Tips
Todays wader longevity tip. During the colder months make sure your waders are washed and fully dried inside and out, and then keep them dark, cool and away from mice and frost, as both can quickly kill them. Freezing and thawing quickly makes waders porous, as the frost ice is sharp as it forms. I see its distinctive marks every spring, with the familiar story, they were perfect when i put them away and now they leak everywhere. Mouse damage is also common, they usually target the neoprene parts and though this will nearly always fix, its a slower repair and an unnecessary cost.
I get asked a lot of questions about how to keep your waders in good condition, so thought i would do some posts to help with this. So first off, always wear a thin one size fits all supermarket cheap sock on the outside of your wader stocking. It acts as a sacrificial layer, which wears rather then the neoprene stocking. Just put it on, tuck it under the gravel guard and forget it, it will easily last a season for most freshwater anglers. Salt water anglers will probable need to change it more often, but that goes for most kit used in salt water!
This weeks tip. Always dry your waders inside first, then the outside. The outside should be treated with a water repellent, to make sure it breaths (water vapour cannot pass liquid water, so if your waders outside are wetted they need to be treated with something like our Repel) so a quick shake or the walk back to the car should see them dry. But the inside of the waders will take a very long time to dry, particularly if you have been sweating – remember the waders will be damp inside if its hot and humid. If your brow or shirt is damp then of course the inside of the wader will be damp, it’s a breathable membrane, not a magic clothes dryer. And here is the problem. If you leave them damp they get smelly and can get mouldy. The mould can breach the membrane, and this causes damp patches and eventually delaminates the fabric of the wader, making them leak.
We can fix delamination caused by mould, but it’s a slower repair, and much more extensive usually than delamination caused by rubbing. We have a protective patch for this. These waders were just an example of a average wader we see weekly. These are now watertight, breathing properly and home with their owner.
Wader zips are great when they work, but need some care, and its advisable to clean the teeth every month or so. Just an old toothbrush and some warm soapy water is all thats required to get any debris out. Debris can quickly kill them, as can having the zip half open, it twists the teeth upwards in a distinctive way, and breaks the zip.
Sitting down with a half open zip is really bad for them, open them all the way and they are fine. The newest style zips are far better and give far less problems. The photo of the zip with nylon line zipped into the teeth has knackered it, the nylon quickly cuts into the sealing surface, making it leak very slightly, and this cannot be fixed.
Not all zips can be replaced and only 2 manufacturers supply parts like zips, the rest dont. If we can get a zip its a simple job to replace it, and over the years we have fitted similar but not quite the same zips to keep sound waders going, which i am not totally happy with. So after a bit of experimenting Chris came up with a new fix for waders with dead zips. Its a quick low cost solution to the problem and i think its very neat. We have done this in the past, but this is far better. We basically seal up the zip, so you have a good zipless pair of waders, perhaps as a spare. Most of my regulars will know my feelings on spare waders - if you have a spare rod, you should have spare waders, you can always borrow a rod, but if you are a special size for your waders then you are in trouble when they leak, and most waders are really very delicate!
Anyway, the photo show a older but sound wader which had a dead zip, which are now watertight and cosmetically looking good.
In mid summer, on hot humid days, or if you are walking hard you WILL be damp in your waders. Waders can breath to an extent, but cannot pump water. If your shirt is damp, or your hat is damp, and your shirt or hat has not been in the water, then the inside of your waders will be damp. If your hat or shirt is in open air, so has complete breathability and is damp its because you are making more moisture than can evaporate, then the inside of your waders are going to be very humid. The moisture in the waders will take way longer to move away from your body that it does from your hat!
Ok, obvious i know, but a comment i get every time it gets hot and humid, and a number if suppliers who send me waders from warranty work recognise this summer phenomenon.
I regularly get asked how to wash waders. In some cases there will be instructions on a label on the back of them but not always. Some can be machine washed, but most cannot, and to recommend a process thats is safe for the washing machine and every type of waders is a challenge. So, the very best way to clean your waders, any make model or material is to book a day, or better still a week on a fast flowing clean Scottish salmon river, in April or May. I accept this is not always viable, but it works. The easiest way is to throw them in the bottom of the shower, shower as usual above them, with them inside out then the right way round, and then rinse them well with cold water. Any stains can be rubbed with a cloth with shower gel on it, this will do no harm. An old tooth brush is ideal form cleaning a sticky or leaky zip.
Always dry them inside out first, then the right way round. This minimises the risk of mould forming. Once its fully dry splash some water on the outside. The water should bead and run off. If it does then with breathables they will be breathing properly. With neoprenes they will be lighter to wear and dryer in the back of your car. If the water soaks in, then they need treated with a DWR like our Repel, which was designed so it does no damage to waders. Breathable waders need treated every year, with other materials this is less important.