Any experience with these? Will only use them 2 or 3 times a year flyfishing in the smokies.

Wish one could tell you, but it's a crapshoot. Some of my best have been the cheapest, and the absolute worst the most expensive.

Its weird works that way. I used to love Simms but lately not happy with the quality for the price point. I had a pair of 80 dollar Allen waders and they never leaked

I bought a pair of waist high breathable stocking foot waders from BP IIRC the White River label on sale for $99 and they have worked fine for me. I am somewhat limited in choices by being large and having a size 14 foot but I have had no complaints about these waders.

For a couple times a year you'll do fine with the house brands. I've had bad luck years ago with them and Cabelas was great at replacing them but that didn't do me much good on an Alaska trip! Simms have gotten expensive but they're the longest lasting I've had. I really like the waist highs.

I agree on getting by with the cheap stuff if you are only going to use them a little bit. But if you are small (especially in the case of kids) better waders cut narrower are much safer. Here we deal with lots of fast water and kids do not have the mass to hold themselves down when big flaps of oversize wader are involved.

Also, the entry level Simms are the only ones I really find a good deal. They seem to last as long as the very high end and are more comfortable for me. I always have at least two waders ready to go and sometimes more and replace them every couple years (one at a time) and it works for me.

Orvis waders at one time were a terrible joke, but a few guides I know have started wearing them and speak very highly of them.

I got lucky on a pair of Cabelas premiums a while back. A local fisheries field biologist swore by them, and my experience echoed his.

But the new ones don't seem to be made nearly as ruggedly as my at least 10 year old pair. Which just this year finally developed a small leak. I'd say there's something like 250 days of use in them, so it was money well spent. But that puts me in your wading boots - what to replace them with?

Same as above, had an old pair of Cabelas Cordura boot foot waders and those were great, held up to barbed wire and oyster shells better than anything other than the black commercial ones that seem like they weigh 80lbs. But Cabelas is not what it used to be, for your use closet rot may be the biggest issue and you should get a couple of years use with even the cheaper waders. You may have to re-seal the seams, but sometimes this is necessary on better waders too. My complaint with the cheaper ones is the neoprene foot is usually a poorly fitted over sized sock and can be uncomfortable. The better waders have sized and fitted feet that are far more comfortable.

If you are using them rarely, then a neoprene with bootfoot (duck hunting) would be my choice. More durable than breathable models.

I've had two pair. The first pair failed and started leaking in just a few months. They replaced them and the second pair didn't even last as long as the first pair. I consider Cabelas waders to be junk and will never buy another pair from them. LLBean's were a little better, but only made it a little over a year. I finally bit the bullet and bought Simms. They are great and in the long run I would have been ahead to just bought them in the first place. I wouldn't hesitate to by Patigonia either.

Simms is the way to go. Buy once cry once.

It's looking like my experience mirrors some others here. I have a pair of Cabela's neoprene with the built-in boot that has to be 14 or 15 years old. A bit clumsy, not terrible. But the are seriously tough! So much blackberry here.. It's a part of every trip. No leaks yet but The rubber boots are finally starting to crack just from age I think.
I'll probably end up replacing them with the same