When you own a small boat, and in particular if you launch from an open beach, then chest waders are an inevitable fact of life. At some stage in any days proceedings you are going to have to wear the things, and at low water, possibly for uncomfortably long periods of time if walking unavoidably long distances between the trailer parking point and the boat. Most small boat anglers will have experienced that 'boil in the bag' moment, particularly in summer, as sweat soaks your clothes to the point where you are so wet that you wonder if its worth bothering with chest waders in the first place. With the new generation of breathable fabric chest waders, those days can now become a thing of the past.

Designed primarily for game fishing, particularly salmon fishing which involves a great deal of wading and wearing the things for many hours at a stretch, Klobba look to have come up with an ideal solution with their light weight, breathable, waterproof, wind proof and tear proof wader. Aimed at people stumbling about in rivers, they are designed with a think neoprene sock instead of a wellington type boot at the walking end to be worn with a good pair of non slip boots. Neoprene in direct contact with abrasive sand would unfortunately very quickly wear holes through the neoprene socks leading to leakage. Initially, I had planned to wear an old cut down pair of wellingtons, but at the last minute decided to wear sandals instead which has not been a problem. However, since then I have found a pair of paddling shoes with gripper soles and pull tie tops which slip nicely over the neoprene socks.

The arrival of the waders coincided with a reasonable spell of settled sunny weather. What a revelation. Determined to give them the ultimate test, I decided to keep them on all day. It was like wearing a pair of light weight breathable leggings with reinforcing pads on the knee's and backside. No signs of sweat – not a single drop. And no creeping dampness either from the outside. These modern breathable fabrics are marvelous stuff, and despite the initial trial being over, I tend to still wear them all day to keep the clothes beneath clean and dry. I must say though that I do get some funny looks from other anglers when I walk out of the water in what appears to be leggings, sandals and socks. What they don't realise is just how much more comfortable and drier than them I feel And following an unfortunate leak over the winter to my full neoprene chesties, I had to draft the Klobba pair into service during January and February, which I thought would be too cold for them, but they've been fine, though I do tend to change into a pair of warm boots once we get afloat.