Like fly rods, wader technology has come a long way
Just about every fly angler has a wader origin story. Maybe a family member handed you a heavily patched pair from a cabin wall hook. Maybe you picked up a dirt-cheap used pair at a yard sale. Sure, they leaked like a sieve and fit like a clown suit, but they signified an invitation—crossing a threshold. That first pair of waders opened a new universe of fishing opportunities.
Most of us started fly fishing with whatever we had. We learned to cast with ancient rods and cracked fly lines; we filled delaminating boxes with unraveling flies. Starting with substandard castoffs allows us to fully appreciate better gear as we upgrade. Fly fishing materials have improved exponentially in the past few decades. From rods and lines to boats and boots, fly fishing gear is far better than in generations past, especially when it comes to waders.
What started as semi-permeable fabric that kind of, sort of kept cold water out has evolved into a high-performance technical barrier. For better or worse (depending on your perspective), fly fishing has never been more comfortable, and contemporary waders represent arguably the most significant advancement in fishing gear over the past century.
The Early Days: Cold, Hot, and Heavy
The earliest waders were made from waxed canvas or oiled cotton: stiff as cardboard, extremely heavy, and more water-repellent than waterproof. Anglers had to regularly reapply wax or oil to keep them nominally functional. Imagine wading all day with your legs wrapped in a canvas tent, and you’ll have some idea of what they were like.
The first waterproof waders appeared in the late 1800s. The Hodgman Company (which still makes waders today) coated canvas with natural rubber to create a water-impermeable barrier. Vulcanized rubber waders and hip boots remained standard for the better part of a century (and remain the favorite footwear of bush pilots in Alaska). They were durable, truly waterproof, and heavy enough to double as leg weights. They did, however, represent a major step forward by keeping water out. But that was about it. Rubber neither insulates nor breathes, so anglers either froze or steamed.
The Short-Lived Neoprene Revolution
By the 1980s, synthetic rubbers and petroleum-based polymers were flooding the consumer market. Borrowing technology from diving suits, wader makers started using neoprene, and the results were revelatory. Neoprene waders flexed, stretched, and moved, allowing anglers to wade and walk in relative comfort. They also insulated against frigid water, so anglers could finally enjoy (or at least tolerate) cold-weather fishing for long periods. Winter steelheaders, tailwater junkies, and waterfowl hunters rejoiced.
Many of those anglers still swear by neoprene, but it’s just as good at trapping moisture inside as keeping water out. The human body regulates temperature with a process called evaporative cooling. You’re constantly losing moisture through your skin. Normally, that evaporates through your clothing, but when you’re swaddled in neoprene, that moisture has nowhere to go, leaving you with a serious case of swamp waders.
Not only heavy, hot, and unbreathable, neoprene is also slow to dry. So if you fish (and sweat) in your waders for days or seasons on end, they’ll develop a permanent funk that can singe hair.
In 1993, Simms Fishing introduced waders made from Gore-Tex®, making them both waterproof and breathable. For anglers young enough to have never experienced the previous wader iterations, it’s hard to convey how transformative this was.
In a 2018 article for Fly Fisherman magazine, Ted Leeson wrote “The introduction of breathable waders is likely the most important tackle development in the last 50 years. In my informal survey of anglers old enough to remember the hideous nonbreathable alternatives, these waders came in as the #1 milestone of all time—beating even graphite rods. Apparently comfort trumps all.”
The Breathable Breakthrough: "Comfort Trumps All"
Breathable membranes let moisture escape from the inside while keeping water out. For the first time, anglers could be active in waders—hike up into their favorite spots, row the boat from hole to hole, or bushwack through dense willows—without risking heat stroke. Modern waders protect you from the river without forcing you to marinate in your own juices all day.
The Future of Waders: Smarter Design, Better Materials
While breathable textiles revolutionized wading comfort, progress didn’t stop in the mid-1990s. Part of the reason our founder and CEO, Kevin Sloan, started Skwala was because he saw innovation happening elsewhere in the outdoor industry and realized fly fishing apparel had stagnated. Skwala is writing the next chapter of wader evolution by incorporating the latest materials and applying fishing-focused, contemporary design principles.
Made to Move
Pattern and design in pants have changed dramatically in the past decade. Compare your classic Levi’s to contemporary brands like Kühl or Mountain Khakis, and you’ll see big differences. Features like knee darts, articulation, and four-way stretch panels make modern pants far more comfortable. We’re doing something similar with waders.
Skwala builds waders that work with anglers, not against them. Look closely and you’ll notice that the cut and seam placement down the legs are completely unique. We incorporate fourchette patterning (the same technique used in the fingers of high-end ski gloves) for more natural articulation and greater range of motion. In addition to improving comfort, this design also increases durability by reducing wear and friction points. When you move inside your waders, you put a lot of strain on areas like the knees and hips. Skwala’s patterning minimizes that stress, so your waders last longer.
While they’re built for the long haul, Skwala waders are also designed with repairability in mind. If, after many seasons of hard use, they start to fail, our team will repair them right here in Bozeman, giving you many more years on the water. We want our waders in rivers, not landfills.
Details Make a Difference
We didn’t just rethink how breathable waders can be cut and sewn; we scrutinized every potential weak point and reimagined every detail, from the angle and placement of zippers to flush, buckle-free shoulder straps that won’t catch fly line.
Traditional neoprene gravel guards keep grit out of your boots at first, but they deteriorate quickly. Skwala’s gravel gaiters are built from the same burly material as the waders themselves, improving durability, longevity, and comfort.
RS Waders come with an integrated, lumbar-supporting wading belt, so you’ll never forget one of your most important pieces of safety equipment. The cushioned, load-distributing shoulder yokes relieve pressure on your shoulders and spine.
Built to Fit Your Fishing, Not Hit a Price Point
Every Skwala wader is built to meet the needs of specific anglers, not hit a cost number to boost sales. The RS excels in extreme use situations. Their full-feature, highly durable design makes them favorites on steelhead rivers and in the Alaskan bush. Backeddys are the Carhartt coverall of waders, deceptively simple and utterly reliable. They’re a Rocky Mountain guide favorite, capable of handling anything you throw at them season after season. Carbon are light, fast, and extremely breathable. Built for anglers who put in miles to find fish, they’ll keep you dry without overheating.
Different Waders, Different Fit
Skwala waders look, feel, and fit differently because they’re built different. In order to fully appreciate those differences, you need to ensure your Skwalas are appropriately sized. They should fit more like your favorite hiking pants than traditional waders, because they’re made to move with you, not have you move inside of them.
Our goal is simple: build waders that feel less like bulky gear and more like comfortable clothes. They won’t make you a better caster or guarantee you more fish, but they will allow and encourage you to spend more time on the water. And more time on the water is both the goal and reward for most fly anglers we know.
Skwala Wader Collection
