail. By 9 am your feet are cold, and you wonder why. Morning break... Ditch one pair of socks and use it as a little tag end/trash dispenser or something. But make sure your feet get proper circulation along with staying warm all together!

[stephan009l]

Alrighty, looks like i'll be trying to get some breathables...Any particular kind of wading shoe should I get? or should I just stick with felt?

[Arctic]

Sometimes felt is great, but sometimes you need studs too, but soon you wont be able to wear felt. So..
I would get Korkers if they made a decent pair with laces instead of the BOA system... The Sandy will destroy them. Maybe not everyone, but the last set of neuvo Korkers, with the BOA wire laces. were single season garbage by the end... I will give it to their Customer Service tho. I still have a free pair, whenever I decide to try them again...

[toolman]

I have a set of Korkers with the laces, i really like them, hiking soles and felt, i guess they have about 5 or 6 variations of soles...about a C-note at wholesale outlet (sportsmans)
i was wondering how that BOA setup worked...almost gotem but i just couldnt do...glad i didnt
are they justed based here in oregon or do they manufacture them here as well?

[Dillon]

The feet are the weakest link to keeping the body warm. If the feet are cold all the layering up above on the body doesn't matter much. Having enough circulation in the boot is the key. A tight fit cuts off circulation. The guides I know wear rubber boot foot waders in the winter because they provide more thick outer insulation and inner room for circulation when wearing extra heavy socks.

Felt soles with aluminum studs are nice, but sometimes more traction is needed. One company is developing aluminum crampons and rubber soled wading boots with aluminum bars. It is a high end, high priced company. However, they have the best arranty and customer service that I know of. I don't know if I should mention the company name here. Sometimes the high initial investment pays off in the long run.

[Gabe]

Mentioning the names of companies and all that is fine in this subject because it wouldn't compete with any of our sponsors.

[Jerry]

I wear Frogg Toggs breathables and they are pretty good, but I am like Ricki.... I always am COLD in the winter and I tend to bank fish in the winter more then any other time of the year. So I plan on buying Neos once I get some extra cash and I buy everything else I need!!!

[lesserevil665]

Always check for the sales around holidays...doesn't matter if you choose neos or breathables....there is always a holiday or sidewalk sale just around the corner if you can hold out.. :)

[ryank]

long hikes are common for me but I dont have any issues with the neoprenes when it comes to the distance, so I wouldn't know how to compare it with breathables.


Breathables are more versatile. You can always make yourself warmer by adding more clothing, but you cannot remove anything from neoprene to make you cooler. If you fish in the spring and summer, get breathable's, layer according to the temprature and that way you'll only need to buy one pair of waders.

Oh, yea. This may have already been said, but I don't have time to read every post right now!

[stephan009l]

Thanks ryan! Appreciate the info!

[Twise95]

In my experience, owning both types, I tend to only use neoprenes when I won't be doing much moving around. This includes sitting in a boat, and duck hunting. If I'm doing any amount of real hiking, I have to wear breathables. I did a cedar creek hike in late winter a few years ago that about killed me in neoprenes. Literally, my face felt like there was a body of water on it trying to drown me.

As far as breathables go, I tend to go on the cheaper side of things. If I can get 2 seasons out of a pair of waders that only cost me $60-$70, I'm personally happy. With wading in water and rumbling through the tulips, no one can honestly expect a pair of waders to last forever, considering how much abuse they are expected to take. I bought the cheapest pair of Frogg Toggs available in 2009 and I've fished the living crap out of them (although some of you certainly fish way more then I do), and they are still working great. They have a couple small rips down by where the gravel guards are, but no seal leaks whatsoever. Pretty cool for a $60 pair.

As for wearing underneath, my biggest problem with any waders was getting my clothes to not ride up my legs when putting them on. I bought a pair of camo fleece pants from Cabela's, the ones that have the straps on the bottom for your feet, and they are truly awesome. Not only are they warm and comfortable, but it solved the problem of pants riding up my legs. You can get them in non-camo, but I haven't seen them advertised anywhere else but Cabela's. They were a great buy, and now when I fish even in the cold winter with breathables, they are typically all I need to wear, save for some compression shorts and warm socks.

As far as footwear goes, I bought a set of Cabelas wading shoes for $50 back when I bought the neoprenes, and I still have yet to need a new pair. I know a lot of you guys like to buy local and support other businesses, which is totally cool. But I honestly can't argue with Cabelas' customer service and the quality of their boots. They've held up their end of the cost and then some. Definitely can't complain.