Orvis wader repair service

[dryflyguy]

When I worked at mainstream outfitters I did all the repairs on orvis waders. Maybe see if they do it yet.

What methods did you find worked best for finding leaks?

 

[6xAdams(Jones)]

What methods did you find worked best for finding leaks?

At work we use this, but it costs over $100/gallon.

 

[wildtrout2]

I took advantage of the $100 credit on a new set of the Ultralight Convertiple waders. At $209.88, I would have been a fool not to. I got good use from my other waders, so I accept the fact that they'll leak at some point in their life.
I found it interesting that my first two sets of Orvis waders were made in China, yet this set was made in Vietnam.

While looking at some of the clothing there, the shirts I saw were made in Peru. Does Orvis make anything in the USA? 🤔Also, I watched a fellow make a $400+ purchase of a couple pairs of shorts and a shirt. It seems Orvis is the Ralph Lauren of the fishing world.

 

[6xAdams(Jones)]

That is absolutely incorrect. I have never heard anything so crazy. I've been filling leaky waders for 50 years.

I just couldn't resist...
Assuming that each leg of the average waders is about 8" x 8" x 36", the volume of each leg is about 23 cubic inches or almost 10 gallons in each leg. If water is 8 lbs./gallon, I expect I'd be asking a lot of the leg of even the most expensive waders to hold 80 lbs. Granted, I weigh about 3x as much, but I don't wear them while I have them hanging up. However, considering that the water pressure is equally applied to the sides of, say a cylinder with a circumference of ~18" (conservative - I'm not that skinny) and a height of about 36", it's only about 1/10 of a lb. on each square inch and that would be at the bottom near the feet. So, I stand corrected that filling up one's waders would not be as disastrous as I previously thought.

 

[dryflyguy]

At work we use this, but it costs over $100/gallon.
View attachment 1641237465

A pipe leak detector?

I have used a 4th method for finding wading leaks, that involves blowing them up with a shop vac.
And dabbing regular soap /water mixture on area where I suspect leak.
It works. But I find it rather hard to seal off the top of the waders enough for a tight seal, and dab soap at the same time.
Need 3 arms
I

 

[6xAdams(Jones)]

A pipe leak detector?

I have used a 4th method for finding wading leaks, that involves blowing them up with a shop vac.
And dabbing regular soap /water mixture on area where I suspect leak.
It works. But I find it rather hard to seal off the top of the waders enough for a tight seal, and dab soap at the same time.
Need 3 arms
I

Just kidding... Soapy water works just as well for pennies, when a bright flashlight in a dark room doesn't.

 

[hooker-of-men]

While looking at some of the clothing there, the shirts I saw were made in Peru. Does Orvis make anything in the USA? 🤔Also, I watched a fellow make a $400+ purchase of a couple pairs of shorts and a shirt. It seems Orvis is the Ralph Lauren of the fishing world.

In terms of soft goods? I would guess almost definitely not.

I stopped at the flagship in Manchester early in the year after spending the morning fishing nearby. I just needed some odds and ends: tippet, split shot, some tying materials, etc. The clerk joked with me about how my handful of junk for thirty-some dollars was the highest SKU to lowest price ratio he'd seen all day. Everyone else within ear shot was buying thousand dollar rods or $300 sling packs for their yearly destination trips. Orvis knows what they're doing.

 

[hooker-of-men]

Sh!t! I just outed myself as a buyer of Orvis split shot!

Sorry, all. I'll voluntarily remand myself to the Virtual Bench of Shame for a few days

 

[wildtrout2]

Sh!t! I just outed myself as a buyer of Orvis split shot!

With the $100 I saved on my waders, now I can afford to buy some of that $14 lead-free Orvis shot.

 

[Bamboozle]

I found it interesting that my first two sets of Orvis waders were made in China, yet this set was made in Vietnam.

While looking at some of the clothing there, the shirts I saw were made in Peru. Does Orvis make anything in the USA?

Other than rods and reels in the past, did they ever...?

Unlike L.L. Bean that actually made clothing & other gear but now outsources everything but their Maine Hunting Shoes & Boat & Tote bags, Orvis hardly made anything...

They just put their name on it except today almost everything is "imported." 😉

BTW - Their USA made and Orvis branded reels & tools aren't made by Orvis but instead are fabricated by a Vermont machining facility...

 

[ryansheehan]

Seems like the waders being “filthy” could easily have been a convenient excuse for Orvis reneging on their end of the “lifetime” warranty. I think we give these big companies entirely too much credit without holding them accountable for selling what often amounts to defective junk. I spend a lot of money on gear (probably enough that any normal individual would question my sanity) and I’ve noticed that companies seem to rush to release new “sexy” products without doing any sort of medium term stress testing. I’ve had trash fishpond net zingers that got brittle from UV and fell apart after 3 uses, a very high end Orvis rod that the tip top literally just came unglued on almost ruining a trip, 400+$ Sage reels that just fell apart in the middle of the river making me chase the spool down through the water I was hoping to fish. On top of which, nearly every review you read online is comprised of idiots that give an item 5 stars after “being so excited to have just received the product and unboxing it, can’t wait to try it on the water”


As I stated, after dropping nearly 400$ on a pair of ultralights, my experience was pretty similar to that of wildtrout2 (albeit with even less time between purchase and failure- and being told the item was beyond its useful lifespan- frankly bull$hit for a “lifetime” warranty). The material felt very cheap, the suspender system was infuriatingly poorly designed, and the flexibility was nonexistent while still being cut like a sack of potatoes (to the point where current would push on looser sections and actually knock me over from time to time). Stop shilling for Orvis bro

Orvis definitely doesnt have a lifetime warranty on waders, not even close. I'm not sure if they put a lifetime warranty on anything actually, they don't on their rods either.

