Drake Waterfowl Guardian Elite Zip Front Wader Review

The price of duck hunting waders is getting out of hand. When SITKA entered the game with a premium wader, it seemed like every manufacturer followed suit with price hikes.

Unfortunately, unlike SITKA, most manufacturers weren’t creating a product that justified higher prices. In fact, I’ve been saying for years that outside of the Delta Pros, duck hunting wader manufacturers are light years behind their fishing counterparts.

Most options look, feel, and perform like junk made in China. Yet, duck hunters were still stuck with a higher bill. My tin foil hat theory is that brands decided to charge more because they realized they could get away with it.

That left us with duck waders that cost over $500 but are still unreliable. Unless you had country club money, it was slim pickings. To throw salt in the wound, there were dozens of great choices at a similar price in the fishing wader space.

Fortunately, this year I went on a bird-hunting trip to Nebraska. While there, I was outfitted with the Drake Waterfowl Guardian Elite HND Front Zip Wader. They are the best reasonably priced duck-hunting waders I’ve ever used.

In short: The Drake Waterfowl Guardian Elite HND Zip Front is a lot of wader for $600. No, they aren’t exactly budget-friendly, but the value is high. They aren’t as perfect as a premium wader, but if you’ve been looking for reliable duck hunting waders at a price a normal human can stomach, look no further. These are the real deal, bro.

Features, Features Galore

Spending less than $800 on a set of waders often means giving up a durable build or fancy features. These waders give you both. Let’s dig into the features first.

Zipper

These may be the lowest-priced waders on the market with a quality zip-front design. Note the quality part in that statement. The Guardian Elite HND sports a TiZIP MasterSeal 10 vertical zipper that extends from the chest, all the way down to the groin.

If you’re unfamiliar with TiZIP, it’s a German manufacturer that produces insanely high-quality zippers for dry suits, bags, and all manner of waterproof, fully sealed products. A bunch of outdoor brands use it, and you can trust it.

Zippered waders are the way to go if you can afford it. I’ve sung the design’s praise numerous times. I love it most for the ease of relieving yourself, but it also allows you to dump heat when things get sweaty, and there isn’t an easier way to get in and out of waders.

Once you get zippered waders, you’ll never go back. I promise, there are no cons. I’ve been wearing zippered waders for 10 years and have never had one leak.

Hand-Warming Pockets

Less isn’t always more. That’s the stance Drake Waterfowl took with hand-warming pockets on the Guardian Elite waders. There are two separate sets of hand-warming pockets on these waders. Yep, you read that right. Two sets.

The first is located on the outside of the wader on each side of the chest. They’re closed up with a water-resistant zipper. The second set is located on the interior of the wader, near the chest. You can see the rough placement in the photo above.

I thought that was excessive at first, but I’ve grown to love it. I use the zippered hand-warming pockets to store my phone, car keys, and a pocket knife. Those items stay nice and secure.

But then, I can still keep my hands warm in a fleece-lined pocket that isn’t full of a bunch of stuff.

That being said, on really cold hunts, I’ve found the exterior handwarming pockets to be warmer. It’s not that the internal ones aren’t — they’re sufficient 50% of the time.

But Drake Waterfowl went above and beyond on the fleece lining of the exterior pockets. It’s not lined with some thin piece of cloth, as so many wader brands do. It’s crazy thick, very soft, and very warm. It does line only one side of the pocket, but it’s the best lining I’ve seen on any wader, including the much more expensive SITKA waders.

Magnet Pockets

And the pockets don’t stop there, which is impressive, seeing how so many wader manufacturers charging more have gotten skimpy with storage. On each side of the chest is an exterior horizontal pocket that appears to have no closure. But surprise, surprise. It does: magnets.

A large magnet tab is in the interior of the chest portion of the wader, and it lines up with an interior magnet in the pocket. They’re fairly strong and close securely.

I’ve found the horizontal pockets to be handy as all get out. I usually stuff mine with calls, snacks, spare shells, and often gloves when I need the dexterity of a bare hand.

