Trying to figure out what to wear under your waders in Summer? You’re in the right place. In this article, we’ll cover a few great options to help you beat the heat.

Let’s be honest, there’s nothing like a pair of waders on a hot summer day to get you jazzed about fly fishing. I mean, who doesn’t love that line of sweat that starts between your shoulder blades, flows through your crack, and ends up pooling in your heels? And you wonder why your socks smell so bad after a day of fishing…just sayin’.

There’s no two ways about it, waders can get a little warm and sweaty. And, while there isn’t a perfect solution to this common problem, there are a number of things you can wear under your waders in Summer to lessen the heat-induced discomfort.

So, grab some corn starch, turn your waders inside-out to dry, and keep reading. This will be well-worth your time.

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Lightweight Fishing Pants

By far, the best thing you can wear under your waders on a hot summer day is lightweight fishing pants. The fabric on fishing pants is thin enough to keep you cool, but sturdy enough to handle a ton of days on the water.

Additionally, most fishing pants do a phenomenal job of wicking away sweat, and drying quickly. In other words, you won’t feel like you are trapped in a hot, wet trash bag.

Also, if you are wearing fishing pants under your waders, and you bring a pair of wading shoes, you can just remove your waders altogether and wet wade for awhile. This is another benefit of the quick-drying fabric, because if you need to throw your waders back on, you won’t have to deal with any cold, evening chafing when the sun goes down.

Oh, and to top it all off, most fishing pants come with pockets, so you can keep your phone, wallet and keys in them if you want.

If you’re looking for a great pair of under-wader fishing pants for warm weather, here are my recommendations:

Best Lightweight Fishing Pants For Men: Simms Superlight Pants

Best Lightweight Fishing Pants For Women: Simms Women’s Mataura Pant

Gym Shorts (With Pockets)

Gym shorts are the poor man’s fishing pants. They do a great job of absorbing sweat in all those uncomfortable areas, without causing excess heat below the wading belt.

Like fishing pants, most gym shorts are made of fabrics that wick away sweat, and helps keep you dry. Think about it, if they can keep the crack of an overweight man on a treadmill from looking like a river during runoff, they are a perfect option for your under-wader-wear.

Plus, they also come with pockets. So, you still have the option of storing your personal items behind a water-proof barrier. Just don’t fall in.

All that said, if you’re looking for a more ‘fly-fishy’ alternative to gym shorts, I recommend Simms Superlight Shorts for men, and Simms Taiya Shorts for women. Though, I’ll warn you, these things are so frickin’ sweet that you may be tempted to leave your waders in the car and just wet wade for the day!

Long Underwear

The biggest problem with waders in summer — in my humble opinion — is not the heat. Rather, it’s the sweat.

I’m personally not a fan of the feeling of sweat running down my leg, and condensation building on the inside of my waders. For this reason, long underwear actually make for a good option under your waders in summer.

Sure, they may be a little warmer than shorts, but it’s better than feeling like your legs are sitting in a steam room.

Just make sure they are a moisture-wicking fabric. After all, the only thing worse than sweaty legs, is soggy legs.

If you’re looking for a great pair of long underwear that won’t get too hot, here are our recommendations:

Best Lightweight Long Underwear For Men: Sitka Merino Core Lightweight Bottoms

Best Lightweight Long Underwear For Women: Simms Women’s Lightweight Core Bottom

Lightweight Socks

No matter what you choose to put on under your waders, you are going to need to wear tall, lightweight socks. And if you are wearing pants, be sure to tuck them into your socks. Otherwise, about half-way through the day, your pants will ride up and expose an uncomfortable little gap of wetness on your shin.

Just because your waders come with neoprene booties that look like socks, doesn’t mean you should go without any. Ever heard of perma-stink? It comes from waders that have been worn without socks.

If you’re looking for a great pair of socks to wear under your waders in summer, I recommend Simms Guide Lightweight Crew Socks for men, and the Simms Guide Midweight OTC Socks for women.

Related Posts:

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• Top 10 Wading Tips To Keep You Safe (And Dry)

Underwear

If you want to live life on the free-er side, you could go with the ‘nothing-but-underwear’ option. Obviously, you still want to wear socks, but other than that, let those legs breathe!

Sure, it might get a little sweaty, but then again, maybe it’s kind of your thing. And I respect you for that.

Personally, this is not my favorite play. Why? Well, without going into too much detail, I’ll just tell you it’s because I eat a lot of beef jerky when I’m fly fishing. (As it turns out, that might be too much detail.)

If the underwear-only option sounds like it’s up your alley, I recommend checking out Duluth Trading Company for their wide selection of both men’s and women’s underwear.

What To Wear On Your Upper Body

So far, we have discussed what to wear on your legs under your waders. But, remember that lie of sweat between your shoulder blades we talked about at the beginning? Well, for those of you wearing chest waders, now it’s time to address your upper body.

Fly fishing apparel has come a long way in the past few decades. Now, instead of being stuck with heavyweight fabrics like denim and linen, we have a few more options. For example, you can find great fly fishing apparel made out of polyester, rayon, and even bamboo.

I have found that the lightweight, moisture-wicking properties of all of these fabrics keep me much more comfortable on hot summer days.

Additionally, one thing that I highly recommend when it comes to fly fishing shirts, is a hood. I know this article is about what to wear under your waders, but if you can find a lightweight long-sleeve, moisture wicking shirt with a hood, you have hit the summer fly fishing apparel jackpot.

My favorite brands for fly fishing clothes are Simms, Exofficio and Patagonia. They may be on the pricey side, but trust me, they will be well-worth the money when you are baking in the sun on a 90-degree day.

Nothing

There’s nothing like a nice cold river to keep your temperature down. So, why would you let an additional layer of clothing stand between you and that cooling rush of water.

If you really want to fly fish like a boss, I say you leave your clothes in the car, or at home, or on the side of the river. In fact, who even needs the waders? If you really want to stay cool, just put on your fly vest, slip on your wading boots, and don’t forget to wear sunglasses.

Just be cautions wading-in past your Thingamabobber.