I had problems with these waders. But first, the positives. Daiwa breathables are light, tough and seem well made. The legs are cut so the seams are away from rub points and so the knee is bent or 'articulated'. I was impressed that despite the problems I encountered these did not leak, I didn't manage to burst a seam. The fabric feels good, supple but robust, and seems to breath well. I like the waterproof pocket on the front of my chest and the equally simple wading belt which threads through a few very wide loops around my waist. The elasticated braces are wide and comfortable and I found I could do them up easily and get a comfortable fit. Daiwa has included short elasticated gussets at the top of the chest – too short to be of much use in my opinion.

Now to the problems. Put simply, the waders sent for review are too small for me. These are marked ‘Large’ (my normal size) and have the correct foot size. However, both leg length and body (girth) are off my size by enough to make these barely wearable or bearable for long periods.

When I climb into these waders and pull them up, the legs are just long enough. In trousers I take a 'normal' inside leg length, these are that long and absolutely no more. Thankfully my trousers are not normally stitched to my socks, when I lift my knee the leg of these waders pulls tight which tugs the neoprene sock uncomfortably tight inside my wading boot.

The body size means I can wear little more than a shirt and possibly a very light fleece under the waders. Even then the body is so snug that getting air out of the legs proved ‘challenging’ which further compounds the issue with leg length. OK, so I'm not exactly slender but these are marked ‘Large’! I need at least one size larger. (I asked the editor to try these on, Mark is about an inch shorter than me (5ft 9in) and significantly slimmer – the Daiwa breathables fitted him. Typically he buys clothing marked ‘medium’.)

Daiwa breathable waders come in four sizes differentiated by foot size. While the foot sizes seem fine, on me both leg length and body size are on the short/thin side. I find myself wondering if the problem here is that someone with size nine feet could be stout or thin, short or tall and catering for all the combinations that generates needs a great many sizes making it difficult and expensive for manufacturers and stockists. Of course, there is a blindingly obvious ‘common-sense’ solution – before buying try waders on with all you normally wear under them – which I would say about all waders!

Fabric waders should be a loose enough fit. Waders should allow the wearer to move freely, we expect to sit/stand/walk/climb fences unhindered, so the leg should be long enough and probably 'baggy' enough to allow for those movements. The body should fit over a couple of layers of clothing without trapping air in the legs. Air trapped in the legs of waders means seams are stressed every time we move, particularly when the wearer sits down, a fairly common cause of burst seams and leaking waders. (Tip from a manufacturer of breathable waders: wade into waist deep water before tightening your wading belt.) The neoprene foot should also fit loosely but should not be so big that it must/can fold to get inside a wading boot since that will inevitably crease and chafe the wearer’s foot.

Daiwa Breathable Waders are well made and reasonably priced. The sizing issue was a distraction, one which would not have arisen if I’d had the chance to try them first. Get the right size and these do a good job.