5 minute epoxy to repair breathable waders?

[Salmo trutta]

What should I use to repair breathables? I have a tear in my waders on my knee, it's about the size of a #14 nymph. Should I use wader goop or 5 minutes epoxy?

[SteveL]

I would use wader goop, its flexible when cured. Aqua seal is similar product that remains flexible when cured and is designed for outdoor gear (like wetsuits and drysuits), but its far more expensive than the goop products. You can buy it at many outdoor gear stores like REI or at Potomac Paddlesports in Rockville. One advantage of aquaseal is that you can buy a curing accelerant that alows it to cure and be ready to use in just a few hours.

If you want to check with them, see their website at http://www.potomacpaddlesports.com/

[Sleeves]

I agree with Steve. Zpoxy or other 5-minute epoxies get really hard when they dry. I would go with the wader goop. A lot of chest waders have a spare "patch" tied in somewhere around the top of the wader. If you have some patch material, I would goop that over the hole as well, if you don't just goop it real good.

[chrisdetweiler]

I would use Loon UV Wader Repair. It cures instantly in bright sunlight. I think it's the best stuff out there for this kind of a repair. I've actually used this on fly line to repair cracks. Once this stuff adheres, it won't come off.

Loon Outdoors - Environmentally Friendly Fly Fishing Gear & Accessories

Chris Detweiler - Harrisburg, PA

[Capt Dan]

No expoxies, they will harden and crack along with your waders Chris gave you good info as well as goop. I have used that stuff for years on waders, duck/goose hunting is hard on waders and it always happens, a punch here and a punch there.

[boondoggle]

I would use Loon UV Wader Repair. It cures instantly in bright sunlight. I think it's the best stuff out there for this kind of a repair. I've actually used this on fly line to repair cracks. Once this stuff adheres, it won't come off.

Loon Outdoors - Environmentally Friendly Fly Fishing Gear & Accessories

Chris Detweiler - Harrisburg, PA

This is gooooood stuff. I've saved several trips with this stuff.

[Salmo trutta]

Thanks. I've owned countless waders over the years and used goop from time to time. Or just bought new ones for a new season but the current ones are not that old or have that much wear. Plus I know where the hole is, which isn't easy to find.

I won't use epoxy.

[spilunkr]

I've used Aquaseal for years. It has worked on some pretty sizeable holes. When I do leak repairs I do both the inside and outside of the wader - just in case. The only problems I have encountered are that the area to be sealed must be clean and it is best to be done right the first time. I have had a couple of occasions when my first attempt to seal a leak with Aquaseal was not quite right so I put an additional coating over the first and the second coating peeled off the next time the waders were used. The Aquaseal did not bond to itself very well. The way I got around that was to significantly enlarge the area I was attempting to seal so that the Aquaseal coating was in direct contact with additional wader fabric as well as the original patch attempt as well as making the second patch attempt much thicker. That patch has gotten through this year with no problem.

Guy