I have seen 5 people over the past three days wading with no wading belt on . In each instance I have warned the person that in water like this if you fall in you will DIE. While I fully understand that we are free to do as we wish regarding personal safety, the dad in me insists that I at least say something. I really don't want to turn on the news and hear about some newbie drowning for a completely preventable reason.
-- Edited by mudhen on Sunday 30th of April 2017 04:51:18 PM
-- Edited by mudhen on Sunday 30th of April 2017 04:52:16 PM
Its a myth that you fall in waders fill up and you then get dragged down. Is the water inside your waders heavier then outside ? I think not. Time and time again this myth has been disproved. If ya fall in swim with current not against.
Sorry Shon, I disagree due to personal experiences on the Feather, Yuba, Putah and Pit. My spill on the Feather was the closest to dead I've ever been. YMMV.
FWIW, I always wear a belt and was wearing on all instances mentioned above.
-- Edited by lightfoot on Saturday 20th of May 2017 07:28:16 PM
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Winter eats heat the way darkness swallows light. The terrors of failed power and frozen stems are stymied with fire, smoke and white ash.
I have never experienced closed calls as lightfoot but in theory, a tight belt will keep water out and air in, which will help with flotation. If the wader's lower body and legs fill with water, it will be more difficult to swim due to the added mass.
I've fallen in twice. It's a helpless feeling. Once I was very lucky to get out of the river. I always use a wading belt, but that doesn't stop the water from going into your waders, only slows it down. I only got out of the river because my wading vest is one of the heavy jobs with heavy foam to hold its shape. That and the air in the vest provided me with enough flotation to hit a huge bolder and kick off to reach the shore. (I think I wrote about it on this forum several years ago. I don't know where you read that it is a myth, but I can assure you that is absolutely false. Remember not only are you filling your waders with water, but your clothes are soaking up that water. I was shocked at how heavy my legs were when I tried to kick to shore. It may be that the air in the waders helps for awhile, but as the water pours into the waders the air gets pushed out. I don't think it's worth your life to think its a myth.
