Breathable waders:washing and storing

[Rever]

Do any of you have a regular washing and storage ritual that you follow on your breathable waders?

[Byron haugh]

I don't wash them. I thoroughly dry them and store in an air/tight storage if I'm not intending to use for a long time, but I live in an area where things tend to deteriorate.

[idlerick]

Don't use a liquid detergent on ANY Gore-Tex-type fabric. Tends to start leaks at seams, altho waders are a lot less susceptible than jackets, pants, etc.

[fritz]

I have washed my Hodgman Wadelite stockingfoot waders only once. I have 2 pairs and decided to wash the oldest pair, about 10 years old, in combination with the Revivex Pro-Cleaner followed by spraying with Revivex water repellant. The results have been mixed. I suspect I waited too long before doing the "first" and only wash. Some areas showed good repellency while others not as good. I also bought a bottle of Tectron Polymer Water Proofer. My next experiment will be be to wash and spray my set of hip waders using both the remaining Revivex and Tectron products on respective legs after washing. Should an interesting test. Lay your waders on a horizontal surface when spraying to reduce product loss. Good luck

[dave potts]

This is a tip I'll add. Don't store them anywhere near an electric motor. Electric motors give off ozone which can deteriorate rubber products in short order. Not sure how much natural rubber is in modern day waders but to be safe I now store mine in a closet upstairs.

[John Rhoades]

I rarely wash my waders since they are generally kept pretty clean since I mostly fish in clean rivers and streams.

However here are a couple very good videos from Simms on washing and storing their waders: https://www.simmsfishing.com/explore/repairs.html

I would follow the instructions from your wader manufacturer if you have another brand of wader.

[Byron haugh]

Not related to washing them, but good advice:

When "folding" them for storage, make sure you start with the foot end. I have seen others start with the chest end. Then, when air gets captured, they "squeeze" the air out. This is hard on all the seams and may lead to leakage in the seams one day.