Waders leak. Generally I’m lucky if a pair lasts a season. LaCrosse gets special mention, because their Brush-Tuff Extreme waders have lasted me two seasons of hard hunting. The only other pair that comes close to that is an old set of Cabela’s Super Magnums, but I had to return two sets of those before getting a pair that didn’t leak in the crotch, but I digress. My one and only pair of these bomb-proof LaCrosse waders have worn well.
The 5mm neoprene is fleece lined, which is nice indeed, especially if you’re in a jam and only wearing boxer shorts underneath...long story. Most notable, above the ankle where the leg meets the boot, LaCrosse has designed a gasket-like cuff. You will either love this or hate it. On the love side, it keeps your foot firmly in the boot and because it's snug, I believe it keeps your feet warmer. On the hate side, unless you wear wader pants, which I don’t, it can jam up a pair of jeans pretty good and makes putting them on an operation. But once they’re on, they’re great. The seams are double stitched and the knees have what LaCroose calls “bi-directional facing” for reinforcement and puncture resistance. I’ve seen some complaints online that they have a leak problem near the pocket , but my pair is rock solid. My model came with an 800g boot, but this year they upped it to 1600g. At $290 they’re not cheap, but they may very well last three seasons or more.
