I got a pair of these because more and more I wasn't needing my chest waders but still needing something waterproof and able to withstand kneeling on the ground etc.
Simms brought out their "pants" waders again this year in the economy Headwater range and they are anything but!
I got them at the start of the year when the pound was rock bottom so I paid a premium - I got them from Gorge in Oregon, something like £250 after all the import duties and charges, but at today's rates you could probably get them for £50 less. In the Uk they sell for about £280.
I really appreciated the waist highs as getting on and off was much easier, and a godsend on the hotter days. I just returned from a short weekend trip abroad where I was clambering up and down rockfaces, and sliding down on my backside and it took the harsh treatment in its stride. I also really appreciated the extra thick front knee section which took a pounding on the rocks in the gorge where I was fishing. I think my old Guide model wouldn't have withstood the same rough treatment and would have come away with some tears.
One small CON is that Simms should have put some hanging loops on the inside of the waist. I find it a pain to hang up like the chest models and have constructed some loops made out of ribbon and put these through the velcro fastening loops and hang them on a clothes hanger.
Apart from that, a fab piece of kit at a reasonable price.
If they last as well as the Guide models I'll be very happy.