Month: February 2014

Redington Sonic Pro women’s waders

“Winner of multiple awards, including the Best Women Specific product at the International Fly Tackle Dealer show and Fly Fisherman Magazines 2012 Gear Guide “New and Notable” in the Wader category“

The first thought when pulling them out of the box, was they looked cool. It is what it is: these waders looked stylish and were immediately appealing to look at.

Now to try them on…

I am 5’9″ and weigh 135-140 lbs (It fluctuates depending on how much pizza and fast food I consumed during my last fishing trip, and then how much hiking around I did to burn some of it off). I am open about my weight for two reasons: One– I don’t care. And two– How are women looking for waders supposed to get an idea of how they will fit, if they don’t get an honest body type from the person reviewing them?

With that said, I have the Sonic-Pro’s in a size Medium Long, and they fit great. What I like about the sizing for these, is the wide variety of size options. Not every female angler is the same size. Who knew?

Low-down on the features:

• They are a “flattering fit”, as they say on the actual product description, and the Long’s give me plenty of room to bend and kneel down to tail a fish or lace up my boots.
• I have not had a reason to use the front zipper. I can see why men would find it useful, but for women, we still need to pull the waders down to do our business anyway, so it’s more of an aesthetic appeal to me.
• The low waist-band style is unique. The wading belt sits on your lower waist/hips, versus around your waist at the belly button. It’s a personal preference to how you like to wear your wading belt, but I have found that I end up taking the belt out of the loops and synching it on my natural waist, because it is simply more comfortable for me that way. Again, the look of it is appealing, and if that is what Redington was going for, it works. I have yet to see another pair of women’s waders out there that have the same low-waist feature.
• The color is a good all-around tan with black and teal accents. No complaints there. Plain enough to blend in with the rest, but subtle feminine details to add a nice touch.
• There are two water-proof zipper pockets on the exterior of the wader for storing fly boxes and whatever else you need. The downside for me is: There is not an interior pocket, which for me is crucial for storing items you don’t want the chance of slipping out and keeping a little more secure by being inside of the waders.
• The zipper pockets for the hands is a nice feature, because you can zip them up if you aren’t using them to prevent water from getting in.
• The booties are nice and warm and are big enough for my size 9.5 feet (the Medium regular has smaller booties- FYI)

DURABILITY: (I highlight this one, because I think this is by far the most important feature in waders) As someone who has yet to even “float” a river for steelhead, I have had to bushwhack my way through just about everything to find a place to fish. I have slid down muddy embankments, hiked up rocks, used my legs and arms to push my way through unforgiving shrubs/trees/branches– you name it, I have probably tried to rip my gear on it. These waders have surprisingly stood up to all of those trials so far. That’s impressive.

I have had these waders for almost a year now, and I have yet to find a major issue with them.

At a retail price of $379.95, I feel they are comparable– if not less expensive– than most of the other women’s waders on the market today, and they are by far the best wader Redington has made for women so far.

Check out Redingon’s website for more details.