Simms Warranty

[Flatsix]

Just a product endorsement.

Last couple of times that I wore my waders, I noticed leaks here and there. I tried to fix them myself but the seams were starting to leak. I'm headed to BC next month to fish and needed dry waders. I sent them to Simms and got them back 3 weeks later with all the pinholes patched, new shoulder straps and the crotch seams reinforced for $50.00. I should be good to go for another couple of years.

Thanks Simms!

[teejay]

They took care of me when one of my boots developed a problem.

[Papasequoia]

I hope it works out as well for me. I just sent in my first pair of waders ever. There was a big leak on the left leg, calf area. I sprayed it with alcohol and had no leaks show, but kind of a smudge looking area near the seam. Covered it with Aquaseal and the leak was gone. However, later in the day the other leg started leaking - badly. Where the waders bunch up there were some creases, it appears that just from walking and having these creases rub against each other a huge crack opened up in two different spots. I had never seen anything like it - nor had Mike. Has anyone else? The waders aren't that old, a year or two at most and hadn't leaked before. However, first a seam leak and then this weird leak that appeared to be more of a fabric failure than anything else.

Anyway, I got this message by email from Simms a few days ago:

"Thank you for utilizing the Simms Online Repair Center. Your Simms product/s has been received and evaluated. Our Repair Technicians have determined that the product you've returned for evaluation meets the criteria for our "First Repair Is On Us" policy. The repairs performed are being made at no charge."

First time I have heard of a "first repair is on us" policy. I would have thought that ANY defect would be covered no matter how many times it took to repair (or new waders). I guess I'll see what they do, but since these didn't have any holes in them caused by anything I did (branches, thorns, etc.) and since the holes (seam and crease) were already fixed by me before sending them in, I sure hope they do the right thing.

[NorcalBob]

I've had lots of creases develop into wear spots and eventually fail. A pretty common problem, especially with one specific wader brand (not Simms!). Simms does indeed have a policy of first repair free, even if the problem is caused by yourself. And yes, the warranty is lifetime on defects, but does not cover usage problems (like you putting a hole in your waders!). Simms has fixed all my seam and bootie leaks for free (several times on one old pair) and they charge a very reasonable fee for patching up user induced holes!

[clee]

Simms does indeed have a policy of first repair free, even if the problem is caused by yourself. And yes, the warranty is lifetime on defects, but does not cover usage problems (like you putting a hole in your waders!).

Actually that's what they say but I wasn't charged for fixing this:


All I paid was shipping. I spoke with one of the guys at Simms, as there was some miscommunication with Simms to Marriotts to me and he told me they wanted to do a complete overhaul of my late 90s era guide waders so it would pass the Simms standards. They wanted to change out the stockings and other stuff but due to the age of my waders they could only do what they could which was patching the hole and pinhole leaks. I was fine with that as I was used to some coldness on my waders but I was never wet. Simms wanted to make them bulletproof again but it wasn't possible. I was cool with that.

I have I believe 5 pairs of Simms and I absolutely love them. Years ago I had a chota POS wader that I bought for duck season that flooded on the very first outing. Luckily it was early season and still warm. Also luckily I bought them on sale from Cabelas and they took the return. Never again will I go with another wader.

[Wildman]

I had my Simms Blackfoot waders replaced after four years use. They told me they had some problems with the seams. They upgraded me to the next G series waders. I'm very pleased with their warranty service.

[Papasequoia]

I've had lots of creases develop into wear spots and eventually fail. A pretty common problem, especially with one specific wader brand (not Simms!).

Well, these waders weren't really old enough or worn enough to have creases develop into wear spots (imo anyway). These were so big and gaping, neither I nor Mike had ever seen anything like it. I wore my last pair of Simms for like 5-6 years and they never had creases develop into cracks/tears like these did. I never had to send them in for repairs - however, I did an awful lot of repairs on my own over the years.





These much newer waders that I just sent in hadn't even had a pinprick leak fixed, they had been pristine until first the seam and then the crease started leaking. I don't know, I guess only time will tell once I get them back.

[BrownBear]

Long ago (yeah, in a land far away) I was mixed up with a factory producing Goretex products for the military. They'd get in these massive rolls of fabric (around 3' in diameter and 10' long), usually 6 at a time. They had developed this big machine for leak-testing every square inch of fabric on every roll. Basically load the roll on one end, feed it into the machine for testing and out the other side where it was rolled up again. Can't guess how many $100k's they had in that machine.

But they had to do it because of milspec for their products and because they'd get bum fabric now and then from Goretex. Better to find the bum fabric BEFORE manufacturing something from it than to endure the cost, then recover from Goretex.

Long and short, they had a * of a fight with Goretex when they first put in the machine. Eventually it was worked out that any roll that didn't pass their tests went back to Goretex for replacement.

Only reason for the shaggy dog story from the history books is to wonder if Simms has any similar setup. I know they seam test after a build, but I'm not sure how effective that would be for detecting pinholes in a bum run of fabric.

[NorcalBob]

I've never seen the crease problem on Simms waders, but Chris did a pair of <name redacted> waders in 90 days. Started creasing and wearing days after getting them, and then eventually developed huge cracks and failed. Since then, <name redacted> redesigned the way they put the waders together and never had the same problem again.

[meb]

I just sent off a pair of Patagonia waders for repair, that I originally bought as a backup to my Simms. On my last trip one of boots filled with water each day. I didn't even bother looking for leaks because I assume there is something in the boot. We'll see how they handle it.

My next waders will be custom Simms because none of their sizes fit me very well. I have short legs and big feet, so I end up with large or extra large waders to accommodate my feet, but the waders come up to my neck and they are baggy which creates lots of creases.

MB