Im fairly new to fly fishing and was curious about the wear and tear on my (also fairly new) waders. I bought these Patagonia swift current wading pants in the spring of this year and have probably 25-30 days on the water with them.
After every use, I hang them to dry, and usually leave them hanging until the next time I go fishing.
I’m starting to get some pretty bad leaking on the inside of the legs and it looks like the issue is that the exterior material is wearing through at the edges of where the seams are taped on the inside.
So my question is:
Does this seem like a typical amount of fabric wear/ damage for the amount of use I’ve put these waders through?
I know all waders will leak eventually, but for a $500 pair of waders, I was hoping for more longevity than a single season of moderate use.
How do I even go about repairing this type of leak? Everything I can find online about wader repair just covers pinhole leaks and tears from things like barbed wire. This is several inches of worn out fabric that seems to be forming in several different spots. Should I just paint the whole length of these cracks with aquaseal?
Or in the opinion of those more experienced with waders than myself, is this something I should make a warranty claim on?
I feel like even if I do repair the portions where the leaking is bad, there are several other places where I can see the same type of damage starting to form and I know they will be leaking there too before long.
Thanks!
Posted by shovelingwater
8 Comments
Shoe Goo
Patagonia has the best warranty service in the industry. Go to their website and fill out the online repair form and send them in. I think you’ll be happy with the result.
You can use a goretex fabric patch and adhere it on the inside of the cut with some aquaseal. BUT Patagonia has a great warranty I hear. Maybe they will repair them better under your warranty. Good luck.
I am sure many will have super technical ideas. Just aquaseal both sides, use enough to get good coverage, and think of those aqua seal blotches as a badge of honor. Also next time watch what you walk through or crawl over, poky things are common. A angler and Fish Biologist
Crazy I’ve been using my Academy Magellan Outdoors forever and beat the daylights out of them and never once have I had a whisper of a leak.. makes me think Patagonia waders aren’t what they’re cracked up to be.
Id go with the warranty first, if for whatever they cant fix them for you or you dont or cant send them in, clean the area with water and alcohol, then get aqua seal and some used pantyhose. Cut a patch with about an extra half inch to an inch larger than the cut, wear gloves of course before you do this, trust me lol. Then spread aquaseal on both sides of the pantyhose and apply the patch. It helps to put a box or something flat in the waders to give you a surface to work on, press the patch down firmly, let cure for 24 hours at least. I did this when i ripped a hole in mines, zero issues for a couple of seasons, im sure its still fine, but i got a new pair and use these as backups now.
If you have a Patagonia Outlet Store in your locality, take them in. They’ll probably give you an option of repair or replace.
Just send them in if you can go without them for a while. Patagonia has one of the best warranties out there. I’ve got a pair of swift current waders from them and I’ve worn them for a lot longer than you have worn those with no problems so they will definitely fix them