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Technology Meets Tradition

The Hunt for a Perfect Wader

Good things come to those who wait. An accepted truth in the duck blind. While the early morning arrival of unsuspecting waterfowl is never guaranteed, the conversation and comradery experienced by hunters of all seasons are absolute. “It is,” according to Chêne Gear Co-Founder John Strange, “what hunting is really all about.” It was during a similar scenario that four patient hunters formed a plan to build a better product for their shared adventures: waders that don’t leak.


Leaking waders seem counterintuitive, but before Chêne Gear’s custom design hit the market in the fall of 2021, replacing waders every few years was commonplace. As their story goes, “After a few years of talking about it in the duck woods, inevitably with wet feet, we decided it was time to build better waders.” Hence the motto of one of the newest products on the market: waders, “Built Better.”


Their reimagined wader was not formulated to sell. They were simply designed by and for a group of friends who were tired of hunting with wet feet. Initial cost took a back seat. Following unofficial product testing for several decades, word-of-mouth interest in the new custom waders and, no doubt, an aha moment, Chêne business partners Jeff Farmer, Jeff Jones, Field Norris and John Strange realized that if they could develop the supply, then demand would not be an issue.

Since their 2021 launch, they have continued to perfect the wader from their warehouse operation in Memphis, even offering custom sizing when requested. However, they maintain a range of sizes, which can be accessed for purchase online. This fall, they introduced in-person shopping and a variety of new products in a retail setting alongside the warehouse. Their product is clearly catching on, with most recent orders (per our conversation in September) from California, North Carolina, Nebraska, Kentucky, Florida, New Hampshire and Ohio.


The Chêne founders researched product development down to the last stitch. Whereas virtually all breathable hunting waders on the market today are made with three-layer polyester fabric that requires less-expensive manufacturing, Chêne waders are built with premium, four-layer, nylon fabric. According to the founders, “Nylon is far more abrasion resistant, has significantly greater tensile strength, and offers a level of long-term durability that polyester lacks.” The traditional polyester material is then sewn together with a needle and thread at a rate of 11 stitches per inch with only a narrow strip of seam tape applied to the back of the seam closure to create a waterproof seal. The use of nylon fabric makes it possible for Chêne to create mechanically bonded, stitchless seams. Of note, before the polyester waders are even sold to the customer, the integrity of the fabric is inevitably damaged by the heat transfer process used when a camouflage pattern is applied to the polyester fabric through a heat transfer and then by the stitching with thousands of tiny needle holes along seam closures. Instead, Chêne digitally prints their camouflage, a cold process that does not damage the integrity of the nylon fibers, yielding a material with the soft, natural appearance of cotton minus a synthetic gloss common to polyester garments.

Chêne Gear front zippers are also built to last with a neoprene backing for comfort and an additional protective barrier that zips smoothly and securely. The shoulder straps constructed from one continuous piece of nylon webbing, similar to a five-point harness used in rock climbing, are an integrated structure within the wader body. Much like the waist strap on a backpack, their strap design displaces the weight of the wader from the top of the shoulders, distributing it evenly across the hips and core. Women have been utilizing a similar “racer” style shoulder strap for years in the design of their sports bras and activewear to support the weight of their upper chest. The shoulder straps cross on the back before going over the top of the shoulder, distributing the weight of the wader while ensuring that the straps aren’t constantly falling off the shoulders. And when they developed their wader belt, they built a durable, rigid material that would maintain the correct length, while still maintaining some flex, to provide appropriate support for the bottom half of the wader. 

Chêne offers approachable, luxury products for all adventure-seeking hunters across the country from their warehouse and retail site located in the River City. During the upcoming winter months, when outdoor enthusiasts, especially duck hunters, will face the uncontrollable elements of nature, they wish you a positive hunting experience that includes a limit met and dry feet!

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