I'm on my 3rd pair. I just contacted Orvis they gave me the address to send them to, & a couple of weeks later brand new pair with any changes to the new model they have come out with since the original purchase. To be honest everytime I thought ok this time I'm going to have to buy new ones been looking at Simms, but I send back anyway, & there is the new ones delivered to the door. I cant get out of them but now that you talk about the 6 month thing maybe I' will have to buy new ones, & Orvis is coming out with a new model, similar to Simms, welded & the zipper, so maybe thats why the six month thing, they have probably quit making the Proguide 3's to replace with.