Regardless of budget, most fly fishers do their due diligence when shopping for waders. After all, no one wants to be wet. The right pair of waders at the right price will give you peace of mind as you spend seasons on the water. For some that price reaches well over $500. However, there is one simple step that you can take that will make budget waders great or cause frustration with premium waders.
What are you wearing underneath?
Many anglers have very nice waders. Yet they settle for wearing not so nice clothing under them. You can wear jeans under your waders, but it isn’t recommended. Cotton sweats are comfortable, but they’re also not a great idea. The wrong material will bunch in the wrong places, inhibit that breathable technology that makes waders work, and generally cause temperature or flexibility issues. In fact, many “leaks” are simply sweat getting trapped in creased fabric.
Any well-made wool or synthetic base layer will perform better than old sweats or your favorite blue jeans. But there are also some pants that have been specifically designed for under-wader wear, or situations a lot like it.
The recently released Whitewater Luswea Jogger was built for open water anglers who needed something comfortable and breathable to wear under their rainproof pants or bibs. In a lot of ways, the rigors of maneuvering around a boat is just as demanding as active wading. The conditions on windy and rainy lakes are often more extreme than anglers experience on foot. Consequently, the Luswea Jogger is a great option for fly fishers to pair with their waders.
The fleece will wick moisture and provide the kind of warmth needed when fishing in the spring or fall. A stretchy, water-resistant membrane means the pants move well and shouldn’t pill up with use. An antimicrobial treatment is beneficial for a garment being worn as a layer, and helps when you might need it a few days in a row. These are all pretty standard features on contemporary performance clothing. There are a couple more design elements that make these pants from Whitewater especially useful:
One of the biggest comfort concerns with pants under waders is that the material around the ankles either bunches up or slides up as you put your waders on. The jogger style might not be your preferred fashion, but having an elasticized cuff holds the pants at your ankle. This means you don’t have a “cold spot” on your leg and you also avoid a clump of fabric above your calf.
A small convenience is the drawstring design. The pants have an elastic waist, but also utilize a drawstring. Over the course of a day, this will help keep everything where it ought to be. Whitewater added a pass-through slot in the front so you can thread the drawstring through the outside or inside of your pants. This might not seem like a big deal, but if you decide to wear the pants by themselves to grab dinner after a day on the river, it is nice to have the strings tucked away and not dangling.
Lastly, the pockets have been thoughtfully constructed. Again, this seems like a small detail. But small details matter when you’ve worn and found flaws with dozens of outdoor garments. The front pockets are shallow, which means that as you walk or crouch you won’t have a pinched set of keys or wallet on the top of your thigh. A side pocket is secure and deep enough for a phone, which you can easily access if you are wearing bibs or some other shell.
All said, the Luswea Jogger is a comfortable option to wear under waders or other waterproof layers. They don’t look like pajama pants, so you could easily go from the boat launch to the bar. And priced under $100, they are very competitive with other pants in the same market. Put together with conventional anglers in mind, fly fishers and hunters would both do well to consider them for their next season.
Learn more about the Luswea Jogger and other great clothing essentials for the water on the Whitewater website.
Have a specific question about the pants? Let me know.