I have a pair of Orvis chest waders that seem to leak around the knee area on both sides. Minor leaks but after a couple hours it results in wet socks and pants. Is there a good way/technique to find links? maybe a seam sealer to put onto seams around knees? Their only 2 yrs old so I hate to just toss them.
Ideas on Leaky Waders
- Thread starter Clarmy
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Nymph-wristed
Well-known member
Or Flex Seal.... This stuff is a bit cheaper and does the trick.
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This sounds like the seams starting to go to me. That’s usually where I first start to notice it, more on the inside of the knees than the outside usually. It’s from walking in them and the seams stretching slowly over time. My experience is you can try some Aquaseal (or similar products) to extend the life a little bit, but more than likely you’re at the beginning of the end for this pair and you’re gonna be chasing seam leaks until it gets to the point of catastrophic failure. I’d be keeping an eye out for a new pair if you see a good deal. Keep your current pair as backups or for real brushy streams on hot days until they fail completely. Water is a worthy adversary.
Small tears or pinholes from thorns etc usually patch up pretty nicely, with the repair usually outlasting the waders. But when you’re dealing with seam or bootie leaks, that’s a tougher deal.
Edit: I also don’t consider a pair of waders to be “leaking” until I can wring water out of my socks. It’s nearly impossible to tell the difference between feeling damp from perspiration when you take them off and from a minor leak. If you can wring water, they’re leaking.
dryflyguy
Well-known member
Think you're asking how to find the leaks?
Easiest way to do that on lower leg:
Turn them inside out
After they've dried out, fill the legs with water. You can do this up to the knee area safely.
I do one leg at a time, holding them with one hand, and filling it up with garden hose.
Then look for the leaks, and mark them with a permanent marker
Dry thoroughly again, and patch with aqua seal
As mentioned in prior post, seam leaks are tougher to seal.
But I have done it successfully, by sealing with aqua seal on both sides.
Certainly worth a try - especially if you're just gonna toss them anyway
gfenlikestolosepasswords
Member
Flex seal didn't work. Shoe Goo is your cheap wader repair material.
A pair of old waders provides a large resource for patch material, too.
A pair of old waders provides a large resource for patch material, too.
JMP
Active member
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I had an older pair of Sims waders that leaked. I did the hose test and had water seeping through the material at the knees. Most likely normal wear. I tried the Flexseal. It prevented a majority of the leak, but not all. These are now backup or summer waders.
nymphingmaniac
Well-known member
yup. perspiration. membranes only breathe and dispense moisture if out of the water. If you are standing in waist deep water for hours, your pants/socks will feel damp. Bootie leaks (both to material and seam with breathable fabric can easily be fixed with replacement. It cost me 60.00 plus shipping to replace them on my G3s. " Breathes" new life into them- pun intended
Do you think the reverse would work? filling the inside with water and inspecting exterior
dryflyguy
Well-known member
Maybe
Most everything I've ever read on fixing leaks says to turn them inside out for some reason.
Thinking that's the proper way for breathable.
Back in the neoprene days, I used to fix them without turning them inside out
But its pretty much the same on both sides though.
There are a few easier ways to find the leaks that you can try first.
The flashlight method in a dark room will show fairly large holes
You can also try blowing them up with air and spotting with soap bubbles.
Most everything I've ever read on fixing leaks says to turn them inside out for some reason.
Thinking that's the proper way for breathable.
Back in the neoprene days, I used to fix them without turning them inside out
But its pretty much the same on both sides though.
There are a few easier ways to find the leaks that you can try first.
The flashlight method in a dark room will show fairly large holes
You can also try blowing them up with air and spotting with soap bubbles.
TerrellBFly
Member
I will say filling waders with water to find leaks is a difficult proposition to do correctly, and you can ruin them. A VERY easy way to determine if there are pin holes or seam issues is to use a small bright flashlight and run it along the seams or where you think there are pin hole leaks. The light will be easily visible through the gaps in the material - just use a marker to identify the areas needing fixed, then apply aqua seal. The flashlight is cleaner, easier, and faster than soaking your waders in the tub and then waiting for them to dry out. Always apply your aqua seal to the inside of the waders unless absolutely necessary.
wildtrout2
Well-known member
My best idea for leaky waders is to replace them with new ones. Why drive yourself nuts trying to find leaks, then have your repair not work as desired? Is it really worth all the hassle?
