Simms Flyweight Packable Waders. The Most Packable Waders Ever Made? | Andrew Harding

Where I live and fish, Wellington, has some of the gnarliest angling terrain in the country – the Tararua Ranges make South Island River valleys looked like paved roads! So it was with much enthusiasm when Simms announced the new Flyweight Packable waders. I initially thought I had been sent the wrong package as when the courier delivered them, they were residing in the top portion of my letterbox… where letters go!

Having tried virtually every iteration of Simms waders over the past few decades, I had high expectations and wasn’t disappointed. A typical backcountry day in the capital consists of a gruelling 3-hour climb, up – then down to reach these isolated headwaters.  This is steep country, where pulling yourself up the twisted roots by hand is the norm. Walking into these rivers in waders is simply not feasible… until now…

On the exterior, the Flyweights appear to look like any other Simms waders, but just picking them up you soon realise they are MUCH lighter than the equivalent models at a smidge over a kilogram in weight. This means the Flyweights are easily packable into your typical day pack, how I like to fish where possible. Heck, you could even shoe-horn these into the rear pocket of a vest!

The second thing you’ll notice is the adjustable suspender system. As a designer of more than 30 years, I appreciate clever touches, and this system is brilliant! It allows for the waders to transition from a full chest wader to waist wader for those hot days in seconds – simply pulling the top down, cascades the torso along the non-slip, rubberised strips on the straps all the way to the waist – perfect for those -5 degree starts that transition to 30-degree stonkers on the Central Plateau in summer! Rolled waders can be cumbersome and fiddly to fasten, so this innovation is excellent.

There is also an internal drawstring for cinching the waders to further wear in pants or chest configuration in conjunction with the included elasticated wading belt, further adding to the ability to lock out any water should you take a spill, a hugely important and often overlooked safety feature.

The Flyweight waders conveniently pack into their own front pouch (they also come with their own roll-top compression sack), again, saving on precious space when travelling, or in my case chucking in the campervan for spur-of-the-moment road trips where every inch of space is at a premium – I can see these also being chucked under the seat on my Vespa for those quick summer missions 40mins away. I can’t reiterate enough how small they pack down, taking up about the same amount of space as a typical rain jacket! The articulation and mobility from the Flyweight’s cut is typically Simms, and hard to fault. If there is one thing Simms have nailed consistently over the years – it’s their wader sizing and cut, they simply get it right. The chest clips are similar in style to the G3 series, low profile, non-pinching, and most importantly non-line catching!

I can recall selling ski jackets featuring Toray fabric as an alternative to Gore-Tex when working in a ski shop in the mid 90’s. It has always been a highly regarded fabric in the ski industry, cementing itself over the decades as a premium waterproof fabric for outdoor activities that still require a high level of breathability and durability. The upper torso comprises 2.5 layer Toray with 4 layer Toray Quadralam on the legs that come up a little higher in the torso than traditional Simms waders – I really like this feature – it helps a lot when punching through riverside blackberry bushes, it’s the same fabric used on the Freestone wader series that have proven themselves across tens of thousands of anglers worldwide. Toray Quadralam is extremely durable and really defies the diminutive weight of the waders – running your hands over them it’s hard to believe how small they compress down to, all the while not feeling overly different to a standard pair of G3’s.

The Flyweights feature an embossed, 1mm neoprene foot, and feature the integrated elasticated gravel guards carried over from the G4 style which I love in a micro-ripstop fabric – no more boot clips to rip off, or damaged fly lines. The low volume foot allows for use with not just wading boots, but also wading shoes. With a planned trip to the tropics on the cards, these will also be an excellent wader for saltwater flats work and repelling all things “stingy” in the ocean!

Breathability is excellent as you’d expect This is the wader you want for shoulder season work, but especially through the summer months when deep water, sandflies, sunburn and in my case, a massive fear of Eels means a big NO to wet wading for me! It’s great to see Simms innovating and catering to those of us who like to travel light.