Leeson’s bold statement comes from an issue that was dedicated to celebrating our own anniversary, and the significant changes in our sport that occurred along the way. It was our way of saying, “We’ve come a long way, baby.”

Interestingly, the story “50 Most Influential Fly Fishers” ignited a firestorm of controversy. Countless emails, and letters, and Internet posts argued that we’d left someone important off the list, or that someone on the list shouldn’t be there. Everyone had a different opinion.

However, not one person argued with Ted Leeson’s thesis that breathable waders were the most important equipment advancement in our lifetimes. Fire helped primitive humans survive brutal weather, expand their range on different continents, and become the apex predator on this planet. In our time, breathable waders have made us more comfortable, happier, able to spend more hours, days, and seasons on the water. They helped us catch more fish with a whole lot less discomfort for more of the year. 

Simms manufactured that first pair of breathable waders in 1993 using a breathable membrane from W.L. Gore, and within five years, neoprene waders were just a relic of the past. Today, Simms, Patagonia, Orvis, Grudéns, Skwala, Redington, Chota, and many other companies sell breathable waders using either the Gore-Tex brand or an alternative breathable membrane. The successful introduction of a wader that keeps water out, but actively passes water vapor to the outside—even while underwater—has truly revolutionized our sport.

The Stone Age

If you’ve taken up fly fishing within the last 20 years, you likely only know a world of breathable waders. You don’t remember the “before times” of rubber bootfoot waders. They were heavy, likely to drown you if you took a spill, and uncomfortable to walk in. The rubber didn’t react kindly to ultraviolet radiation and cracked in the sun. You could use patches from a bicycle tire repair kit to cover the cracked areas, but you were constantly fighting a losing battle.

Neoprene waders replaced rubber waders, and dominated the fly-fishing market in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They had some advantages over rubber waders in that they added some buoyancy, and since they were also stretchy, they didn’t have to be as cavernous. In fact, they were quite form fitting, which was not flattering for the body types of many fishermen. You might say they were a precursor to the yoga pants of today, except they were made from 3.5 or 5mm neoprene with glued and taped waterproof seams. To continue the yoga analogy, neoprene waders were the equivalent of “hot yoga” or your own portable Native American sweat lodge. In a day of walking and fishing, the neoprene would catch all the moisture coming from your body, and turn the inside of the waders into a soupy mess.

It didn’t matter if neoprene waders leaked or not: At the end of the day your clothes were wet. Even people who believed they didn’t sweat much ended up soggy, because in normal conditions, you don’t notice the warm moist air coming from your skin. But when it’s trapped in a cocoon of neoprene, it turns to liquid. At the end of the day you could turn neoprene waders inside out and dry them, but after a summer of sweating cycles, the inside of those waders would start to stink like a set of gym clothes you used for 60 days without washing. It was horrendous. There had to be a better way.

How it Happened

K.C. Walsh fell in love with fly fishing and with Montana when he was 12 years old. His grandparents rented...