Bamboozle
Well-known member
A couple of things...
Even though I hardly ever wear waders, when I've tried on a few pairs recently I immediately noticed most are considerably less roomy than older pairs I own in the same size and brand.
I attribute this to fly fishing hipsters wanting that "skinny jeans" look in their waders and the manufactures happily accommodating the desire because "skinny waders" use less material.
However the less room you have in your waders, the more stress you put on seams...
Also, all breathable fabric benefits and relies on a durable water resistant (DWR) treatment applied to the exterior of the fabric to repel water. When the DWR treatment gets old, you get capillary absorption in the outer layers of fabric which reduces the overall water repellancy of waders.
While renewing the DWR coating isn't a solution for legitimate leaks, IF you wash your waders, you SHOULD renew the DWR treatment. You will notice a BIG difference.
Gear Aid/Revivex and Nikwax TX.Direct are excellent DWR products.
Even though I hardly ever wear waders, when I've tried on a few pairs recently I immediately noticed most are considerably less roomy than older pairs I own in the same size and brand.
I attribute this to fly fishing hipsters wanting that "skinny jeans" look in their waders and the manufactures happily accommodating the desire because "skinny waders" use less material.
However the less room you have in your waders, the more stress you put on seams...
Also, all breathable fabric benefits and relies on a durable water resistant (DWR) treatment applied to the exterior of the fabric to repel water. When the DWR treatment gets old, you get capillary absorption in the outer layers of fabric which reduces the overall water repellancy of waders.
While renewing the DWR coating isn't a solution for legitimate leaks, IF you wash your waders, you SHOULD renew the DWR treatment. You will notice a BIG difference.
Gear Aid/Revivex and Nikwax TX.Direct are excellent DWR products.
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wildtrout2
Well-known member
With that being said, which I agree with, I could invision this scenario resulting in much less mobility/flexibility in getting over obstacles and crouching down along and in the stream, because of tightness. I had to go from an Orvis Medium Regular to a Medium Long. I needed that extra slack for less restricted movement.
Bamboozle
Well-known member
I have an old pair of Cabela's short/stout or something to that effect that I bought specifically to wear on the Letort because I spend most of most of time there kneeling, crouching, crawling, or sitting and I need the extra room so I can make it happen.
Kms
Well-known member
To find holes soak the exterior with a mild soap solution, fill them with air, roll down the top, squeeze, and look for foam.
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Once I came to the conclusion that waders are a consumable (think like tippet or floatant, or brakes or tires on a car) I stopped worrying about it.
The times I’ve tried Aquasealing seams the time investment to do it about equalled the additional time I got out of the waders. Sort of a joke, but not really. It bought me a few extra outings at best. When the seams start going, the leaks expand along them and it’s a never ending battle.
I pre-buy my waders, and usually have at least one pair new in box in the basement at any moment. When I see a pair I know I like or have had a good experience with on a good deal, I buy them whether I need them at the time or not. I’ll eventually need them.
The times I’ve tried Aquasealing seams the time investment to do it about equalled the additional time I got out of the waders. Sort of a joke, but not really. It bought me a few extra outings at best. When the seams start going, the leaks expand along them and it’s a never ending battle.
I pre-buy my waders, and usually have at least one pair new in box in the basement at any moment. When I see a pair I know I like or have had a good experience with on a good deal, I buy them whether I need them at the time or not. I’ll eventually need them.
TimMurphy
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Dear TerrellBFly,
An alternative that has worked for me is to take the waders into a dark enclosed room, a bathroom for example, and turn them inside out. Then just shine a bright flashlight inside the legs and look for bright spots on the outside of the waders. Have a Sharpie handy and mark the light leaks. Then just patch around the check marks with Aquaseal or Shoe-Goo, or some other elastic type of cement.
Regards,
Tim Murphy 🙂
dryflyguy
Well-known member
Simms used to have a spot on their website about finding wader leaks.
And one of the methods mentioned is filling them to the knee only
dryflyguy
Well-known member
What if you have a $600 pair of Simms waders that are just past the one year warranty?
You just going to throw them away?
I spend time repairing all kinds of thing around the house, and on my vehicles
What's so bad about trying to fix waders?
wildtrout2
Well-known member
You can always go the repair route with Simms, then you're without waders for however long.
