I spent a little time on the phone with the folks at Coleman. This is a company that really believes in customer service so they have earned my loyalty.
Coleman bought Hodgman a couple years ago. The zippered waders that many of us bought a few weeks ago from Cabalas were made by Hodgman but the new product is a different design made by Coleman, (or one of their subcontractors in China). The Wier model is the replacement for the Guide Lite that many of us bought. If you got a model with a concealed zipper, it was probably a Wier. The one that Cabalas had on sale is now discontinued.
Coleman still has some stock of the Guide Lite but they do not advertise that it is available. They will happily exchange sizes for those of us who bought the wrong size. The buyer pays return shipping and Coleman covers the rest. If you really want this model, you can buy it but they still have the price set at over $350.
One thing that I learned while trying to cash in on the Cabalas deal was that not all waders are sized the same. I bought a large but should have ordered a medium. If you are in the market for some waders, try to find a place to try them on first before you blindly order on line.
If you screw up as I did, the world will not end. For about $15 in shipping charges you can exchange for the correct size.
Live and learn.
Bob
|