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[Wade]

Bought this wader last July, used for just one full season and it’s already leaking…although I give it a quick rinse after every use, thought Simms waders have superior quality not expecting it such short lived, anyone having similar experience?

[RalphH]

they will repair free of charge within 12 months of purchase. Contact whoever you bought it from. It does happen and it may not be a manufacturing fault.

[coastangler]

although I give it a quick rinse after every use

One tip I was given when I bought mine a few years back is always dry them out from the inside as that's how foot leaks usually happen (due to inside seams going bad due to unproper air drying) - so far haven't had any leaks but maybe it's just luck

[dobrolub]

tip I was given when I bought mine a few years back is always dry them out from the inside

how do you do that?

[funpig]

Flip them inside out.

[wookie]

Go to a shop that sells simms and ask them to send them in.

I did it with older G3's last year and got new booties plus all leaks sealed for around 80 bucks shipped. 

Took about 4 weeks but was worth the wait

[RalphH]

here is Simms recommendations for wader maintenance:

https://www.simmsfishing.com/pages/wader-care

AfAIK the big concern with drying your waders is mildew. They will not repair any wader that has mildew or other fungal growth.

Any wader I have had I hang to dry. Neoprene feet and gators may take days to dry. The goretex shell dries very quickly. I turn mine inside out at the end of the day and put them in my vehicle. By the time I am home the goretex is dry.

I still have my first pair of G3s. After 5 years of use I sent them in for repair after the heat tape seal between the boot and the leg detached.This was after a few years of using them 50+ times a year. A couple of years later the crotch seams started to separate. My retailer suggested I get a new pair but seal the seams with aquaseal and use them as a backup pair.

My current pair of G3s about 5 years old are still leak free. FWIW previous non-simms waders lasted me about 1 to 3 years before developing leaks.

[vancook]

My current pair of G3s about 5 years old are still leak free. FWIW previous non-simms waders lasted me about 1 to 3 years before developing leaks.

My G3's are going on 10 years, 1 patch due to a mouse chewing a hole while drying in my storage locker a couple years ago. To be fair I haven't been fishing very often over the past 5 years due to other responsibilities

[uliwon]

Bought this wader last July, used for just one full season and it’s already leaking…although I give it a quick rinse after every use, thought Simms waders have superior quality not expecting it such short lived, anyone having similar experience?

Where do they leak? Are you aware of the Alcohol test to find the leak in the material? its not uncommon to poke a hole in waders, its part of fishing life, at least with Simms you can spray the leak area with Isopropyl Alcohol and the leak will appear as a dark spot and you then Aquaseal it. (don't need much either, small hole, small patch. this is what Simms will do for you.)

if its a seam then that's different, DO NOT ATTEMPT repair if within warranty period, send to Simms.

Rod's You-tube channel has a handy video done at Pacific Angler showing you the process.

If its in the neoprene boot, then you ca blow up the foot with air, twist the leg off and put under water and look to see bubbles and then Aqualseal.

Sure you can send back and let Simms do it too, but then your waders are away for a month anyway, sometimes a little field repair is quick and simple and faster. It's what guides do all the time.

Doesn't matter is its a $300 wader or $1200, (although higher end waders ARE way more puncture resistant) breathable wader fabric is thin and susceptible to hook holes, thorns and other punctures. A hole in the fabric doesn't just appear, something caused it, learning the quick fixes keeps you fishing.

[bigsnag]

Go to a shop that sells simms and ask them to send them in.

I did it with older G3's last year and got new booties plus all leaks sealed for around 80 bucks shipped. 

Took about 4 weeks but was worth the wait

I did the same thing with my old one but back then it was only $60. I use it as a spare now cause a bought a new pair. Going on 7 years and only started minor leaks last year which I was able to fix easily. Great company to deal with and very efficient. Great staff  too haha SBM

[Spawn Sack]

My 2 cents. Pretty much every time I fish, once home, I take the garden hose to my boots and rinse any sand out. Sand will abrade the crap out of your neoprene booties. If it's a nice/sunny day I'll hang them outside for a bit. First I'll peel the neoprene gravel guards up and let the bootie dry entirely, then I'll pull the gravel guards down and let them dry. If it's not a nice day out I'll hang them inside in my furnace room for a bit. I've heard of people wearing oversize wool socks over their booties to prevent this abrasion. I've never bothered.

If you do get a leak in the neoprene bootie the method I use is to clamp the waders to a sheet of plywood at about a 45 degree angle (to take some of the weight off) and slowly fill with water. The leak will become obvious pretty fast. Mark with a jiffy or whatever works. Dry the waders completely inside and out (turn inside out to dry inside) and then I'll fix the leak inside and outside. I typically just use aquaseal. If you have a leak further up the leg and just can't find it you can use the water method but you need to be very careful of the water weight as you can blow your waders apart (!) The angled plywood helps and I'll usually kind of hold the leg up a bit to take the weight off a little. I only do one leg at a time to minimize water weight.

