Your fly rod is probably warrantied. It may even be warrantied against your stupidity, no offense. I know I have "cashed in" at least one of those warranties where the breakage was 100% my fault, due to my own carelessness (aka stupidity). Of course, that one cost me a few hundred dollars to "upgrade" because the rod I broke was no longer made but a very slightly different version was. It's a bit like the textbook industry where "new" versions come out often enough to make students buy new books. The conspiracy theorist in me says it is also the way that fly rod manufacturers avoid warranty claims. And in both cases, I get it, but it is capitalism at its not so finest.
How long should fly fishing equipment last? I'd expect a fly rod to essentially last forever so long as I don't do anything stupid like slam it in a car door or window or put the tip into a ceiling fan. Of course, hitting it with dumbell eyes or a beadhead fly reduces its life too and that will happen from time to time. Sure, I'll probably want to replace a rod after a decade or two as improvements are being made to rods all the time. But then again, I am still fishing a few rods that are several decades old. What about waders, wading boots, and other semi-disposable equipment? They certainly are not going to last forever and are expected to wear out. But when? After how much time and /or use? I know when I have talked to fly shop owners and industry reps, it is not as long as you might think or expect.
I have two "new-ish" pairs of waders - a pair Patagonia pants and a pair of Simms chest-highs - that both started to leak after about a year of use. I will grant you that I use waders more than most and we here in the Midwest wear our waders "hard" or so I have been told. Is a year of hard use what someone that hasn't run into a barbed wire fence should expect from waders that cost several hundred dollars? I don't know but I do not think so.
Did you know you can buy waders that Patagonia's top-of-the-line waders MSRP for $799, Orvis PRO Zip bootfoot waders sell for $950 and $800 for the stockingfoot version, and Simm's G4Z waders will run you $1000? I'd like to think that for those prices, they better last for more than a year or two. Personally, I can't see spending that much money on waders unless I know I can expect many years out of them. And in my experiences, at a certainly price point, wader cost has more to do with comfort and "extras" like a better, more integrated belt or a front zipper that allows you to get rid of your morning coffee easier than price dictates longevity. However, even buying a more reasonably priced pair of breathable waders and having to replace them every other year, I have probably spent more on waders than I have fly rods over time.
My quick thoughts on warranties is that they should cover manufacturing defects but they probably should not cover misuse or stupidity. Though defects are pretty hard to prove unless they are quite obvious when the product is bought. For example, waders that leak the very first time or two that they are used are defective and should be replaced. As I asked above, how long / how many uses should we expect from waders? I don't think I know the answer to that question. I have been told that the answer is about 100 uses for waders and wading boots. I have done better and worse than that 100 number...but mostly worse.
The question becomes a little more difficult with fly rods. At least in my experience - and I have broken a few fly rods. Breaks are almost always come due to user error. The rods I have broken were due putting up a car window after the rod tip moved into the open car window, being dumb enough to drop a section on the walk back to the car and having had a friend step on it, and twice (yes, twice on the same day...) in clearing ice from guides. This is probably a huge part of why I am not a huge fan of winter fishing.
Warranties are Not Without Cost...
While we often think that the warranty is free, in reality it is built into the cost of a product. And if that product is something that needs to be covered under warranty quite often, the cost that is passed on to the consumer can be pretty significant. Rod manufacturers have certainly 86'ed rods that were prone to breakage because it is just too costly to keep fulfilling warranties.
I am not a fly fishing insider, just a pretty active, experienced, and invested angler. Angling Trade Magazine, the magazine of the recreational fishing community, had a series on polls on the topic and a detailed article. The comments are about as informative as the polls and articles - and I don't say that often as the comments on most websites are a generally a shit show.
The article, More About Fly Rod Warranties… the Learning Curve, is a great place to get started to understand fly rod warranties and their history. Increasingly, manufacturers are going away from "no fault" lifetime warranties and have been moving to more limited warranties where users pay for new tips. With fly rods, if a section is going to break, it is a near certainty that it will be the tip section (unless the user does something really dumb like run it over with a truck).
