Rubber waders, neoprene waders, countless breathable’s and hundreds of dollars gone. Many of us did start with a pair of rubber hip waders and as our obsession rose, so did the pocketbook. By trial and error we have found many of the pieces of equipment we now use on a normal basis. My process started with some cheap rubber hip waders. They did the job to a degree, but were highly unattractive and extremely limiting when it comes to actually wading a stream. The next stepping stone was a pair of Hodgman 3mm neoprene’s. For the price at the time, you really couldn’t beat it. I used them for a few years fishing the northwest in many different weather conditions. They were nice in the winter, but as you can foresee, pretty uncomfortable in the summer heat. After the hip-huggers I got my first pair of breathable’s. Like my neoprene’s, they were also Hodgman and if I remember correctly they were the “Wadelite’s”. I owned a couple pair of these over the next few years, both ended up leaking over time.
Thanks to Paul Swint and William Joseph, about a month ago I received a pair of Drynamic Waders. I was actually at work when they arrived, but had my iPhone notifications setup to let me know by email when they were delivered. Somehow I wiggled into the house without my wife realizing and before she even knew I was home, I was in the waders. I had never tried on a pair before, so I was kind of leery about them fitting, but to my surprise they fit perfect.
The day after I received the waders it was to the water I went! We’ve got a creek that runs through downtown Anchorage about 10 minutes away which made it very convenient for a trial run. It wasn’t long before I was getting my swagger on and throwing some line. I came to the conclusion that the Drynamic’s are a package deal, period. Just last week I went after big rainbows on the Kenai Peninsula with temperatures below 20 and again they performed top notch. I had quite the scare as I crashed and burned pretty bad on a walkway near the river. I haven’t had to worry about ice in a while and really wasn’t expecting it. It was funny, and I wish I had my GoPro camera on. My buddy slipped first and right as he hit the ground my feet shot out from under me. Hit the ground pretty hard and was for sure I tore something, but there was no blemish what so ever.
When it comes to breathability and durability the Drynamic waders represent William Joseph as a whole. They have incorporated one of the finest fabric systems out there which from my misfortunate experience (but good from a review perspective) have proved to be tough. Drynamic waders are made from Dupont Suplex, with a five layer breathable membrane in high wear areas, and three layers in areas which have fewer demands. Trekking through the bushes was no problem as the material on my previous waders have snagged or torn. The Drynamic’s have reinforced knees, and due to the knees being a high stress area, they have been taped on both the interior and exterior to provide unsurpassed durability. In addition to the reinforced knees comes a seamless crotch with articulated feet and knees which give you full range of motion. It’s an immediate difference if you’re used to restrictions with previous pairs of waders. The neoprene booties have a feature that introduces Hypalon foot-soles, which is a small but neat traction feature.
Face it; some waders are just hard to get on and off, adding in being on the water all day it makes it that much more difficult. The Drynamic’s have a built in “easy entry” which is the FIT ZIP feature, allowing the user to put on and take off with ease, especially with bulky layers. As with the rest of the zippered compartments on the waders they all have a water-tight seal. The front sections of the waders have two built in Soft Shell pockets with fleece welded to the innards. This is very nice and convenient whether storing items or just warming up your hands. The Soft Shell provides stretch ability and lays flat when not in use. My Hodgman Wadelite’s had synch straps built into the waist which I really didn’t like. They would catch on things, come loose and the extra material dangling just looked ridiculous. When I discovered these, I was pretty stoked. They have built in extra wide welded belt loops with a durable fitted belt. It feels both safe and looks attractive. Not to mention if something did ever happen to the belt, it would be easy to change out.
What would you do without a pocket in the rear side of your waders? I don’t know because the Drynamic’s have yet another larger size Soft Shell water tight pocket. I don’t see anything real bulky going in there due to comfort, but it’s a nice pocket that is out of the way and a great place to store something that doesn’t mix great with water. Directly above the pocket is one of the last features, a nice little loop for hanging the waders to dry or hooking a net onto.
If you’re looking for durability, breathability, ingenuity, storage, safety, style and possibly the last few hundred bux you will ne to spend then these waders are definitely for you. They truly are an all in one set of waders that make it easy to just go out and enjoy yourself. I love mine and look forward to future outings on the water. Time to get my swagger on!
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