The main thing attracting interest in the new Pro Guide² wader is the price. Despite all the new features – the chest-high pocket, the attached gravel guards, dual position waist belt, and the flip out inside chest pocket, to name a few – what people are really noticing is that, for a price just $10 more than last year, there are so many new features on this year’s Pro Guide² wader. Astute customers are also noticing that comparable waders on the market are $186 more expensive. The second thing folks notice about the Pro Guide² wader, especially since they’re hanging at eye level in stores and dealers, are the sculpted Hypalon® booties. They just look like they’d fit. And they do.

If this were May 1st and all those people who were admiring our waders in the store were actually out fishing, hiking-in to their favorite spots over deadfalls and debris washed down from the spring thaw, enjoying the long days and prolific hatches of spring, what all those people would be raving about would be the superior comfort and durability of this new wader.

The comfort starts with the feet. We’re not the first to make a shaped bootie. But just because a bootie is shaped like a foot doesn’t mean it fits your foot like a cotton sock. It takes lots of research to develop a shape that matches 99.9% of foot shapes out there. We put the best field and lab data to work on the design for our feet. And, since Orvis offers more size options than any other manufacturer–12 different foot size and body type options for people with foot sizes 7-13, 5’ 5" to 6’ 5" in height, from 130lbs to 260lbs in weight–we can guarantee you’ll find a bootie that matches yours, comfortably without bunching in your wading shoe or squeezing your big toe.

When the guides who’ve field tested this wader rave about comfort, they’re talking about overall comfort, not just comfortable feet. The Pro Guide² wader fits the shape of the whole body. The knees are articulated. They’re tailored for movement, sewn to accommodate a leg in motion. The wader moves with you rather than you moving inside the wader and dragging the wader along. That makes for a trim-fitting wader. But it also makes for a safe wader: standing mid-stream, there’s less there for the current to tug on making wading easier and safer.

And, again, since we offer more size options than any other company, you’ll find the right combination of leg length and volume to fit your frame. Just in case, we added dual position wader belt tunnels so you can position the wader at your natural waist whether that particular spot is closer to your knees or nearer your chest. The guides who field tested the Pro Guide² are also raving about the wader’s durability. High wear areas on the front of the lower leg and on the seat are made of a five-layer No-Sweat fabric that includes two layers of tightly woven polyester microfiber. Where you’d be twice as likely to do damage to a wader you’re doubly protected. What most distinguishes the Orvis Pro Guide² wader – more than the incredible price for a 5-layer wader, more than the superior comfort, more than the thoughtful features – is that it’s durable AND breathable AND functional. It’s everything you and legions of professional guides need in a wader.