I just sent Sage three rods for repair, two “One” models, and one “X.” Sage got back to me and told me that one of the One models was covered by manufacturer warranty, and the other was my fault, but they could fix it for just under a hundred bucks. I have no idea how the company determined one rod to be their deal, and the other mine, because I broke them both (one a 4-weight, the other a 5-weight) almost exactly the same way. The X was on me, as I ran over it with my truck, but they say it’s only going to cost me $50, and I think that’s fair.
I agree with the Angling Trade's assessment. Unless it is certainly a manufacturer's defect, the user should bear some cost in breaking a rod. I don't think stupidity should be covered by warranties but buying a new tip should be a relatively cost effective proposition. And many manufacturers are now offering new tips as a separate purchase. The bigger issue becomes for how long should a warranty last and would you be smart to buy an extra tip or two when you buy a rod? For my money, if given the chance to buy an extra tip when I buy a rod, I would for a reasonable cost.
As graphite fly rods get lighter and faster, they tend to get more expensive. Graphite is a rather light and brittle material. Materials - like fiberglass - are added to the graphite blank material to provide more flexibility and strength. But more fiberglass means a slower, heavier rod (for more: How Fly Rods, And Hearts, Break).
How Much does Warranty Affect the Cost?
I wish I had a better answer than "I don't know", but I don't. But I have done all the searching - Google found little other than anecdotal stories and searches of the peer reviewed literature returned nothing. There is a lot more information on message boards than in reputable sources. Fact is, I don't think people outside of "the industry" have a very good idea of what warranties cost. Which, I'm sure is because this is not information that "the industry" is putting out to the public.
Maybe we need insurance instead of building warranties into the cost of a rod? But of course I don't know enough to talk in any detail about this. Given the choice, would you pay more for a warranty (you do, whether or not you know it), purchase insurance, or buy an extra tip or two like you often do with a bamboo fly rod? Costs being relatively similar, I think I would buy an extra tip.
Problems with Warranties
Other than cost, there are other issues with warranties. For example, how long should a rod be warrantied for? Particularly knowing that a company can not keep enough rod tips or sections to fulfill warranties? Orvis started it with a 25 year warranty but I remember talking to a former county conservationist about why they bought 25 year easements - 25 years felt like a lifetime. After 25 years, the rod really doesn't "owe you anything". Like the Hardy rod I broke most recently (in a car window - so entirely my fault), they no longer had tips in stock and I had to "upgrade" to a new rod which cost me 60% of the price of a new rod. While expensive - I now have a $1000 rod after buying a sub $700 rod - it seemed relatively fair. But I really wish I'd have had a second tip because I do not like the new rod as well as the old one. Though I do still like the rod, the other rod just fit my casting style a bit better.
What is the useful life of a fly rod?
I have a few rods - a Sage RPL 5 weight, an old Sage LL 4 weight, and a Sage SP 8 weight - that I still fish somewhat regularly today. I make a college instructors salary, which given the costs of college, is probably not what you think it is. And I am not a "wheeler and dealer", selling off used fly rods, I generally fish them until the are in need of replacement. I am also not an angler that needs the newest and greatest equipment - though that is a little different when it comes to fly tying.
The first part of this section really should be about how to avoid doing dumb things that cause fly rods to break. Accidents are the number one cause of fly rod breakage - and almost all accidents can be avoided. An article by Tom Kirkman for rod builders states that 95% of rod breakages are due to misuse or abuse (link). I know that when I have broken a rod, all but once, are what I would call accidents that could have been avoided. I provide a number of links to how to avoid breaking fly rods below but to summarize, avoid over-stressing your rod (high sticking, fish with the proper line, bending the tip section too much when stringing up and removing ice from guides, and pulling too hard/jerking to free a fly), open up your loop with heavier flies, set the ferules correctly and check them once in a while, and avoiding doing dumb things (car windows, setting rods down on flat surfaces, putting/leaving rods on top of your vehicle, etc.). I know many of us do not like to do this but keep your rod in a tube as much as possible.
