Reviving felt on wader boots

[MathFish]

Just wanted to share something I tried out...

I have a pair of Patagonia felt wading boots that I have used for about two years that have really held up well. However, last fall, I took a “last fall” in those boots and retired them because the felt soles were losing their effectiveness to grip on smooth and slippery rocks.

I looked into putting new felt on them, but never committed to it and ended up just getting some cheap replacement boots. Then one day this Spring, while organizing some of my gear, I picked up the Patagonia boots and examined the felt and realized that in comparison with my newer boots the felt didn’t have the fuzziness that the new ones had. I picked up a wire bristle paint scraper brush and began to brush the felt. I really had to put some pressure into it but after a few minutes the flat felt became fuzzy again...

I tried out the “revived” felt today in the same stream I fell in this past Fall, and much to my delight, the boots worked like new!

If your felt isn’t fuzzy, I suggest giving a wire brush a try.

 

[dryflyguy]

Interesting....
Like you, I've found that felts harden up, and start losing gripping power after a year or two.
I've been adding studs - or just replacing them, which requires some time and work.
I'll have to give this a try.
Thanks for sharing

 

[MathFish]

I’ve been out 3 times with those boots that I revived and they are grippy like they were when they were new.

One more thing to add... I always clean my boots when I get home from fishing and I typically use a plastic scrub brush to clean them in my tub sink. But I have used the wire brush on the felt while I’m cleaning them while they are wet and it really helps loosen up the felt more so than using the brush while they are dry. I figure this might help someone wanting to try this.