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Protective waterproof apparel has slowly been evolving over the past 4 decades. In the past 10 to 15 years there have been some major innovations and improvements throughout the marketplace.
Growing up as a child in the family aquaculture business, working in and around the water, was second nature to me. Back then, there weren’t the options of gear that are available today. Materials that we are used to currently; the base layers, secondary layers, jackets, and technical waterproof fabrics weren’t an option. Rubber and plastics seemed to be the best materials to keep you dry while out in the elements. The products to keep you dry while trying to hunt, fish, work, or be in the water, were narrowed to a few types of boots.
The hip boot was your only option to protect you above your knee, and there were only a few brands of hip boots to choose from. Although they kept you dry from the mid-thigh down, there was a long list of negatives with only a short list of positives. The hip boot was strictly utilitarian; it wasn’t necessarily comfortable or warm and it certainly was not breathable. It was a plain, basic, long rubber boot that was hot in the summer and cold in the winter, but it did keep you dry.
One of the main drawbacks was that whether you were working, scouting the marsh, hunting, or fishing, you always found yourself getting mud and debris on the top of your pants and then down inside the boot. If that was not enough, there was the inevitable unseen hole that you stepped in, then before you could blink, water was rushing in over the top of your boot.
As the years have passed, the need for a better product to keep people comfortable and dry has continued to be in high demand. Ever-evolving product innovation led to the development of the chest wader.
Since manufacturers were using rubber in the hip boot, they continued that in the initial design of the chest wader. They basically just added more material that continued up the body all the way to the chest. This allowed you to walk into deeper water, but comfort and warmth were still lacking. Then came PVC material, some insulation and then neoprene. As with all products and product innovation, the chest wader has far surpassed the early days of the hip boot with its evolution into neoprene waders.
Now includes breathable fabrics that are lighter and far more comfortable in a wider range of environments. From my experiences decades ago in hip boots, followed by rubber waders, PVC waders, neoprene waders, and finally breathable waders I now have taken it upon myself to create a wader of my own. Over the past 7 years High ‘N Dry has scoured the globe in search of the best fabrics, materials, and construction techniques to develop the most comfortable and driest chest wader on the market. Hip boots may have been the best thing going many decades ago, but most will agree that the chest wader in its current form far outperforms the hip boot in comfort, warmth, and functionality.