Wader Belts

[Garlicmarshmellow]

I always use a wader belt as do my kids. Safety first plus it holds the waders up more so they don't pull on my shoulders. They are a must in my opinion just as any form of eyewear is. My question is about those wider wader belts like the fish pond or the umqua belts. Do they seem to help with back pain. The older I get the more back pain I get while wading. I've read about all the excercise and stuff that but I'm wondering since I wear a belt anyways, are those belts worth investing in. Changed from a vest to a sling and that seemed to helped quite a lot.

[Dielbo]

A water belt is a necessity for any of our deeper/faster rivers and streams. I tried to "jump~float" from one underwater boulder to another on one of the creeks (maybe Shunda or Dutch) in the Upper Oldman system once. The flow pushed me past my intended landing zone and I went for a dunking up to my face-level. Definitely over the top of the waders. I had a belt on and very little water made it in. They were the old-style Cabela's nylon+pvc kind. I would have been in some serious trouble without a belt as I was fishing alone.

I cringe when I see people wading without one on the Bow. It's a great river for getting blown off your feet.

Note: I'm not sure about a wider belt. The logic behind them in other applications is to support proper form and stabilize internal structure. I don't think you would get that benefit from a fishpond or Simms, as they are not designed for it nor are they stiff enough.

I'm eating older too and have to consider issues like this while wading. I don't have back pain but I do have some balance issues from a neck injury (and spinal fusion operation). I think picking wader boots can be very important when you have issues like us.

Maybe investigate an orthotic or new boots that give you the best posture and support you can get. A physiotherapist or a chiropractor could probably tell you what to look for. For me, I made sure to avoid the new lug sole ones as they are just too slippery. I got some with felt + cleats (studs) for maximum traction after my old Orvis ones blew up mid-stream.


https://imgur.com/gallery/fcjMw90

[kilgoretrout]

That was one good thing about the old neoprene sauna/weight-loss models as long as you had a belt on they would float you down the river.......