Alaska guides almost exclusively use Simms and the serious ones have at least two waders they use alternately so any leaks can be repaired with another wader ready to go. Generally they replace them every year. Some get surprising life out of a single wader and others, not so much.
I had a wader several years ago that finally died after six or seven years of heavy use. The first leaks were the only leaks. They were entry level Simms nylon waders (Streamborn)! I have also had several top end Simms fail completely in a year. All but the entry level ones are Gore-Tex and differ mainly in number of layers and options. The better ones run close to a grand...
After a number of Orvis waders I find them a pretty sad joke. Most are made like 400 pound old guys need to get them on and most leak from the first time they are used. They are nylon, not Gore-Tex and not nearly as good, IMO.
