Favorite wader patch tips?

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Crosshairy

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I hadn't heard folks talk about this topic in a long while...

Every year I do a leak test on my waders in my swimming pool. I (finally) demolished the pool this year, so I moved the operation to my bathtub. I put on cotton pajama pants first, as they show wet spots very well (which also means you should never wear those hunting! hah! )

Anyway, I have managed to squeeze a 7th season out of my old Cabelas waders. I had to order another tube of Aquaseal, as I gave my old one to a friend last year. Unfortunately, that puts me out of commission for this opening weekend unless I can stay out of waist-deep water, but I don't hunt as much during the early season anyway.

Anyone have any products, tips, or tricks for wader repairs? On a related note, do any of you pack any sort of emergency stuff in your pack? I've never tried duct tape in an emergency, but I guess it would work if you could get the surface dry enough to stick.
 
You got me wondering!
When does this come out in mossy oak or real tree?
 

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I have used Aquaseal twice, and I can honestly say that it worked really well when I followed the directions. If you haven't found anything that works already, I'd recommend it for sure. An $8 tube of that stuff can save a $200+ pair of waders, for sure.
 
Nothing works well. Aqua seal is the best I've tried on neoprene but it's only temporary. Breathable waders are a joke to try and patch. I don't remember the last pair that lasted more than 2 seasons.
 
I use shoe goo over Aquaseal. It's just as good or better, easy to find local, bigger tube, And pretty cheap. For patches on neoprene I use air mattress repair kits. I usually only get a year out of a pair if I'm lucky, anymore most of them leak outta the box.
 
There may not be a product I have more dissatisfaction with than hunting waders. Between me and my friends we've had everything but Sitka and it's all junk anymore.
I think I'm going to try high n dry this season. I picked up a pair of Rogers
Neoprene on sale for $100 and I'll use those as backups/boat hunting pair.
 
Are you guys using wader hangers to store yours?

They no longer make the exact same "model" of waders anymore, but I think mine are Cabelas Ultramags. At any rate, I've been more than happy with the reliability vs. price. I don't do a huge amount of wade-in hunts, so I'm sure some of you are putting way more stress on yours than I am. I probably go on 8-10 hunts per season.
 
Crosshairy said:
Are you guys using wader hangers to store yours?

They no longer make the exact same "model" of waders anymore, but I think mine are Cabelas Ultramags. At any rate, I've been more than happy with the reliability vs. price. I don't do a huge amount of wade-in hunts, so I'm sure some of you are putting way more stress on yours than I am. I probably go on 8-10 hunts per season.
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No & I know I ought to- I keep meaning to build a gear locker to hang waders and turkey vests and what not but haven't gotten around to it.
 
I bought one of those wader hangers for about 8 bucks some years back, and just have it hanging on the corner of a set of shelves in my garage. I bought my dad and brother a double-hangar (holds 2 pair) and it gets a lot of use.
 
PossumSlayer said:
You got me wondering!
When does this come out in mossy oak or real tree?
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tried this last year only held for one hunt.

I was running two pair of waders last year that leaked like a sieve. Before the close I had one pair with aquaseal, shoe goo, flex seal tape and flex seal all on the same pair...

Through that junk away only hunting with Made in the USA waders from now on..
 
At the end of season last year my Banded breathable waders had a small rip right on the back of my leg and i forgot about it till the weekend before season. I ordered a repair kit from frog toggs to see if that would fix them. i followed the directions to a T and so far so good give it a shot if you have breathable waders
 
Do yourself a favor and if you wade a lot while hunting—buy the Sitka waders. You'll never have to worry about it again plus if they do tear, send em in and Sitka will fix em.
 
no idea what I'll do if the neoprene boot tears, but Cabela's breathable wader fabric + aqua seal is easy and works. But mine are technically a fly fishing pair.
 
prstide said:
Buy once, cry once
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What's the turnaround time on getting them repaired? I always try to keep patch material on-hand in the event that I stab a cypress knee through mine. It would be sweet getting them fixed by the factory, but I would be scared to ship them off until the end of the season.
 
Crosshairy said:
What's the turnaround time on getting them repaired? I always try to keep patch material on-hand in the event that I stab a cypress knee through mine. It would be sweet getting them fixed by the factory, but I would be scared to ship them off until the end of the season.
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About 2 weeks. You can also buy a roll of waterproofing seam tape off eBay that you could use to make small repairs during season if necessary. It's the exact same stuff the factory uses to "weld" the seams. I have a back up set of waders just in case I have to send off for repair that will serve the purpose.
 
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Check out usia.com
Been looking at them for a few years and bought some for this season. Most comfortable waders I've ever had. They don't breathe so you have to dress accordingly. The company makes drysuits and does business with our military. Made in the USA.
 
jag1 said:
Check out usia.com
Been looking at them for a few years and bought some for this season. Most comfortable waders I've ever had. They don't breathe so you have to dress accordingly. The company makes drysuits and does business with our military. Made in the USA.
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I looked these up. Interesting company and the design is a bit odd, but they sound like they are high quality and durable. Unfortunately, it looks like they are on hold for taking new orders for a while. Maybe when the COVID vaccine works its way through the country, you'll see them rolling again.
 
Crosshairy said:
I looked these up. Interesting company and the design is a bit odd, but they sound like they are high quality and durable. Unfortunately, it looks like they are on hold for taking new orders for a while. Maybe when the COVID vaccine works its way through the country, you'll see them rolling again.
Click to expand...
They definitely have a different look. It took me awhile to wrap my brain around it BUT am very satisfied.
 
So I got the generic pair of neoprene from Rogers a couple weeks ago for $99.
I think I am going to pull the trigger on some High N Dry breathable also, and then have 2 pair to use depending on specific hunt. Hopefully that will help each last longer.
One thing I like about the high n dry breathables is they don't have zip in insulation. It seems every other paid of breathables have that removable insulation now. My last pair of frog toggs had it, and in theory it's ok but I didn't like it.
 
Displaced_Vol said:
So I got the generic pair of neoprene from Rogers a couple weeks ago for $99.
I think I am going to pull the trigger on some High N Dry breathable also, and then have 2 pair to use depending on specific hunt. Hopefully that will help each last longer.
One thing I like about the high n dry breathables is they don't have zip in insulation. It seems every other paid of breathables have that removable insulation now. My last pair of frog toggs had it, and in theory it's ok but I didn't like it.
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I have no experience with zip-in insulation (or breathable waders). Do you use them in the early season or for fishing? I never duck hunt unless it's below 60 degrees, so I can usually manage the temperatures fine with regular neoprene. I haven't had much opportunity to wade-fish, so I never bothered to get a lighter pair of waders.
 
Crosshairy said:
I have no experience with zip-in insulation (or breathable waders). Do you use them in the early season or for fishing? I never duck hunt unless it's below 60 degrees, so I can usually manage the temperatures fine with regular neoprene. I haven't had much opportunity to wade-fish, so I never bothered to get a lighter pair of waders.
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When I had them I'd wear breathables all season long. They're 10 times easier to move around with, and I would just layer accordingly underneath. So long as there was enough insulation in the boots, I never got any colder in them than I did neoprenes.
The liners make them bulky and are unnecessary to me. But I see the point just not my jam.
 
Waders with the liner let you wear regular street clothes only under them. Still breathable and warm just no need to put on extra layers with them.
 

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