Fishing Forum

I know there have been a million threads on this probably, but I just need an opinion. I have a two year old pair of Hodgeman Neoprenes. Love the waders, they do double service as fishing and duck hunting waders. Its not quite warm enough for me personally to start wet wading so I'm sealing the seams with Aquaseal because of a bath I took at Blue Lake due to pinholes in the seams. I've almost done the whole left leg seam, which took a whole tube of Aquaseal (I like my seals thick and sturdy) but I still need to do the crotch area and put a seal around the boot/Neoprene seam in the foot area. That alone will take another bottle of aquaseal I have a feeling. My question that I need opinions on is should I Aquaseal the seams on the right leg although I was bone dry on that side? The boot is dry, the leg is dry and I didn't have any wet spots from leaks after I got out of the lake on that side. The left side however leaked like crazy. I looked at my seal this morning and it was full of little air bubbles all along the seam.... I couldn't believe it. Anyway, thats it.... Seal the right leg even though it stayed dry or don't?? Also, would you put another layer of sealant over the area I've already done that has some air bubbles showing in the seal? If I double cover it all, I'm looking at like three and probably four tubes of sealant....
[signature]

Hey RiverRat77,

Just test out our waders in the bath tub or back yard and see if the leak anywhere before you use them.

A quick test method that I use. Put a couple of gallons of warm water in your waders and then put your waders on they will probably over flow if you have used too much water(try not to use too much as it will make finding the leaks a little more difficult). Then look for leaks and repair as needed. Your waders will have to fit a little loose to do this method.

Alternative method: Fill waders with water, but don't put them on, and look for leaks. This method is a little more difficult as you need some way of hanging or manipulating the full waders. Repair as needed.

I have had several pairs of Hodgmans(I still have 3 pairs - one of them is the Hodgeman 3 mil neoprene) and I have been quite satisfied with their performance and longevity over the years. Like all things, they do need to be maintained properly and if they are abused too much, they will fail accordingly(just like the very expensive Simms and others, in fact, I have several Simms as well as waders from other manufacturers).

Disclaimer: Simms, Orvis and other manufacturers make very fine products with which I have also been very satisfied.
[signature]