In January of 2023, Simms Fishing Products, preeminent manufacturer of waders, outerwear, footwear, and technical apparel in fishing launched the all-new Spring 2023 product collection. The Spring 2023 line reaffirms the longstanding reputation of delivering angler-driven, technical fishing gear that Simms has cultivated over the past 30 years. The collection includes major wading footwear innovations found in the award-winning G4 Pro Powerlock Boot and Flyweight Access Wet Wading Shoe, a major expansion to their sportswear collection with an all-new lineup of cutting-edge sun protective clothing, and a complete revamp of their ever-popular Men’s and Women’s Simms Challenger Jacket and Bib.
In February, in association with Montana Freshwater Partners, Simms officially launched the limited-edition Simms Watershed Stockingfoot Wader. Through the sales of Watershed Waders, Simms will make a $50,000 contribution to the Yellowstone Stewardship Campaign, a campaign developed to engage the community, out-of-state visitors, and business to give back to projects that support the overall health and vitality of one of southwest Montana’s most beloved outdoor resources, the Yellowstone River.
Now that Spring has arrived, Simms is excited and proud to launch another product assortment that falls 
under the Spring 2023 umbrella, the all new Freestone Collection. Available in a Men’s, Women’s, and a Men’s Pant, the all-new Freestone Waders have gone through a 2-year development cycle and are available now at simmsfishing.com and via their vast retail network. Constructed from a durable, waterproof/breathable 4-layer Toray Quadralam fabric package, the new Freestones feature a fleece-line, reach-through chest pocket, zippered stretch-woven stash pocket, and a built-in Tippet Tender pocket to allow anglers ample on-body storage of small essentials. Also equipped with Simms’ patented front and back leg seams, stretch elastic suspenders with opposing buckles that allow for a waist-high conversion on hot days, and built-in neoprene gravel guards, anglers can reap the rewards of comfort and a completely unhindered range of motion.
“We are really proud of what we’ve accomplished with the new collection of Freestone Waders,” says Simms Senior Product Line Manager, Matt Carara. “Since they were first introduced, Freestones have really come a long way – and each variation has drastically improved. From start to finish, the current iteration took about two years of design and development but in reality, we’ve been fine tuning, tweaking, and perfecting Freestone Waders for 15+ years. In my mind, the Freestones we launched this month are a direct and accurate reflection of all of that time and effort.”
When it was first introduced, Freestone was more or less considered to be an entry level wader from Simms. It was a straight forward, accessible, functional waterproof/breathable wader designed and developed by an industry leader whose brand recognition was already synonymous with the wader category. Fast forward to present day, Freestone is a completely different animal. Sure, Freestone is still accessible – and it’s still a fantastic choice for newbie fly anglers, but truth be told, the new Freestone offers anglers dramatically increased durability, breathability, and most importantly fishability. The Spring 2023 Freestone Stockingfoot is a wader that can easily meet the demands of both casual and diehard anglers alike.
In order to accomplish this, Simms aimed to incorporate trickle down technology from longstanding best sellers such as G3. The first, and one of the most important steps in developing the new Freestone collection of waders was for Simms to incorporate their G3 fit block on both the Men’s and Women Freestones (respectively). To some, fit might not seem like any kind of game changing revolution but when speaking about Simms waders, that’s not the case – at all. To validate that statement, all you’d have to do is look at how many different size options Simms offers in their waders. To Simms, fit is a key ingredient to their award-winning wader recipe. The better a wader fits, the more their consumer’s fishing experience has been enhanced. On top of that, when a wader fits properly, by nature, bunching, creasing, and abrasion is drastically decreased which dramatically prolongs the overall life of the wader.
The next step was to increase mobility and durability by incorporating another signature Simms wader feature – the patented front and back leg seam. While Simms has utilized front and back leg seams for many years in wader styles such as G3 and G4, this is the first time this innovation has found its way into the Freestone Collection.
After dialing in the beloved mobility and fit found in G3, the next priority to address on the new Freestone was the gravel guard. While its predecessor utilized a self-fabric gravel guard, which is essentially a continuation of the lower portion of the wader’s fabric, the new Men’s and Women’s Freestone feature a built-in neoprene gravel guard/stockingfoot construction. Not only is this a major upgrade towards comfort, performance, and durability — aesthetically, it really gives the wader that iconic and unmistakable Simms look.
From the fit and function to the look and feel, Freestone offers the technical performance and longstanding durability Simms waders have come to be known for and is further proof, small details make the biggest differences.
