I bought a new pair of breathable waders last summer (fishing store went out of business, so they were 60%off). I’m pretty rough on waders and would like them to last a while. I was thinking of cutting up an old pair of rubber waders and using that to add extra material to the knees of the new waders. I was going to use wader repair adhesive to glue them together. Are there any potential issues (I’m not worried about warranty, and I already look like a dork, so appearance isn’t an issue either)? Anyone tried this? Any other alternatives?
The Team USA flyfishing team uses these kind of pads to save wear and tear on their waders and knees, due to kneeling on rocks, stream bottom, etc. You only need to wear them when you think you’ll be doing this sort of wading, and they can be stored in the back of your vest when not needed.
And yes, they wear them over top of their waders. Other fishermen look at you a little funny, but most realize it’s a pretty smart thing to do.
Matt: Perhaps you get another pair of breathable waders that are over the hill & cut off the feet and then put them over your new waders like a set of coveralls.
I don’t think I would want to add anything permanent to the waders. I would think that it would defeat the whole purpose of going breathable. I’ve been wearing the same pair of Cabela’s breathables for several years without a problem and I do clamber and kneel on rocks quite a bit.
Why not just patch leaks with your old wader material if ever you get one?
The skater knee pads seem like a better way to go if you feel you need something to keep your waders like new.
