waders rant

In article
. umich.edu,
Mu Young Lee wrote:

On Sun, 28 Mar 2004, Bill Kiene wrote:
Wow,
I glad it ws not me.(just for the record)
Bill Kiene
Web site: www.kiene.com

For the record, Bill and his employees are about as knowledgable and
friendly a group of tackle peddlers that you will ever meet. Plus it's a
large store with a very extensive inventory.

I guess I should of got my waders from Bill instead of Tie Fast.

"Steve Sullivan" wrote in message
...

I guess I should of got my waders from Bill instead of Tie Fast.

Only if they had your size. Don't settle on anything too small.

"Hooked" wrote in message
...
"Steve Sullivan" wrote in message
...

I guess I should of got my waders from Bill instead of Tie Fast.

Only if they had your size. Don't settle on anything too small.



Agreed. I got a pair of breathables a few years back that were a bit snug in
the belly because I needed them postehaste, they were half-price, and they
were the only thing in the shop that was close to my size. I was never truly
comfortable wearing them, as I was always concerned about ripping them out
if I ever went down on a knee midstream. Even lacing up my boots was a bit
on the edge. The silver lining was that I got robbed in South Africa, and
with my insurance money I bought (with the assistance of Frank Reid) a very
comfortable pair of breathables that fit a tiny bit large, but with the wide
belt Frank chose for me, I can 'bunch up' the excess fabric and make them
right. Its like the difference between a pair of shoes that are a half-size
too small, and a pair of sandals that are just perfect.

--riverman

The silver lining was that I got robbed in South Africa, and
with my insurance money I bought (with the assistance of Frank Reid) a very
comfortable pair of breathables that fit a tiny bit large, but with the wide
belt Frank chose for me, I can 'bunch up' the excess fabric and make them
right. Its like the difference between a pair of shoes that are a half-size
too small, and a pair of sandals that are just perfect.

--riverman

Again, they are not kevlar waders. If I'd known you were gonna need
kevlar, I would have taken you down to Ft. Meade and had some custom
ones made up. How goes the shooting?

--
Frank Reid
Reverse Email to reply

"Frank Reid" wrote in message
...
The silver lining was that I got robbed in South Africa, and
with my insurance money I bought (with the assistance of Frank Reid) a
very
comfortable pair of breathables that fit a tiny bit large, but with the
wide
belt Frank chose for me, I can 'bunch up' the excess fabric and make
them
right. Its like the difference between a pair of shoes that are a
half-size
too small, and a pair of sandals that are just perfect.

--riverman

Again, they are not kevlar waders. If I'd known you were gonna need
kevlar, I would have taken you down to Ft. Meade and had some custom
ones made up. How goes the shooting?

--

LOL. The image of me walking around in Kevlar waders during a firefight is
almost as funny as the time I field-tested my new breatables prior to the
Denmark clave by sitting in an ice-cold bathtub for a half hour. Sheesh,
newbies.

The entire coup thing left as quick as it arrived. As of midmorning Saturday
(when I woke up after finally falling asleep at dawn), the fighting was only
taking place downtown in Gombe (the diplomat district) and at the 'beach'
(the dock with Brazzaville). The government troops arrested about 15
insurgents by lunch, and the streets were completely calm by tea time. Of
course, a lot of the insurgents just blended into the crowd. Yesterday was a
completely normal day, and today its like it never happened. Kabila is
having high-level meetings with his VPs, (one of whom was probably behind
the coup) and the military and Kabila are assuring the population that
keeping the peace is their absolute highest priority. About 500 troops are
on full alert. Folks at work (we got a day off) are chatting about how
cool/exciting/scary/bizarre/typical it all was, and how it might mean that
there will be more bumps in the road in the future, but mostly how
incredibly stupid and suicidal the insurgents were to attack a city with
5000 UN troops, 10000 loyalist troops and the focus of the world on it. My
next-door neighbor, who is the senior officer in charge of all UN flights
in/out of the country assured me that my family and I wouldn't have to wait
for an official evacuation notice to get hauled out any time there was real
danger.

--riverman

"Bill Kiene" wrote in
om:


Also, I don't see any waders other than Simms that are worth buying in
the US. Patagonia is still in the R&D catch-up mode with Simms
especially for fit. We got tired of closing out thousands of dollars
worth of redesigned waders every year that did not fit people well.

Apples to Apples, Bill. Sure, you get what you pay for, but not everyone
can get the top of the line Simms. How do the Freestones compare to the
rest of the $150 market?

Scott

"Scott Seidman" wrote in message
.4...
"Bill Kiene" wrote in
om:


Also, I don't see any waders other than Simms that are worth buying in
the US. Patagonia is still in the R&D catch-up mode with Simms
especially for fit. We got tired of closing out thousands of dollars
worth of redesigned waders every year that did not fit people well.

Apples to Apples, Bill. Sure, you get what you pay for, but not everyone
can get the top of the line Simms. How do the Freestones compare to the
rest of the $150 market?

I can't speak for all, but my Freestone waders fit *much* better than the others
(Cabelas, Hodgeman) I've tried.
--
TL,
Tim
------------------------
http://css.sbcma.com/timj

On Mon, 29 Mar 2004, Scott Seidman wrote:

Apples to Apples, Bill. Sure, you get what you pay for, but not everyone
can get the top of the line Simms. How do the Freestones compare to the
rest of the $150 market?

I purchased the Simms lightweights for $180 in 2003. Considering the
quality, I'd say it was actually rather inexpensive compared to my
previous waders ($130 for Orvis Clearwaters in 2000, and $160 for a pair
of Cabela's breathables back in the 1998).

Mu

Mu Young Lee wrote:
On Mon, 29 Mar 2004, Scott Seidman wrote:

Apples to Apples, Bill. Sure, you get what you pay for, but not everyone
can get the top of the line Simms. How do the Freestones compare to the
rest of the $150 market?


I purchased the Simms lightweights for $180 in 2003. Considering the
quality, I'd say it was actually rather inexpensive compared to my
previous waders ($130 for Orvis Clearwaters in 2000, and $160 for a pair
of Cabela's breathables back in the 1998).

A pair of waders is merely a necessary tool. I've never heard gear
whores bragging about how many pairs of waders they have. :-) I suppose
there's always a first time to look forward to. (I have two pair -- both
Simms -- one pair reconditioned at the factory, which acts as my backup
and loaner pair.)

My philosophy about buying tools is that I don't compromise on quality.
I may not buy the tool with all the fancy bells and whistles, but I
won't ever buy second best if I can help it. It's a false economy.

Nowadays, when it might cost $40 in gas, one way, to get to your fishing
destination, a pair of Simms waders seems like a bargain.

Apropos of waders, about a week ago in Jerry's Country Store in Lower
Stanley I saw a young steelhead fisherman wearing a brand new pair of
Simms waders and, over top of them, a pair of cheap rubber hip boots.
He'd forgotten to bring his wading boots. The guy was pretty cool
because he realized how ridiculous he looked. :-)

In article et,
says...

Apropos of waders, about a week ago in Jerry's Country Store in Lower
Stanley I saw a young steelhead fisherman wearing a brand new pair of
Simms waders and, over top of them, a pair of cheap rubber hip boots.
He'd forgotten to bring his wading boots. The guy was pretty cool
because he realized how ridiculous he looked. :-)


I've done that before. Fortunately there were no witnesses.

Kevin