Can you swim in waders?

no waders for me unless im surf fishing - scared the shit out of myself in a river a couple years back fishing solo - casually walking the stream in knee high water and then stepped into a hole shoulder deep - initially i panicked a bit then just let the river take me to a shallower spot where i could regain my composure.  NOT FUN.

and why even bother with the waders in the first place?

For me, the choice initially was based on the fact that I already had a pair of waders and only would need a paddle top to match it with. Is this the BEST solution to kayak fishing? Maybe not. Is it a reasonable, low cost option? When using the equipment properly, as it was designed...sure. I'm comfortable on the ocean, on lakes and on large and small rivers. YMMV

PS- I don't like wetsuits at all. But I'll be replacing my wader/paddle top combo with a dry suit soon. My wife decided that being safe, warm and dry was worth the investment. Funny how it took a while for her to get there though??? There aren't many shorts and t-shirt days in the PNW and a dry suit will work in anything else.

Jay

Waders are really scary, until you try them out. As long as you wear a PFD and a dry top I don't think it's dangerous. I used them for a few years and even after swimming in the big blue the most I ever got was a trickle.

As far as using them in a river, I've got no clue but have a hunch it's a world of difference.

In the pic that guy's wearing a splash top which is nothing more than a fancy windbreaker.

Z

Waders full of water only hamper your ability to swim, not float. If you have a pfd on and a set of waders full of water you will float in calm water. If there is a current that forces you under and you need to swim (river, surf conditions, strong ocean current, etc) you're screwed.

If your waders fill with water, the water inside the waders is not any more or less dense than the water outside, so it is neutrally buoyant. What it will do is add a ton of squishy weight all along your torso and legs making it impossible to swim or pull yourself up out of the water.

I think some people have this false sense that as soon as water rushes into your waders that it has some mystic quality that forces it to run for the bottom of the lake/ocean/river. In fact, it takes current to move water, and the weight of water gives it a lot of inertia. So if you're cruising through rapids with waders full of water you're not going to bob like a cork. When you go under, you'll stay under longer than you would without that extra weight in your waders. If you're not wearing a pfd you may not come back up at all.

Like a couple others on the board, I've been flipped while wearing chest waders. I had a waist belt on, dry top, and pfd. I was in 50 fow in a stiff current in the Carquinez Strait, but it was not a swirling/sucking current. The wake from a passing car carrier flipped me. I righted my boat and re-boarded. I ended up with about 1 qt of water in my waders. One thing I did notice was the extra bit of weight from that 1 qt of water. It didn't slow me down, but I knew it was there. If my waders were full, I would have had to strip my waders to re-board. BUT, with a waist belt, pfd, and dry top, I can't imagine a scenario where my waders would have time to fill unless I was unconscious or my boat sank out from under me leaving me in the water for a long time.

If you suffer a catastrophic failure and your boat sinks out from under you, and you have to swim a long distance to safety then waders are going to suck, or worse.

I now wear the Kokatat "wader style" Tempest paddle pants. In my mind they are a great compromise. They seal against me way better than regular waders, and are way more comfortable than a wetsuit. However, I know that if I ever lose my boat out from under me and have to swim a long distance, eventually they will take on water. I've thought about it, and I'm good with the trade off. 

Having experienced a catastrophic kayak failure, I'm damn glad that I wasn't wearing waders. I was able to self rescue after pumping out my boat for 15 minutes in 50 degree water. Not sure if I could have accomplished that with waders. If I was unable to pump out my boat, it would have been easy to swim to shore. With waders on? I doubt it.