Tired of leaky waders? In this guide, I’ll show you how to repair breathable waders, so you can get back on the water in no time.
After a heavy 2021 of fly fishing, my Simms waders developed a leak in the neoprene bootie. It is one of those miserable feelings standing in the water and feeling the cold water creep in.
The good news was that I had wool socks so it wasn’t too cold but my whole right leg was soaked.
Many people would send them back to the manufacturer but I had heard stories about how long Simms was taking to repair waders. People were telling me that they were going to have to wait months before Simms would repair their waders.
I had repaired a pair of GoreTex Simm’s waders before that I cut open on a rock so I knew how to fix the legs, but I didn’t really know how to fix the bootie-or if that was even possible.
As it turns out, Simms does not recommend repairing the booties at the seam. So, if you have a leak in the seam, you are better off sending it for them to put on new booties.
My hole appeared to be in the big toe area and nowhere near the seam, so I gave it a try. Low and behold, it worked perfectly.
A fishing friend of mine is sitting on several pairs of leaking waders because he won’t try to fix them himself. Well, to be honest, he tried once, and it didn’t turn out well for him or the waders. I think he’s waiting on me to offer to do it for him.
So, if you find yourself in the same situation, here are the steps I took:
Identify The Leak
There are a few ways to identify leaks. One way is to turn your waders inside out. Put rubbing alcohol into a spray bottle and spray the legs of the waders, seat area, and chest. Basically, any place you want to check for leaks.
Holes show up as a little black dot.
Circle those dots with a magic marker.
Another way is to fill the waders with water. However, Simms cautions that you should not fill the entire wader all the way to the top but only as high as the knee area. Anything more and you risk damaging your waders because of the weight of the water can rip seams. In my case, I could see that the neoprene was worn right near my big toe.
In my research, I discovered that the big toe was one area that was frequently damaged by rubbing or large toenails.
Rips and tears are pretty obvious. In my case, I could easily see through my waders to know I had worn away the neoprene in the bootie.
Get Yourself Some Aquaseal And Patches
Aquaseal will be your friend.
This rubber cement-type product is highly recommended by wader companies for repairs. It is durable and flexible and works on waders, neoprene wetsuits, and dry bags for repairs that last.
Simms and Aquaseal offer wader repair kits that include Tenacious Tape patches to make the repairs more precise and permanent. I highly suggest getting these kits because everything you need is right in the kit.
Be Patient And Build Layers.
The key to using Aquaseal is to make sure you don’t glob it on all at one time, but you put build it up in layers. I just used a little bit at first over the worn area. I went a little larger than the worn area and let it dry overnight.
Let the area cure.
The next day, I put a little more on and let that dry. I did this for about 3 days straight.
By the end, the Aquaseal glue had dried nicely, and I tested the bootie again by filling it up with water and it held.
Don’t Do It All At One Time
My friend who is waiting for me to do his wader repairs can be impatient at times.
So, he put Aquaseal on all the black dots that he saw, turned the waders over and somehow the legs got stuck together. I recommend that you do one leg at a time, or the front or the back at a time, let it dry and switch.
Don’t let the legs touch while the glue is still wet, or you will be like my friend and have a pair of Simms G4’s where the legs are glued to each other.
Test Your Repair
There is nothing worse than having ice-cold water steep into your waders on a cold winter day on the river. So, test your repair.
If you can fill your waders with water because your repair is below the knee, test them by filling them up to the knee. That’s how I tested my booties.
