Besides an oiled up Remington 870, the most important piece of gear any waterfowl hunter could have is a good set of waders. The wrong waders can ruin a hunt, and leave you wet, cold, and disorganized. Although picking the right pair of waders is as tough as picking the right call, shotgun, or camo; there are just too many options and most of them will work just fine. This season, TideWe was nice enough to send me a pair of their DeepWade Waders, so I thought I would write a short article about how they held up this year and help out anyone who might think they are the waders for them.
While TideWe did send me these waders for free, I was not paid to write an article about them, much less a positive article about them. For me, ragging on these waders or saying they are the best in the industry makes no difference. However, I will go ahead and say that there wasn’t a whole lot to hate about these waders, and I had an overall positive experience using them this year. Let’s look into the specifics.
TLDR; Are They Any Good?
The TideWe DeepWade Waders performed exceptionally well for me this duck season. They are very warm, and they are built to put up with a lot of abuse. These waders have plenty of pockets and shell holders, and are highly adjustable. You get what you pay for, and these waders are not cheap.
Although if you want quality gear that you don’t have to replace in a couple of years, I suggest giving the TideWe DeepWade Waders a serious look. They are new to the market and currently run around $500. You can check them out on TideWe’s website, or keep reading here for my experience with them this year.
Materials & Build Quality
Something that is apparent out of the box is that these TideWe DeepWade Waders are built to be durable. We will get into the actual build materials and specs, but they really feel good in the hand and feel like they will last. Something that makes them last even longer and that I don’t think gets enough light is the fact that these waders have additional material around the areas that are most likely to get holes.
Spots like the knees and shins often get briar tears, and that material continues down and covers the boot. The point where the waders meet the boot is also a popular place for failure, so I am happy to see some extra material there. The rear also has additional material on it, which is a good thing considering all of those Little Debbie’s you ate during deer season.
As for the actual materials, the outside of these waders is made of water resistant and abrasion resistant nylon. It goes without saying that nylon is tough, but look at me, saying it. On top of that, you also get a completely waterproof and windproof coating, which of course is the point of wearing waders. These waders still manage to be breathable, and the lining on the inside is fairly soft.
The zippers are impressive, as exaggerated as that may sound. These waders have YKK AquaSeal zippers that are super easy to work, and I haven’t been able to get any water through them, even on purpose. There are plenty of zippers on these waders, and they are all built with the same great quality.
All of these features come together to make a durable pair of waders that keep you exceptionally warm. If you wear a basic set of waders like I did before these, you will definitely be able to wear less layers in the blind than you did last season. The boots are also extremely warm, but I will save that for its own section all together.
The Fit
The first thing I noticed about the TideWe DeepWade Waders when I started using them is how the main zipper on the front makes it so easy to get in and out of them. If you’re like me, you have struggled to get into a tight pair of waders at five in the morning and eventually decided that you didn’t care that your pants rolled up a bit on the way in. Well, these waders are not nearly as hard to get into, and that zipper is extremely waterproof.
You can get these waders in a boot size 7 all the way up to 14, and the chest is highly adjustable. The sides up around the arms have zippers that you can work to make the chest larger or smaller. Along that and the shoulder straps themselves, you should be able to get a good fit. Although if the waders are still a little puffy on you, TideWe includes a belt that is made to go around them that cinches down the mid section. They even included some shot shell holders that you can add onto the belt!
All and all, these waders will fit the majority of hunters. There is plenty of room for bigger hunters, and everything tightens up nicely for smaller hunters too. The boots also fit well, and I would say they are true to size. Although if you are usually between sizes, I would go for the smaller size.
Chest Pockets & Accessories
Every good piece of hunting gear needs a lot of pockets, and these TideWe DeepWade Waders fit the bill! They have two pockets on the front of the chest with waterproof zippers that are good for holding things that you use often. They also have two pockets on the inside of the chest that you can put something like a phone in. To keep you a bit warmer while you sit there waiting for ducks before daylight, there is a pocket on each side that sits at a natural level for where you would want to leave your hands. Those pockets are also lined with fleece, and of course have waterproof zippers.
Besides pockets, these waders also have a few shell holders. You get six shells on the chest, but if you use the belt and shell holders that come with it, you can hold an extra eight shells for a total of fourteen. Just make sure that if you are going to use those shells that you aren’t submerging them in water while you are putting out decoys or retrieving ducks.
Of course, you also have tabs on the bottom of each shoulder strap to hang a duck hanger or calls from. I usually clip my duck hanger here when I am wading out in the middle of the pond, one less thing to hold on to! In the box, you will also get a couple of other accessories like a waterproof phone holder, and a useful strap you can use to hang your waders up with.
The Boots
The boots on the TideWe DeepWade Waders are fairly good. At first glance, you can see that they are thick and built to withstand some abuse while you tromp through ice and the swamp. They are also going to keep you plenty warm with 1600 grams of Thinsulate insulation! It is always easy to see those numbers and say “oh yeah, that is probably warm” but let me tell you, after wearing these waders for a while, my feet were warmer than they have ever been in a duck swamp.
In the box, you will also get two sole inserts for the boots. They are easy to fit in there, and they are pretty comfortable. The boots overall are comfortable, and they are also anti-slip like you would expect them to be. They also have an aggressive tread on them, which makes walking in the mud a bit easier in my opinion. All and all, these boots are solid and I was definitely impressed with them.
Are They Worth The Price?
TideWe isn’t known for making super expensive gear like Sitka, Kuiu or a number of other brands nowadays, but they have been making good gear since 2017. Usually, their gear is a bit more affordable, but that also comes with less features by default. Although this year, they aimed to make a set of waders that out competes the rest and still costs less than the flagship brands. Comparing all the features, TideWe made a set of waders that are similar to $1000 offerings by companies like Sitka or Kuiu for half the price.
So yeah, these $500 waders are not cheap at first glance, but considering what they are, they are cheaper than the competition. While I am not sure they are right for the casual hunter that only needs waders a few times a year, they could be the perfect choice for a hunter that regularly finds themselves in water who needs a nice set of waders that doesn’t cost more than the rest of their gear combined.
Thank you for reading my article! I hope you enjoyed it, and if you have any questions or feedback, please send me an email at [email protected]. If you want to learn more about me or Omega Outdoors, visit my About Page. Otherwise, I hope you have a great day, and check out some of my other articles while you’re here!