Links about how not to break fly rod
Graphite is an inert material and does not degrade over time unless you are doing something that causes greater stress than the rod was designed for. For example, casting a heavier line, by two or three sizes, will cause the rod to flex more. And while you might get away with one of two Clouser Minnows hitting the rod tip, having that happen repeatedly will cause a weak point. With a tiny bit of care, your fly rod should last you a minimum of 25 years - a number I selected only because that is when some warranties run out.
Selected fly rod manufacturers repair and warranty links
Final Thoughts on Waders
I like good waders but I am not sure how much longer I am willing to shell out several hundred dollars for something that lasts me two years - if I'm lucky. With fly rods, I can be smart about preventing breakage. With waders, in my experience, running into a barbed wire fence happens on occasion but it can be repaired. The fault I find in most of my waders, however, is that eventually they start leaking around the seams. The other issue are the "pin-prick" holes that develop over time from use and typical wear. Here in the Midwest, with lots of vegetation along our streams and trails, we accumulate a lot of wear on our waders. Out west, in places with less streamside / trailside vegetation and more time in drift boats, the average user probably gets more years out of their waders.
I don't know that the above video is totally wrong. I know I can't see spending the prices that the "top-of-the-line" waders are selling for. However, having spent plenty of days in neoprene and PVC waders - which I still use when I assist with electrofishing - breathable waders are unbeatable and dry suits are not breathable. A dry suit might make a good winter option but later in the year, I think it would be pretty miserable to wear.
I try to get a little more use out of my waders by wet wading in the summer, cleaning drying them between uses, I use gravel guards and high quality boots, wearing synthetics under them, and I hang them up when not using them for prolonged periods of time. Though I do most things correctly, I can't say I have been overly successful in prolonging the lifespan of my waders. It seems quite hard to do here in the Midwest fishing the types of places I like to fish. Hopefully you are more successful than I am. The easiest way to prolong the life of waders seems to be to not use them.
I was a fly casting instructor for LL Bean, which at the time, had a "no questions asked" policy on returning products that were "defective". When the word got out on the internet, we had over 2 million dollars in returns/exchanges. The policy has since been changed to a refund/exchange for a defective product, with the receipt within one year.
Second, i agree that around the Driftless Area wet wading is a hood way to prolong the life of waders. But you pay by having pinholes in your legs UNLESS you find a pair if wading pants yhat won’t let thistles, nettles, wild parsnip andnither insults into uour skin. Anybody have some suggestions for that slightly heavier fabric?
Finally, i’d bet 3/4 of us have left a rod in their car top,often disastrously. My best insurance has been that $10 horseshoe shaped magnet i cannkeep in top, snugged against tge luggage rack. Rod butt and reel go in the wiper channel, rod is secured onto roof by the magnet. You won’t drive off with that rod right in front o…
Thouhgtful piece, Dr.J. A couple of comments and a suggestion come to my mind.
Warranties can be both an asset and a liability to a rod company. I want a good warranty and know i pay somewhat more for it. Some rods are broken by stupid, some due to defects, but there’s a grey area between. There, i will be loyal to a company that will work with me to grt back into a usable rod. If i were trying to sell my company (eg Gary Loomis some years ago) i might want to maximize purchase price by minimizing that liability. I never bought another rod from a company if his. …
Great post. Even shouting (to myself, or whoever is around) “Rod on the roof!” has not stopped me from driving away with one up there, only to have it fall off and be mangled by oncoming traffic.
My main concern with “warranty” replacements these days is turnaround time. I know I’ll have to pay, but I expect the replacement part(s) I’m buying to get back to me lickety split.