Patagonia’s flagship waders certainly look the business but do they cut the mustard on the river bank? Allan Shephard finds out.

If I’m perfectly honest waders are not my favourite bit of kit, that said today’s lightweight breathable fabrics are a quantum leap on from the sweaty PVC waders and weighty neoprenes of yesteryear.  Sooner or later all waders will leak – you try your best to put this moment off for as long as possible but barbed wire, thorns and extended use will probably be their downfall. One option is to treat them as a disposable item and buy a cheap pair. The problem with this they are really never as comfortable and you loose out on clever design features and breathability of the fabric. Leaky waders can be repaired easily provided you don’t have a large tear – these are best left to the experts to deal with.

So it was with great interest that I put on these new Patagonia waders, the promise being that they would provide comfort and durability at an upper mid range price.