Waders! If the word brings to your mind herons and cranes, you need to refine your Google® search on water fowl. For me and a host of other boot-loving men, the name springs into our minds visions of rubber hip boots and the wearing of even more appealing Chest-high rubber boots! This page and the accompanying section of Leather Oaks, the Web Site, are a homage to the pleasures of wearing tall, rubber boots, in all their varieties and combinations! If you're thinking that Waders are limited to those old boots your granddad used when duckhunting, here's hoping we can pleasurably re-set your rubber Waders-world view!
All of the photos in this section are either brand new or never published! And as usual, I've tried to break this rubbery topic into manageable categories. We'll have black waders, brown waders, a whole rubber-potful of green waders, chest waders and neoprene waders that don't look like rubber at all. Then we'll add some photos showing ways that rubber waders can actually be used for work, and a whole lot of ways they've provided pleasurable play for this rubber-loving man. Enjoy, my friend!!
The photo at right shows my oldest pair of black rubber boots. They started out life as top of the line fire boots, then were used as duck hunting boots (I'm told) before I bought them at a flea market. They've been pasted together by contact cement and denim patches, and freshly treated by Son of a Gun protectant just for this photo! Oh, it is probably a link to a whole page of rubber boots trimmed or accented in contrasting rubber colors. The second page of photos can be reached by following this link: Trimmed Waders, Page Two.
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 | It appears that I have something over three dozen pairs of waders. In these ten categories, on a total of twenty-four pages, you'll get to see about three-quarters of them. You can view the list by clicking on my black rubber bulge! |
Well, there's no doubt about what the most popular wader color is, but the variety it offers is still something to talk about. Green can range from Kelly to Olive to very dark to practically indescribable. We'll leave most of the color designations to the viewers. I would call these olive, but then again maybe melon, since they seem to always be ready when I'm getting into some of my Melon Foam gear! Enjoy!! There's a second page of Green Rubber Waders, too, and here's that link! Green Waders, Page Two |
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It was really a challenge to find photos depicting waders being used for work. Thing is, when wearing something that's as much fun as tall rubber boots, who's concentrating on their job? The attached photos are the best we could do under the circumstances!
I'm thinking this must be a post Hurricane IVAN cleanup photo -- can there be more beyond the link? |
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It's actually a lot harder than you might expect to find pure, unadulturated black rubber waders. Fireboots have reflective safety features, even dark brown boots show their true colors in bright sunlight, and trimming detracts when it's not desired. So for those hardy souls who will brook with not dilution of midnight black in their shiny rubber boots, we offer the photo at the left, and a link to more photos of itself and a black rubber bootbrother or two! |
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| The second-most available hue for rubber waders must be brown. These Servus Boots, here seen with Alaskan scenery as a backdrop, are the only pair with a contrasting color (but still brownish) trim, and a most interesting pebbled rubber finish! Photo was made by my friend, Jim Sulver. Follow that link for more wading in Brown Rubber! And yes, there is a second page of Brown Rubber Waders at this link: Brown Waders, Page Two !
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When I first heard of waders, it was in the context of Chest Waders!!. Except for the Ranger Firemaster 3/4 fire boots, my first few waders were all in this category. The whole idea of chest waders, as fulfilling the functions of rubber boots, pants and maybe up to mid-chest or beyond in a (mostly) waterproof manner, brings all sorts of alternative thoughts to mind, but we'd best hold those until we get to the "Playful" page, eh? The current set are some very plain brown "Chesters" trademarked North West Territory, and is that an olive rubber shirt?? Of course, you know there's more waders behind that photo, and here's links to additional Chest Waders Photos: Chest Waders, Page Two ! |
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I resisted getting neoprene waders for some time. By design, they simply don't have that shiny, curve-enhancing look of their pure rubber brothers. But they do have the ability, through natural stretchiness, to be more conforming to human shapes. (That's a polite way to say, they're more man-hugging!) In the instance at hand, it was a work party (of one) cutting and hauling some cane to the street. Neoprene waders added that extra margin of protection from the spurs on the cane. Bet there'll be some more interesting poses, too when you follow that link. There's a second whole page of Neoprene and Triple-layered wader photos behind this next link: Neoprene Waders, Page Two |
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| There are a couple of companies who have traded shamelessly on a rubberman's dream: How about NAKED rubber boots?? Well, how about that? They've a wonderful feeling, especially with a little bit of sweat lubrication. So, in what ways are they naked? Follow that link on the photo, and I'll try to clue you in as we go. Here are links to the second and third pages of Naked Rubber Waders! Enjoy ! !: Naked Waders, Page Two Naked Waders, Page Three |
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As I was preparing the Waders Section update, I realized there were a couple of pairs I was skipping that were almost certain to come back to haunt me! The Forester 3000 hip boots from Gates Rubber Company developed quite a cult following before they were reformulated to remove most of their gloriously orange personality!
Another cult boot that I did miss out on was the Servus "Super Dielectric" Linesman's hip boots in brilliant yellow rubber. Not to be outdone, I did some web searching, and came up with the Storm Kings, from Plastex Yellow Rubber Hip Boots. They're sized generously to fit over other boots (we don't mention shoes on this Site!!), and somehow I'd never taken any photos of them. I was already soakingly, wetsuited wet, so why not add an old pair of waders from LaCrosse, and pile on the rubber! It was great fun and I hope you like it too! Here's the link to the second page of Colorful Waders: Colorful Waders, Page Two |
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| Over three years ago, I posed a quesion to fellow Rubber Lovers: "What's to be the name of a King-size, leather-sheeted waterbed that has been covered with Twelve (12) pair of greatly assorted waders?" You can see all of the entries, and a host of other wader photos by following the link below!! |
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| Rubbermen.com is a commercial site offering masculine, rubber images which must be seen to be enjoyed!! Membership is by submitting of materials (photos or stories) or for a fee. You'll find some of my wilder stuff there! |
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