Tom Nakashima wrote:
Just curious, what happens if one accidentally gets in too deep and
your
waders fill up with water?
I haven't been there yet, but it's crossed my mind if it happens.
Sounds
like it could be a dangerous situation....not a great swimmer here.

I'll also pick up an wading staff from what I've been reading here,
that ski
pole sounds like a great idea.

-tom

I'm a reckless wader--I go down 2-3 (or more) times per year, going
on 40 years now. Sometimes I wear a belt. Usually I forget.
The important thing is to enjoy the swim, keep your feet up
and pointed downstream and go with the flow. If you fight the
current and panic, you're dead. The only really dangerous
obstacles are log jams. They can do you in quickly. That's why
it's important to keep your feet up near the surface and pointed
downstream. Most of the time you have fun ride, until the river
takes you to shallow water, where you can stand up.....and laugh
or curse, according to your inclination.

Neoprene will keep you warm enough to avoid hypothermia, even
in cold weather. Don't use breathable waders in October.
When it's cold, hypothermia will kill you faster than the
water.