Hodgman Waders and Wading Shoes

Who Hodgman is

Hodgman is one of the oldest names in waders, and the start date depends on whom you ask. Wikipedia's article on waders says the first manufactured waders were made as early as the 1850s by a company called Hodgman. A book on the history of American waders carries "Hodgman 1838 to date" in its title. I could not open a primary source for either date, so I am not choosing one. Today the brand is sold by Pure Fishing, which lists Hodgman among its brands and shows five Hodgman wading products on its collection page.

That short list matters for how you shop. A century-old name can sit on a very thin current range, and on Amazon US that is what we see: three Hodgman items, all neoprene or nylon-and-PVC bootfoot gear.

What Hodgman sells on Amazon US now

At our last check (October 2026) we track three Hodgman listings. Two are bootfoot chest waders and one is a wading shoe.

Mackenzie Cleat Chest Bootfoot. The maker lists nylon and PVC construction with a cleated rubber sole, and our data gives boot sizes 7 through 13. The Amazon listing calls it a chest wader for general fishing. Nylon and PVC is the old-school waterproof build: tough, simple, and not breathable, so on a warm day you wear the water you sweat. It is the kind of wader that suits a farm pond, a boat launch or a muddy bank.

Caster Neoprene Bootfoot. This is the insulated one. The Amazon listing says 3.5 mm neoprene, the maker data lists 200 g of boot insulation, and the pair has reinforced knees. It is a men's wader. Neoprene stretches, holds heat and floats you a little, which is lovely in cold still water and miserable on a hike in July.

Neoprene Wade Shoe. Not a wader at all. It is a neoprene wading shoe with a rubber sole and a 3.5 mm neoprene upper, built for wet wading or for pairing with neoprene socks. The listing calls it unisex.

If you see a dash in the table, the value is not confirmed. "Maker" means Pure Fishing's page states it, "listing" means only the Amazon listing says so.

How to read the Hodgman rows

The table lists Hodgman pairs first and then alternatives, with a Brand column so you can tell them apart. Three columns decide most of the purchase.

Foot. Both Hodgman waders are bootfoot: the boot is part of the wader. That is convenient, quick to put on and warm in the neoprene version, but you cannot swap the boots, and you carry the extra weight on every step. I'd choose stockingfoot with separate wading boots if you walk a lot, and bootfoot for short trips from a truck, a boat or a blind.

Material type. Neoprene and nylon-and-PVC are both waterproof, and both are fully non-breathable. Breathable pairs use a membrane that lets some vapour out. Our breathable vs neoprene guide goes through the trade.

Insulation. For bootfoot waders this is mostly the boot, measured in grams of insulation. The Caster's 200 g is at the light end. Other bootfoot waders in our data list 600 to 1,600 g. Higher numbers mean warmer feet and stiffer boots, and the number says nothing about the body of the wader.

Hodgman neoprene waders and neoprene chest waders

Searches for Hodgman neoprene chest waders usually mean the Caster. It is the only Hodgman neoprene chest wader in our data, and the maker's page labels it a men's pair. Beyond the 3.5 mm figure and the 200 g boot, the maker's page does not give a temperature range, a wader weight or a warranty, and I won't guess. If you want a neoprene pair with a stated warranty and more boot insulation, our table includes the Frogg Toggs Amphib neoprene waders (one year warranty, 3.5 mm neoprene) and Avery's 5 mm neoprene pair, which lists 1,600 g boots and a one-year warranty.

One note on a wader's seams. Every pair of waders is only as honest as its weakest seam, and the seam knows it. Neoprene has fewer seams than a breathable wader, which is part of why it lasts for hunting and bank work. It is also why a tear in neoprene is a bigger repair than a pinhole in a membrane. Our wader repair guide shows how to find and patch both.

Hodgman hip waders, canvas hip waders and breathable waders

Several searches around the name lead to products I cannot confirm. The Hodgman collection page I read lists no hip waders, no canvas hip waders and no breathable waders, and we track none on Amazon US. Earlier Hodgman models may exist, but they are not products we can describe, and I have no maker specs for them.

What I can say is how to shop the category. For a hip-height wader, check the hip waders and hip boots pages. For breathable stockingfoot pairs, the breathable waders page lists what we can confirm. Our guide to how to wear hip waders explains the one rule that matters: hip waders are for shallow, still wading, because water over the top fills them quickly.

Hodgman wading boots and the wade shoe

The Neoprene Wade Shoe is the only Hodgman wading footwear we track. For wading boots in general, the question that decides the purchase is the sole. Felt grips slick rock well but is banned or restricted in some places, and rubber with studs is the common alternative. Read the felt vs rubber guide before buying, and check your state's current rules before you wear felt on any water. The Hodgman H3 Felt Sole Wading Boot appears on the maker's collection page, but we do not track it on Amazon, so I cannot give specs for it.

Choosing a wader if Hodgman is on your short list

I'd ask five questions, in this order.

1. Do you walk, or do you stand? If you walk a river, take a stockingfoot wader. If you stand in a blind or a boat, take bootfoot.
2. What is the water temperature most of the year? Cold and still points to neoprene or an insulated bootfoot. Warm or variable points to breathable.
3. What is the longest distance you will carry the weight? Bootfoot neoprene is heavy.
4. Is there a warranty in writing for this exact pair? For Hodgman I could not find one. Other brands in the table list one to four years.
5. Do you have the size right? Boot size, then body fit. Our wader size chart guide and the Hodgman-specific size chart guide cover how to measure.

Gary, a hypothetical angler who makes the mistakes so you do not have to, once bought a bootfoot wader because it was easy to pull on, then planned a three-mile hike to the far bank. Gary now carries a lot of opinions about bootfoot waders.

Waders that fill the gap: what the table shows

The alternatives beside the Hodgman rows were picked by the same rule as everywhere on this site: same product type, comparable maker specs, and a wide spread of foot types and materials. Three brand families recur.

Frogg Toggs has neoprene waders and the Hellbender Pro breathable line. The maker lists four layers and a one-year warranty for the Hellbender stockingfoot, and a one-year warranty for the Amphib neoprene waders. See the Frogg Toggs page.

Avery, a hunting brand, offers the 5 mm neoprene pair with 1,600 g boots and a one-year warranty for manufacturer defects, per the maker. See Avery.

Compass 360 has the Deadfall stockingfoot breathable wader that the maker lists for fishing, with a PTFE membrane, gravel guards and a one-year warranty. See Compass 360.

Drake Waterfowl and Bassdash also appear. If you are reading this because you want a cheaper pair, remember that a low price tier is not a sin: a pair that lasts a few seasons of pond work is a fine purchase, as long as you know that is what you are buying. Most of what is cheaper is also simpler, with less warranty and fewer fit options.

Care for neoprene and nylon-PVC waders

Neoprene and PVC waders are not delicate, and they still fail from the same things: heat, sunlight and folding. Rinse them, dry them inside out and out of direct sun, and hang them by the boots or lay them flat. Our guide to storing waders and how to clean waders have the details. The one safety rule has nothing to do with brand: wear a wading belt cinched snugly over any chest wader, because a belt limits how much water enters if you fall. Do not wade deeper than you can safely recover from, and be cautious in cold water, where wading gear can make it hard to get out of a fall.

Where to go next

For the full list of what is on the market, see waders, bootfoot waders, neoprene waders and chest waders. If you are shopping for a particular use, the best waders page shows how a selection rule works on our data.