Hugo

Avoid full neoprenes like the plague.
Technology has advanced way beyond the need for it.
You can easily pick up something that is lightweight, breathable, comfortable, and durable that outperforms neoprene.  

I have both neoprene and hornes, both have their good points but neoprenes can be a huge pain in the you know what to get in and out of and you sweat like a dog in them and your clothes and socks end up getting soaked anyhow with sweat.
And the Hornes type always end up getting a hole in them somewhere so you end up getting one soaked leg ,nothing worse.
You get repair kits ,but yeah it happens, not that keen on waders,only winter but  neos are probably the lesser of the 2 evils.
The ones I have you can fold them over and wear them like a pair of pants,or pull them up full length,Hodgemans i think they are called,wearing them like that instead of full length seems better.

Simms Freestone. 
Light weight. Breathable. Neoprene boot so you need to pick up a wading boot. Much prefer this option as the external boot provides a lot more support then a build in rubber one. 
Works well for when it gets a bit colder. Keeps you dry even if your not wading out ie. pushing through wet foliage etc.  No need for them in the summer at all. 
Not to mention they are pretty tough. 

I've got vision ikon breathable waders. Got them when I was fly fishing in Helsinki and love them. Feels just like wearing clothes and can layer what I've got under them for the temperature I expect. Don't think I could go to anything but breathable now because of the comfort and flexibility factor. Price is a bit of an issue though, waders and boots set me back about $500 off. Looking at getting some new lightweight shoes now for boating and kayaking which will be easier to swim in if I tip over and won't scratch the deck like my studded rock hopping boots would. The other big advantage with breathable, a lot safer if you wind up swimming in them!

The Mojiko neoprene waders are good for the price. I had mine for 3 years. I used mine for everything going through blackberry bushes trouting, rock hopping sliding etc. After 3 years the rough trout trekking got the better of them. Tore a hole just above the thigh. So being h
The ideas man i am i cut below the hole and turned them into thigh waders. Lasted another 2 years.
 
So for the price they are pretty good for what they are. They are warm and fairly snug. The only downside is movibility i like to be able to walk freely.

Is that the Mojiko's or similar? I notice anaconda has the neoprene 1/2 price a couple of times a year but they never have the right size and when I've asked I get told sorry can't order them in they are a run out item....
 
I think I started a similar thread last winter but never bought anything so this has re kindled my interest....had enough of freezing in the water and shaking, looks a bit dodgy.

I'm a cheap skate and just buy a cheap pair when on sale from bcf or Ray's etc
So far on my second pair over last 5 seasons
Bloody uncomfortable though

I always thought about getting wading pants and boots that you see guys use in trout streams...
 
But dont know how it would actually work.
 
I hate the feeling of wearing full length waders as you mentioned for comfort and movibility, as well as the fact they are dangerous if you get caught up in the swell or fall over.
 
I just bought some thigh waders for me trout stalking this winter. They look like they have plenty of freedom to walk around with but fairly high up to cover most areas getting wet.

I brought mine with me from the US. They're LL Bean breathable waders with the stocking foot, so you need wading boots as well. Back there we fished from the rocks mostly, so proper lace up boots were much safer and comfortable. I know many people prefer boot foot waders on the sand, but I have to say that the stocking foot/lace up boot system is very comfortable if you want/need to walk a bit. The lightweight breathable waders are awesome too, not sure what's available around here, but if you can find some I highly recommend them.

Shimano Bushy bait legend out 6'4
                cheers b

Sweet 

Valid point Rod. What they're doing is anything but "recreational"

Dyl, have a look at the Lateo range: http://daiwafishing.com.au/products/lateo/ I have the 110XL, great for lures from 40g to around 85g. The MH is more tippy, better for 30 - 40g lures.

Should do. The Over there 130 skipping stick bait I use weighs 52g and the rod handles it easily, and 65g knights are no problem. There is enough strength in the rod to pelt out a 4 oz star sinker with a full Pilchard, so will handle a 70g hard bait.

Rod weighs 280g Shorejigger. Ultegra reel weighs 485g loaded and balances perfectly.

