Patagonia Waders Repair & Care: Best Products and Techniques
We make durable, comfortable waders designed for years of hard work. To help you get the longest life and highest performance from them, here are our recommendations for how to best care for your waders, how to wash waders and how to carry out a wader repair using the best products and techniques should you experience a hole or tear and need to fix them.
Wader Care
How to Know What Size Waders to Get
A commonly asked question is: How do you know what size waders to buy? Finding waders that fit right is important because waders that are too tight limit movement, placing stress on wader seams. If your waders are too loose, excess material will bag up, rub and create wear points. Waders that fit well move better in and out of the water, are more comfortable and last longer. Use our size chart to select the best-fitting pair of Patagonia waders. We recommend visiting your local fly fishing shop or a Patagonia retailer to try waders on in person and get the best fit. View our size guide.
How to Extend the Life of Your Waders
With the following three tips, your waders will stay in top condition:
- Be careful when suiting up: Avoid overstretching or walking on abrasive material (like gravel) without wading boots.
- Keep your waders clean: Rinse your waders after each session, especially after being in salty water.
- Leave to fully dry: Hang dry only, out of direct sunlight, until completely dry.
How to Wash Waders Properly
Regular washing is good for technical fabrics – including waders. For the best performance, hand wash only, using cool water (27 +/- 3 °C) in a bathtub with enough water to fully cover the waders. Use suitable wash care products, like a mild liquid detergent or a technical wash solution. To ensure the best wader care, we recommend STORM Clothing Wash. Soak for 5 minutes on one side and another 5 minutes on the other side while squeezing and scrubbing the waders gently. Rinse twice in clean, cool water, making sure the wader wash product is completely out.
How to Store Your Waders
Once your waders are dry, grab them by the boots and align the legs so they’re parallel. Starting from the boots, roll or fold them up toward the top of the waders. Store them in a cool, shaded or indoor location, and avoid excessive heat to prevent damage.
How to Repair Waders Using UV Repair Adhesives
How to Fix Pinhole Fabric Leaks
- You’ll be performing the wader repair on the inside, so turn your waders inside out.
- Clean and dry the surface of the waders before applying UV repair adhesive. You can find this in our wader repair kit. Waders must be dry before the repair begins.
- Place a piece of LDPE material (like a plastic bag or another piece of soft plastic) behind the damaged area to ensure the UV repair adhesive does not stick to any other part of the wader.
- It’s important to apply UV repair adhesive in the shade, as it dries in seconds when exposed to sunlight.
- Locate the pinhole and evenly spread the UV repair adhesive over and around the damaged area, overlapping it by a minimum of ½ inch. Replace the cap immediately.
- Expose the repair to sunlight or UV light. UV repair adhesive cures in less than 30 seconds, so you’ll need to allow a little longer for the UV repair adhesive to cure under cloudy conditions.
- A single application is suitable for most repairs, but a second coat may be applied if needed.
How to Fix Small Tears
- Before learning how to patch waders, turn them inside out, as you’ll be performing the repair on the inside.
- Clean and dry the surface of your waders before taking your wader repair kit and applying UV repair adhesive. Waders must be dry before the repair begins.
- Cut a flex patch to size using the grid pattern on the backing. Remove the backing from the patch and apply it to the repair area.
- Smooth out the patch, ensuring the edges are flat and there are no air bubbles. Expose the repair to sunlight or UV light for an additional 30 seconds.
- Turn the waders right-side out.
- It’s important to apply UV repair adhesive in the shade, as it dries in seconds when exposed to sunlight.
- Locate the tear and evenly spread the UV repair adhesive over and around the damaged area, overlapping it by a minimum of ½ inch. Allow to dry, and apply a second coat. Replace the cap immediately.
- Expose the repair to sunlight or UV light. UV repair adhesive cures in less than 30 seconds, so you’ll need to allow a little longer for the UV repair adhesive to cure under cloudy conditions.
How to Repair Neoprene Wader Boots
- Before learning how to fix neoprene booties, know that you’ll be performing the repair on the outside of the boot.
- Clean and dry the surface of the boots before applying UV repair adhesive. Boots must be dry before the repair begins.
- It’s important to apply UV repair adhesive in the shade, as it dries in seconds when exposed to sunlight.
- Locate the leak and evenly spread the UV repair adhesive over and around the damaged area, overlapping it by a minimum of ½ inch. Allow to dry, then apply a second coat. Replace the cap immediately.
- Expose the repair to sunlight or UV light. UV repair adhesive cures in less than 30 seconds, so you’ll need to allow a little longer for the UV repair adhesive to cure under cloudy conditions.
How to Repair TPU Wader Boots
- Before learning how to repair wader boots, know that you’ll be performing the repair on the outside of the boot.
- Clean and dry the surface before applying UV repair adhesive. Boots must be dry before the repair begins.
- It’s important to apply UV repair adhesive in the shade, as it dries in seconds when exposed to sunlight.
- Locate the leak and evenly spread the UV repair adhesive over and around the damaged area, overlapping it by a minimum of ½ inch. Allow to dry, then apply a second coat. Replace the cap immediately.
- Expose the repair to sunlight or UV light. UV repair adhesive cures in less than 30 seconds, so you’ll need to allow a little longer for the UV repair adhesive to cure under cloudy conditions.
- Cut a flex patch to size using the grid pattern on the backing. Remove the backing from the patch and apply it to the repair area.
- Smooth out the patch, ensuring the edges are flat and there are no air bubbles. Expose the repair to sunlight or UV light for an additional 30 seconds.
- The patch will continue to cure over the next 24 hours.
