Hi Jim,

This sounds very familiar after supplying people with waders for 39 years..

For this same reason last year I put a ~500 sq ft separate room in my fly
shop that is dedicated to just wadding supplies.

With the invention of the breathable wader, the fly shops now seem to have a
very large share of the fly fishing wading market, especially at the high
quality level.

Many intelligent shoppers don't have time to fool around ordering things
that have to fit your body so they go somewhere and try the stuff on to be
sure of getting a good fit.

I only carry Simms breathable waders and have the entire line in stock as
much as possible. Simms has the only breathable Gore-Tex waders made in the
USA. They actually might be the only wader made in the USA. They seem to fit
most people better and also can be ordered in custom sizing for people that
need that service. With Simms waders we are able to easily fit more people.
Simms now owns the high end wader market in the US. Simms is only in the fly
fishing business and that might be the reason they are doing so well.

Many other imported breathable waders are made in third world countries at a
cost of about $20-30 USD a pair. It is for this reason that they can just
give you a new pair when they fail. The fit on many imported waders is very
poor too. Many US fly fishers have been down that highway already and have
switched, sometimes under duress, to Simms. Many other breathable waders are
built with "no-name" vapor barriers, not Gore-Tex.

As far as wading boots go, I carry lots of different brands because this is
where the fitting come in. Just like shoes, most wading boots are made up on
a different pattern or last. I tell my customers that they should not get
all excited about a particular wadding boot because there is the possibility
that it will not fit them comfortably.

For all these reasons, my wading department is now one of my most successful
parts of my fly shop.

--
Bill Kiene

Kiene's Fly Shop
Sacramento, CA, USA

Web site: www.kiene.com


"Jim" wrote in message
...

Well, I've finally done it, but only about half way at this point.

I now have two pairs of Orvis stockingfoot waders (# 8-9 and #10-11
booties), and not one but three pairs of Korker Konvertible wading boots,
sizes 10, 11, and 12. I believe I have tried every combination of wader
and
boot possible in an attempt to find a combination that "feels good". I
wear
a #10 street shoe, and have a narrow foot. For some reason, the size 11
Korkers seem a bit tight, even when wearing a relatively thin boot sock.
Going to the 12 corrects the width problem, but now my toe is an inch from
the end of the boot, and I have a hard time believing that a boot that is
supposedly sized to allow for the stocking foot bootie would require a two
size jump to find a comfortable fit. All of this is taking place via mail
order, which is why my living room looks like a fly shop right now. Most
of
the stuff is going back (per agreements with the shop) once the proper
size
combination is selected. I have even called Korkers and Orvis to learn
their
recommendations (not much help unfortunately). I have also tried Patagonia
Beefies, and Chota STL's.

And so, with the due diligence behind me, I ask for your collective
experience regarding how snug the wading boot should feel. Do you start
out
a bit snug (limited toe wiggle) and things gradually soften up (the
Korkers
are Nubuck sythetic leather, so there won't be much stretch), or should
they
feel great right from the start.

Thanks,

Jim Ray
(who's 10B feet seem to have suddenly become 10EEE's)