Well, if money was no issue, I'd probably go something like this :
 
Megabass SHADOW XX SXX-96M with a
Shimano AR-C Aero CI4+ 4000XG

For a dedicated beach lure casting spin outfit, particularly if your looking for distance, I'd suggest looking into using one of the long cast reels. There are quite a few compact models from Shimano and Daiwa that will suit most of the rods mentioned in this thread. For me at least they have added significant distance when casting. Saves using my standard spin reels on the beach.

yeah daiwa surf rods are great, ive got the seabass and sensor surf and there both really good sticks!

the seabass SB 106M is really hard to beat from a value point of view. Light enough to have some fun, but strong enough to whack out some decent metals.
 

I had the same reservations with the lighter Lateo's Bjorn, that's why I went for the XH. I can really rip out a full power cast with a decent sized metal, but still ping a 30g slug as well. Having that bit of extra strength helps casting into an onshore wind. Comments from other forums have also mentioned the XH is strong enough to winch fish up if fishing on a rock platform, so assume this would be fish up to a couple of kilos.

I've got two main setups. My lightweight rig is a Daiwa Seabass 9'6" paired with a Penn Slammer 260 running 10lb Fireline. It will throw a 20g lure about as far as that sort of weight will go. It's great for when the wind and surf is down. Smaller salmon will put a good bend in it and provide some fun, but I'm certain it will handle much bigger ones(unfortunately I haven't been able to test this theory yet).
 
My heavier setup is a Daiwa Seajigger 325M with a Slammer 360 and 14lb Fireline. It is an incredibly light and thin rod for the amount of power it produces. It will absolutely launch a 55g metal lure right out the back. It is soft enough to still make salmon in the 30cm bracket fun but it will handle almost any fish you might catch in the surf, including big mullies and snapper. When I bought it I didn't want to spend quite so much, but I'm glad I did, a brilliant beast of a rod.
 
I cannot recommend Daiwa surf rods enough, I have owned several over the years (one thing to be wary of though is that they seriously overrate the casting weight you can throw well).
 
Likewise with the Penn Slammer reels, absolutely bulletproof surf reels. They are a bit heavy but I find they balance well on longer beach rods, and they're going cheap right now.
 
Good luck with your decision bjorn, if you want to meet up for a fish and some test casts let me know.

I looked at the 110MH and it was to soft in the tip and indicated a lure weight range of 20 - 60g from memory. The XH says up to 150g but that's way too heavy. I grabbed the XH and it seems spot on for the lure weight range mentioned above. I've also tied on an Over there 130 skipping stick bait and that went a mile. I'd have no issues with using this set up with a pillie and a 4 oz sinker so handy as a back up bait rod.
I put an emblem pro reel on it and it was too heavy, so a standard 4000 Daiwa or 6000 Shimano reel would balance fine if not using one of the compact long cast reels.

Look at the Pro Cargo SS4500 reel as an option if you want to stay with Daiwa as its roughly the same weight as the Ultegra CI4+ XTB that I have. Either reel will balance well and the whole set up is very light.

Just purchased a Daiwa Lateo 110XH and matched it to a Shimano Ultegra 5500 reel running 20lb 832 braid. It gets out the back! 40g to 65g lures are ideal, feels like it can go either side of this weight wise, but this range is sweet.

I've been using the red Gomoku's in spin with a Diawa 2500 and the overhead with a Daiwa Pluton for whiting where there's a chance of something bigger coming along, otherwise a Shimano Bushy's bait legend "Go to" 6' 3-6kg spin rod with a 2500 daiwa reel for tinny and kayak fishing. I like these because they're all suited to leaving in a rod holder with circle hooks as well as traditional stand and deliver fishing with long shank hooks. I don't mind fishing slightly heavier gear for whiting as it gives me a sporting chance on larger stuff. For whiting, I'd spend a bit less on the rod, because thers plenty of good quality suitable ones off the shelf and lash out on a high end reel.

Soak your cuttyhunk line in pitch before using.
40 pound line is fine for handlining whiting.
Soak your catgut in a bucket of water before a days fishing to soften the line.
Leave your squid out in the sun for four of five days till it turns red and is now perfect for snapper bait.
Always keep a flagon of plonk in your boat.
Alvey centrepins are the best reels on the market.
Always carry a spare magneto in your boat.
You can't eat squid.. it's bait.