 

[JMP]

I bought a pair of Sims Freestone waders in March 2021. Recently, I noticed my fleece wader pants were slightly wet below the knee after a few hours on the stream. On Monday, my socks were wet. I used the flashlight technique and there were no obvious holes. I noticed a difference in light visibility below the knee. The material on the inside has a wrinkled appearance. I expect this is normal wear, removal the DRW layer, and would not be covered by the warranty for “normal wear of the material”. I filled the legs with water and detected water seeping through. No major leaks, only seepage. Today, I sprayed them with flex seal below the knee. I will apply a second coat tomorrow. I know this negates the breathability, but it was worth a try to extend the life. I am anxious to determine if this will be a success

 

[Cougarbaby]

Well I just heard from my local Orvis shop , I had returned a pair of boot foot chest waders that developed a leak kind of where the tread of the boot met the boot , I guess they determined they were un repairable and must of been defective some how so Orvis sent me a new pair .Hooray for Orvis

 

[Cougarbaby]

I actually fully intended on that not happening and saved money up for new ones maybe another rod ehhhh

 

[nymphingmaniac]

I actually fully intended on that not happening and saved money up for new ones maybe another rod ehhhh

or save it, allow the money to grow for 3 years and then upgrade to Simms. Or how with inflation, have the money for a replacement pair.

 

[Schaefer406]

Okay, so here's the dirt (pun intended) on my Orvis wader repair. Today, after three weeks, they said two weeks, or a bit longer, I hadn't heard from anybody regarding my waders, so I went to the Orvis store in Haverford to inquire about them.

They said they had just today gotten my waders back from the repair people out in Seattle. They told me no effort was made to find/repair any leaks because the waders were too dirty!!! The original sales person who took the waders from me and sent them out wasn't in, but the sales lady told me to take them home, scrub them clean, then bring them back and they'll send them back (overnight delivery) to the repair people out in Seattle, again.

I asked the lady why the original sales person didn't mention to me, the fact that since the waders were dirty, they wouldn't attempt to find any leaks in them? I said, basically they charged me $60 to tell me my waders are dirty!! I was pissed, to be very honest. She agreed, and said the original sales person should have mentiond to me the issue with them being dirty.

Sooo, I took them home, scrubbed them good, let them dry, then returned them to the Orvis store, to their satisfaction. I guess it'll be another two+ weeks before I hear anything again. At this point, I'm thinking if they can't find/fix the leak/leaks, they should just give me a new pair for all the aggravation.

I'll update this thread after I hear from them again in a couple weeks. This is starting to add fuel to my "Done With Haverford Orvis" thread.

I ran into this issue with Simms waders - I sent them for repair after leaking only after 1 year of use. They explicitly state in the return that you need to ensure the waders are not dirty (with the exception of marks that won't come off of the wader material). Simms evaluated my waders once "cleaned", and to my surprise they sent back a brand-new pair of waders in the mail to me.

As for Orvis, I have not had to send in my Orvis Pro waders after 3 years of HEAVY use - they are super durable. I will say, I have had to send rods to Orvis for repair, whether that be a broken tip or guide, and the customer service has always been fantastic to work with. I hope this works out well for you.

 

[Clams]

As for Orvis, I have not had to send in my Orvis Pro waders after 3 years of HEAVY use - they are super durable. I will say, I have had to send rods to Orvis for repair, whether that be a broken tip or guide, and the customer service has always been fantastic to work with. I hope this works out well for you.

Agree. I've had my orvis pro waders for a few years now and they seem bulletproof. The cordura fabric is a bit stiff and doesn't have much give, but leaking has not been an issue (and I've done some pretty serious bushwhacking in them). And my orvis pro boots are just as durable as the waders.

 

[Cougarbaby]

The pros will be my next ones when the Clearwater’s are done for sure Orvis has been very good to me in the rod and wader department

 

[Schaefer406]

Agree. I've had my orvis pro waders for a few years now and they seem bulletproof. The cordura fabric is a bit stiff and doesn't have much give, but leaking has not been an issue (and I've done some pretty serious bushwhacking in them). And my orvis pro boots are just as durable as the waders.

The Pro waders rock. I enjoy the knee pads in them as I always seem to bang up my knees on rocks by accident. But yes, as you said the Codura fabric is definitely stiff (especially in winter), but the tradeoff is the durability and the warmth when wading in colder temps. I have two pairs of waders, and tend to opt for my Simms Freestones in warmer temps.

 

[Nocktavius]

I think the trick with waders is that most of the repairs you successfully send in could also be handled with a tube of aqua seal. If they can’t do it that way they’ll likely claim it’s “beyond repair”

Learning the Isopropyl alcohol, turn it inside out trick is a great way to ensure you won’t be without your waders for long periods of time only to find out they’re shot. I make minor repairs to my waders after nearly every fishing trip.