They aren’t so secure that I would trust them to keep items inside if you bend over, but for quick, easy access, they’re fantastic. Just like the handwarming pockets, these additional storage pockets outpace the more expensive SITKA waders.

Boots on the Guardian Elite Zip Front Wader

The very first thing I noticed about the Guardian Elite Waders when I slid into them on a chilly Nebraska morning was how comfortable the boots were. As I sat in the blind, chatting it up with friends, it felt like I had slippers on.

The others on the trip, also outfitted with the same waders, echoed the same sentiment. The 1,600g insulation sits comfortably on your foot and provides cushion, as well as warmth.

I’ve found the boots fit quite well. They didn’t come off my foot when wading through thick muck on a backwater slough of the North Platte River, and the soles gripped slippery muck on a large lake in Tennessee.

The only downside to the boots is that they don’t offer as much support as others. They’re comfortable because the rubber is malleable, which could become problematic if you hike in rough terrain to reach far-flung public land hidey-holes.

Durable Build of the Guardian Elite Zip Front Wader

As I said earlier, despite the price and excessive features, durability doesn’t suffer. Drake Waterfowl uses five layers of breathable fabric to construct the lower portion of the layer and four layers to construct the upper.

If you aren’t familiar with waders, I can tell you that’s impressive given the price tag. Most waders that fall under $600 max out at four layers, and more often, three.

Just like all of the other Drake Waterfowl equipment I own, they just feel burly. In the world of pants, they’re more akin to a thick, canvas brush pant, rather than a durable waterproof pant.

The seams were placed with precision as well. Friction on seams often causes premature leaks, so Drake Waterfowl placed the leg seams on the exterior of the leg to prevent them from rubbing together when walking.

What Could Be Better

Unfortunately, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. There are a few things that could be changed on this wader to make it the best out there.

Fit of the Drake Waterfowl Guardian Elite Waders

The fit is pretty bad. For reasons I don’t fully understand, it’s ridiculously common for duck hunting wader manufacturers to make waders entirely too baggy. It’s weird because fishing wader manufacturers have fit dialed, even in budget waders. The Guardian Elite Zip Front Wader doesn’t buck the trend.

Aside from looking a bit ridiculous, a baggy fit is a real problem. Excess material around the waist, hips, and legs will rub together when you walk. That extra friction causes failure 100% of the time.

Fortunately, there is a wide range of sizes available. It would be wise to order these waders in a size down in a “long” version, to try to mitigate the friction. However, I’m certain that it will still give a slightly baggy fit.

Shoulder Straps

The shoulder straps are clearly a place where costs were reduced. They’re just meh. In my opinion, it seems like they told whatever factory they use to simply slap on whatever straps they had lying around.

The buckles are big and bulky, and can mess with your gun mount a bit. They aren’t awful, and mine haven’t failed in any way. I’m just pointing out that for the money, I’d expect a bit better.

Seams?

My final complaint, I will admit, is totally in my own head. However, I’ve owned over 20 sets of waders in the last decade, and trust my own intuition.

I highly doubt the seams on the Guardian Elites are as well-constructed as those found on higher-priced waders. Wader seams are very finicky. Since you’re stabbing holes into fabric by sewing them, they’re prone to leaking. Like the straps, corners had to be cut somewhere to produce such an awesome wader. And I bet these aren’t built in a factory by highly experienced wader-building professionals.

That being said, mine have yet to leak, so this could be made up. But I would bet my life savings that when these waders leak, which they will, it will be at a seam.

Final Thoughts on the Drake Waterfowl Guardian Elite Zip Front Wader

These waders are kick-ass, man! When price is taken into account, they’re the highest-value waders on the market.

No, they clearly aren’t perfect. However, they’re ridiculously feature-rich and maintain a solid build. They aren’t the cheapest waders by a long shot, but they’re some of the only ones in the duck hunting space that give you everything you need without taking out a loan to pay for them. The Drake Waterfowl Guardian Elite Wader is a diamond in the rough of duck hunting waders.