Recommendations for seam-sealing tape - neoprene

[salmonoid]

Hello,

I experienced a strange wet and cold sensation in my right wader bootie Saturday morning (no, not THAT kind of sensation!). I haven't had a leaking wader for a long time, since switching to breathables from neoprenes. However, as luck would have it, the neoprene bootie is what was leaking. The culprit was the seam sealing tape inside the bootie, which had come loose or off in several places, allowing water to seep in.

I contacted the manufacturer but have since discovered, through additional research, that they've been sold two times, so I think that angle will go nowhere :-( Some searching turns up Melco Iron On Tape as one possible solution, although it may be tricky to iron on tape on a bootie.

If you've resealed seams in your waders, what method or product did you use? Did you use tape and/or a combination of tape and AquaSeal? Do you have a local (or regional) source, since shipping is outrageously expensive from Seattle and I hope to use my wading pants for the other opening day in less than two weeks..

 

[mcfinn]

Used gorilla tape last year, as a temporary fix. A good source may be a boat shop as they they repair all manner of water fabrics.

 

[Foxgap239]

I had the exact same problem and I simply used aquaseal to reapply the tape and I have had no issues since. I will tell this though. The first time I felt that wetness I looked and saw the tape was peeling back and assumed that to be the leak. What I failed to see however was the hole that the side of my had boot worn in the the neoprene. Moral of the story, don't assume the tape is your only issue. Aquaseal handled both equally well. Aquaseal is some awesome stuff!

 

[nymphingmaniac]

not saying this caused your problem, but it is very important that you don't walk much (really at all) in dry boots if they are made of material that gets hard. wet them before putting them on. I think I put premature wear on the toe section of a pair of waders years ago wearing dry boots

 

[zem]

Funny you mention Gorilla tape. I also used it last year as a "temporary" fix. A year later the tape is still on and no leaks. They may not look pretty but it seems to work well.

 

[salmonoid]

nymphingmaniac wrote:
not saying this caused your problem, but it is very important that you don't walk much (really at all) in dry boots if they are made of material that gets hard. wet them before putting them on. I think I put premature wear on the toe section of a pair of waders years ago wearing dry boots

Its the tape inside that went and its one side only (right bootie). I think it was just a bad initial factory seal, as this is my newest pair of waders.

I'm going to go with some AquaSeal and duct tape, for a probable temporary permanent fix; the iron on seam seal tape isn't all that expensive, but shipping from the west coast is outrageous. If I can find some local, I may try to apply that at some point.