If your waders are goretex you can use isopropyl alcohol in a spray bottle to find leaks. Any leak will turn dark grey. This method seems to work best for pin hole leaks. Mark the leaks with a jiffy and fix with aquaseal.

I bush wack a fair bit and try my best to avoid prickle bushes. I don't care what brand of waders you have they will poke right through. Avoid them at all costs!!

At least once a year I will wash my waders in the bathtub with Techwash inside and out. Keep rinsing until the water is clean. Hang dry. Once dry I'll spray for leaks and there is always a few pin holes I didn't know were there. Patch with aquaseal. Same thing is done with gortex jacket but that can be washed in the washing machine.

Personally I would NOT send my waders or jacket back to Simms unless it was a very serious defect in workmanship. Like a seam failing or delamination. Small leaks esp pin holes are super easy to fix. I sent a new G3 jacket back once as the velcro was fraying and coming apart. They did such a brutal repair job I ended up buying some velcro and doing it myself. Plus I had to pay like $50 to mail the jacket and it took like 3 months to get it back. NOT impressed.   

[Wade]

My 2 cents. Pretty much every time I fish, once home, I take the garden hose to my boots and rinse any sand out. Sand will abrade the crap out of your neoprene booties. If it's a nice/sunny day I'll hang them outside for a bit. First I'll peel the neoprene gravel guards up and let the bootie dry entirely, then I'll pull the gravel guards down and let them dry. If it's not a nice day out I'll hang them inside in my furnace room for a bit. I've heard of people wearing oversize wool socks over their booties to prevent this abrasion. I've never bothered.

If you do get a leak in the neoprene bootie the method I use is to clamp the waders to a sheet of plywood at about a 45 degree angle (to take some of the weight off) and slowly fill with water. The leak will become obvious pretty fast. Mark with a jiffy or whatever works. Dry the waders completely inside and out (turn inside out to dry inside) and then I'll fix the leak inside and outside. I typically just use aquaseal. If you have a leak further up the leg and just can't find it you can use the water method but you need to be very careful of the water weight as you can blow your waders apart (!) The angled plywood helps and I'll usually kind of hold the leg up a bit to take the weight off a little. I only do one leg at a time to minimize water weight.

If your waders are goretex you can use isopropyl alcohol in a spray bottle to find leaks. Any leak will turn dark grey. This method seems to work best for pin hole leaks. Mark the leaks with a jiffy and fix with aquaseal.

I bush wack a fair bit and try my best to avoid prickle bushes. I don't care what brand of waders you have they will poke right through. Avoid them at all costs!!

At least once a year I will wash my waders in the bathtub with Techwash inside and out. Keep rinsing until the water is clean. Hang dry. Once dry I'll spray for leaks and there is always a few pin holes I didn't know were there. Patch with aquaseal. Same thing is done with gortex jacket but that can be washed in the washing machine.

Personally I would NOT send my waders or jacket back to Simms unless it was a very serious defect in workmanship. Like a seam failing or delamination. Small leaks esp pin holes are super easy to fix. I sent a new G3 jacket back once as the velcro was fraying and coming apart. They did such a brutal repair job I ended up buying some velcro and doing it myself. Plus I had to pay like $50 to mail the jacket and it took like 3 months to get it back. NOT impressed.

Thanks for the info, the leaking is on the inside seam, slow infiltration from both knees and above, took it to PacificAngler, they are going to send it back to Simms…

[norm_2]

Wade, do you have to pay or will they cover it as if it were within one year?

[Wade]

Wade, do you have to pay or will they cover it as if it were within one year?

Not sure yet, they just said that they'd take care of it, I guess some mailing expenses will still be on me.

[Wade]

Where do they leak? Are you aware of the Alcohol test to find the leak in the material? its not uncommon to poke a hole in waders, its part of fishing life, at least with Simms you can spray the leak area with Isopropyl Alcohol and the leak will appear as a dark spot and you then Aquaseal it. (don't need much either, small hole, small patch. this is what Simms will do for you.)

if its a seam then that's different, DO NOT ATTEMPT repair if within warranty period, send to Simms.

Rod's You-tube channel has a handy video done at Pacific Angler showing you the process.

If its in the neoprene boot, then you ca blow up the foot with air, twist the leg off and put under water and look to see bubbles and then Aqualseal.

Sure you can send back and let Simms do it too, but then your waders are away for a month anyway, sometimes a little field repair is quick and simple and faster. It's what guides do all the time.

Doesn't matter is its a $300 wader or $1200, (although higher end waders ARE way more puncture resistant) breathable wader fabric is thin and susceptible to hook holes, thorns and other punctures. A hole in the fabric doesn't just appear, something caused it, learning the quick fixes keeps you fishing.

It's the inside seam, not visible but a slow infiltration from both knees and above, took it to Pacific Angler, Matt Sharp was in the store that day, he's super nice and told me they'd take care of it. John helped me with the paperwork and sent it back to Simms, apparently they have a warranty manager who's dealing with Simms about all these issues but he was on lunch break. It'll take probably 8 weeks but I have plenty backups...