waders - care and repairs

[dollar]

please help with the following:
-washing, what soap should we use?
-leaking waders, because of wear and tear my waders have sprung a leak or two near the ankle area. would it be ok to use stuff like sika flex to remedy the problem?
-re waterproofing, what would be the recommendation to have the waders as new
thanks

[Kevin James]

Mate, what material are you referring to?

Neoprene waders are pretty easy to care for and fix.
Couple of tricks to storing them, but not rocket science though.

I'm guessing though it'll be some fancy breathable stuff.....

Bit more info and I'm sure someone will answer.

[dollar]

sorry forgot to mention what material, yes you right Dogtooth, they breathable waders.
thanks Frontier, i missed a few recent issues. google this topic last night and came across "nikwax" but looks like its an overseas product, the house executor is unfamiliar with or hasnt seen it on our shelves, is there a local soap i can use?

[Frontier Fly Fishing]

the house executor is unfamiliar with or hasnt seen it on our shelves, is there a local soap i can use?

Time to send the home executor to us, we have all the correct cleaning ingredients for cleaning all the technical gear, Nikwax is one of them.

[dollar]

thank you Frontier Fly Fishing, will be visiting very soon (without the executor)

[Frontier Fly Fishing]

Hi Dollar

There a few things that should be remembered.

I covered this in a recent article in FlyFishing Magazine.

Please see the attached document.

Here is an extract from the article.

Care and Maintenance
This is crucial to ensuring your garments perform their best and extend their life.
Don’ts
Never wash these types of garments with powder detergent, never use fabric softener and never bleach. Powder detergents clog up the pours of the breathable items, and sticks in the fleece, fabric softener reduces the garments ability to wick or disperse moisture and bleach damages the fibres.
Never tumble dry them on any heat setting other than the lowest, but in general, tumble drying should be avoided, except when it might be needed to reset the DWR waterproofing coating.

Do’s
Read the label before washing! Always!
Use a washing detergent that is designed for these types of garments, Nikwax ™make a superb line of detergents designed each type of layer, but if you want one good all-round wash that will cover most of the bases, Tech Wash™ will do well. If you are serious about getting the right detergent for the job, their website is very informative. www.nikwax.com

Wader Care
1. Dry your waders after every time you use them. It is recommended that you dry the inside of the waders first, if they are damp, then the outside. You should pull the gravel guards up to allow the neoprene bootie to dry first and then flip them down to dry the rest of the wader.
2. Washing your waders will improve their performance and extend their life considerably. Machine or hand-wash them in cold water, using a detergent such as Nikwax® products. Many of the issues the Simms repair team encounter are because waders have not been washed or washed incorrectly. Things such as the seam tape lifting and joint separation can be linked to the lack of or incorrect washing.
3. Do not keep your waders in the car as the heat they encounter in your car will damage the materials and seams.
4. Do not wear abrasive materials under your waders, denim is considered one of the worst.
5. Use a changing mat when getting into or out of your waders, this will reduce the likely hood of pin-hole leaks in the stocking feet. Also keep your toenails short, as the will wear through the neoprene.
6. Never stand in your waders and just pull them on, this will cause the seams to separate and reduce the life of the waders. The stocking feet should be eased on, by holding them at the seam to the legs, and eased around the heal of your foot. Conversely, do not just simply pull your waders down and off your feet. Best is to work the stocking foot off by holding it at the toe, and slipping your heal out. The waders can then be pulled off.
DWR Coating
Most waterproof garment have a finish called Durable Water Repellent (DWR) which makes them hydrophobic and helps prevent the garment from “wetting-out” which reduces the garments ability to breathe. The DWR coating wears off over time and use, but can be restored with the application of spray on products. Simms® recommends a product called ReviveX® to replenish the DWR, this treatment needs some heat to activate and set the coating, again, read the instructions. There are many other products on the market including a TX.Direct™ from Nikwax™.
If you intend recoating a garment, most manufacturers recommend the garment is washed before the DWR coating is applied. In the case of jackets, the garment can be tumble dried to set the DWR finish, however, waders should not be tumble dried, as the head will damage the neoprene foot, a hair dryer should be used on the wader fabric.

[Korrie]

In your article you mention, "NEVER TUMBLE DRY, or at the lowest heat"

On the OFFICIAL Goretex site they say
Line dry your garment, or tumble dry it on a warm, gentle cycle. Once it is dry, tumble dry your garment for 20 minutes to reactivate the durable water-repellent (DWR) treatment on the outer fabric.
http://www.gore-tex.com/remote/Satel...g-instructions

[Frontier Fly Fishing]

In your article you mention, "NEVER TUMBLE DRY, or at the lowest heat"

On the OFFICIAL Goretex site they say
Line dry your garment, or tumble dry it on a warm, gentle cycle. Once it is dry, tumble dry your garment for 20 minutes to reactivate the durable water-repellent (DWR) treatment on the outer fabric.
http://www.gore-tex.com/remote/Satel...g-instructions

Yes, that would apply directly to a complete GORE-TEX garment, however, SIMMS advise not to do that, as the neoprene feet on the waders can get damaged by excess heat.
I like drying mine in the tumble dryer till the GORE-TEX part is dry, but before the feet neoprene feet are dry, I then hang them till the entire garment is dry. But this is higher grade wader care.

[Korrie]

Yes, that would apply directly to a complete GORE-TEX garment, however, SIMMS advise not to do that, as the neoprene feet on the waders can get damaged by excess heat.
I like drying mine in the tumble dryer till the GORE-TEX part is dry, but before the feet neoprene feet are dry, I then hang them till the entire garment is dry. But this is higher grade wader care.

Thanks, that makes 100% sense. As some might tumble dry it, till the neoprene is dry.

[smallstreams.co.za]

In your article you mention, "NEVER TUMBLE DRY, or at the lowest heat"

On the OFFICIAL Goretex site they say
Line dry your garment, or tumble dry it on a warm, gentle cycle. Once it is dry, tumble dry your garment for 20 minutes to reactivate the durable water-repellent (DWR) treatment on the outer fabric.
http://www.gore-tex.com/remote/Satel...g-instructions

I read it as "IF you tumble dry as on the official site, make sure it is at the lowest heat setting"??