Leaky Wader Seam

[ryansheehan]

Swattie87 wrote:
I should also probably clarify that my tolerance for what constitutes a "leak" is pretty high. In my mind it's not a leak until I can wring water out of my pants or socks. I probably have some mild damp spots, especially along seams, much sooner that I don't really notice or care much about.

Water is a worth adversary.

Ryan - The one thing with Beans...They run baggy and big, including the booties. Normally this is a good thing...better breathability and less seam stretching as someone mentioned earlier in the thread. One potential bad thing though is you can end up with extra bootie material you have to stuff into your wading boot. I think this can actually cause the bootie material to rub and wear in ways in wasn't intended to. I've actually gone to buying my wading boots a size bigger to accommodate the Beans. I know you're a tall guy...Are the booties too big on the size you end up buying? Just a thought.

I definitely think fit is the major reason I have so many issues. I'm 6'4 with long legs and wade pretty aggressively. I don't really have an issue with the booties being too big though. I think it's the pull as I move. The new bean waders have a tall size so I'm hopeful that might solve the issue. I had the old sonic orvis pro waders in large long but ripped the crotch seam immediately multiple times.

 

[Dubhlaine]

I've had a bigger problems with baggy waders than with waders that fit more like pants. Granted, you want them looser than a pair of jeans or dress slacks. But still, too much bagginess can cause the folds of material to rub together and wear badly in specific spots. Even worse if there are seams along the areas of excess bagginess.

Me too, especially with inside seams wearing. Why on earth put the seams on the inside leg. I like wast waders from paramount, medium fits fairly tight especially when bending over or wearing winter socks. So I got the large for winter ware but baggie around knees and sure enough seam ware massive leak on third outing. Medium I've worn a dozen times and no issues yet.
Wet wading in late spring summer has saved me the most. OAT + Water temp must equle over 100f for all day wading 😁

 

[krayfish2]

Tear aid tape on the inside of the waders, aquaseal on exterior seam.

 

[6xAdams(Jones)]

Aquaseal will work fine. I have always wanted to try one of the Flex Seal products like the tape or spray to see if they would work. I have a leaky spare pair of Hippies I am going to try it on.

FlexSeal spray makes a nasty mess and doesn't work on waders. Also, you'll choke to death if you use it indoors.
Loon UV works pretty well on the breathable fabric - not so much on the neoprene.

 

[nymphingmaniac]

add me to the list of people who find the bagginess a source of wear. rubbing between the legs and in the crotch reduces life. All in all, baggy is better than a tight fit. I tried the tighter fit and experienced problems too. Either I need a wader tailor or I have to slow down my fishing- less aggressive moving and hiking. Regularly adjusting the suspenders helps extend the life. Especially adjust them with the seasons. Big difference between a dry-fit shirt and layered winter gear

 

[Mike]

The in-house Cabelas waders (boot foot for me) that are similar to what Swattie mentioned were all that I used for work for years. I never had a seam leak. I had plenty of pin holes over the years because we would frequently set up sampling sites and electrofish through a lot of multiflora rose. Never had them tear through except the rubber boot foot that I destroyed once on the first day of use when I walked into some invisible barbed wire fencing that had accumulated in a deep, muddy bridge hole. Waders were used all season long for stream work plus in the boats for electrofishing and trap netting. I practically lived in those boots, often on a daily basis, during field season from late March through October. With patching of pin holes and all of that wear and tear I would get 3-5 yrs out of a single pair of those boots.

I was so impressed that I purchased my own and have been getting about 10 yrs out of them because I no longer have to contend with multi-flora rose to the extent that I did when working around and within stands of that plant. I patch them with Aqua-seal or Goop, roughing up the interior before applying Goop. It’s correct that as someone else mentioned that the Goop peels at times and a repair may have to be repeated on occasion. I didn’t use Aqua-seal enough to make any observations other than its great flexibility.