See also .30-06 Springfield vs .45-70 Government Ammo Comparison - Ballistics Info & Chart Caliber Ballistics Comparison 07 Dec, 2018 Posted By: Foundry Outdoors The following ammunition cartridge ballistics information and chart can be used to approximately compare .30-06 Springfield vs .45-70 Government ammo rounds. Please note, the following information reflects the estimated average ballistics for each caliber and does not pertain to a particular manufacturer, bullet weight, or jacketing type. As such, the following is for comparative information purposes only and should not be used to make precise predictions of the trajectory, performance, or true ballistics of any particular .30-06 Springfield or .45-70 Government rounds for hunting, target shooting, plinking, or any other usage. The decision for which round is better for a given application should be made with complete information, and this article simply serves as a comparative guide, not the final say. For more detailed ballistics information please refer to the exact round in question or contact the manufacturer for the pertinent information. True .30-06 Springfield and .45-70 Government ballistics information can vary widely from the displayed information, and it is important to understand that the particular characteristics of a given round can make a substantive difference in its true performance. Caliber Type Velocity (fps) Energy (ft-lb) .30-06 Springfield Rifle 2820 2920 .45-70 Government Rifle 1680 2270 [Click Here to Shop .30-06 Springfield Ammo] [Click Here to Shop .45-70 Government Ammo] VelocityAs illustrated in the chart, .30-06 Springfield rounds - on average - achieve a velocity of about 2820 feet per second (fps) while .45-70 Government rounds travel at a velocity of 1680 fps. To put this into perspective, a Boeing 737 commercial airliner travels at a cruising speed of 600 mph, or 880 fps. That is to say, .30-06 Springfield bullets travel 3.2 times the speed of a 737 airplane at cruising speed, while .45-70 Government bullets travel 1.9 times that same speed.Various calibersEnergyFurthermore, the muzzle energy of a .30-06 Springfield round averages out to 2920 ft-lb, while a .45-70 Government round averages out to about 2270 ft-lb. One way to think about this is as such: a foot-pound is a unit of energy equal to the amount of energy required to raise a weight of one pound a distance of one foot. So a .30-06 Springfield round exits the barrel with kinetic energy equal to the energy required for linear vertical displacement of 2920 pounds through a one foot distance, while a .45-70 Government round exiting the barrel has energy equal to the amount required to displace 2270 pounds over the same one foot distance. As a rule of thumb, when it comes to hunting, muzzle energy is what many hunters look at when deciding on what caliber of firearm / ammunition to select. Generally speaking, the higher the muzzle energy, the higher the stopping power. Again, the above is for comparative information purposes only, and you should consult the exact ballistics for the particular .30-06 Springfield or .45-70 Government cartridge you're looking at purchasing. [Buy .30-06 Springfield Ammo] [Buy .45-70 Government Ammo] Please click the above links to take a look at all of the .30-06 Springfield and .45-70 Government ammo we have in stock and ready to ship, and let us know any parting thoughts in the comment section below.Foundry Outdoors is your trusted home for buying archery, camping, fishing, hunting, shooting sports, and outdoor gear online.We offer cheap ammo and bulk ammo deals on the most popular ammo calibers. We have a variety of deals on Rifle Ammo, Handgun Ammo, Shotgun Ammo & Rimfire Ammo, as well as ammo for target practice, plinking, hunting, or shooting competitions. Our website lists special deals on 9mm Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 45-70 Ammo, 6.5 Creedmoor ammo, 300 Blackout Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 5.56 Ammo, Underwood Ammo, Buffalo Bore Ammo and more special deals on bulk ammo.We offer a 100% Authenticity Guarantee on all products sold on our website. Please email us if you have questions about any of our product listings. 3 Comments Donald Beedle - Apr 21, 2020Thank you very much for this data and for your concise and appropriate use of this general comparative data. Great job explains it and warning on how to use this info. It is exactly what I was looking for. I just had a curiosity and was looking for a quick but trustworthy comparison so I would have to look up the info for myself.Thank you again, great job.God protect, heal and bless you and your family. Michael Taranto - Aug 20, 2021Both are good choices, but depends on what you want to hunt and at what distance. If you own a new manufactured rifle in 45/70 and want to load your own you can get much higher energy than a 30-06. 45/70 is better for short distance in brush with a heavy bullet. Jimmy from Canada - Oct 19, 2021.30-06 Springfield, 170 grain at 2850 fps = 20.8 Taylor Knock-Out Factor (TKOF)500 grain X (1,628 FPS in 22" barrel)) X .45" cal. or .452" = 367,928 /7000 =TKOF of 52.56 .45-70 Buffalo Bore’s 430-grain hard-cast bullet, at roughly 2000 fps and 3,600 ft.-lbs. from the muzzle.(look up how TKOF is calculated).45-70 IS much MORE POTENT than 30.06 in close ranges. (see also trajectory and engery loss in balistics for correct comparison because 30.06 runs longer distances and shoots flatter than rainbow .45-70 hard hitter.A hotgun slug has 70 to 80 TKOF!!!! BUT loses half its energy at 100 yards to get an idea when comparing rounds. Leave a commentComments have to be approved before showing up Your Name * Your Email * Your Comment * Post Comment
If they are above the knee, then spray the alcohol again on your waders and look for the black dots.
The good news was that using the technique above, I now have a dry pair of waders and it only took a few days to repair. If you have the time, most wader companies will offer to do repairs. You will have to be patient. Or you can give it a try and do it yourself.
One pro tip that I read says to store your Aquaseal in the freezer.
When you want to use it, put it in warm water to heat up. I can’t tell you if this works or not because I just put it in a Ziploc bag and put it in the freezer. I haven’t needed to use it since my initial repair.
Good luck and hope to see you on the river!
