I have a trip to Cherokee National Forest planned for some time in the next month or two. We are planning to do some gold panning. The problem is, we're a little concerned about the temperature of the water for long term exposure, and about being that wet and dealing with the air temperature (knowing how quickly hypothermia can set in when wet). I have looked for some waders, but I cant find any that are light/cheap enough for us. I saw on quest's site that they have some heat sealable fabrics that they list as being usable for drybag and stuff like that. I am thinking about buying some of the material and making some waders for us to use along with some pool shoes (that I plan on taking along for water crossings anyway). I'm just not sure which of the matierals they have would be the best choice, and would like to know if anyone has any experience with any of them.
The available fabrics are
HEAT SEALABLE -OXFORD
WT/SQ YD=approx, 5.9-6.4 oz. 200 denier 100% nylon
HEAT SEALABLE -TAFFETA
WT/SQ YD=apprx. 4.4 oz. 70 denier 100% nylon
I know very little about these two types of fabric, so I dont know which would be more durable for that type of use. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.