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Before I raise hell with cabelas... I noticed my waders were soaked the other day inside and it was all over the inside.
They were in the back of my truck frozen from the hunt the day before. So I took them and put them in my warm truck on the way to hunt so i didn't have to put on ice cold waders. Is it possible the rapid change in temps caused them to condensate on the inside? Or are they leaking? Waders I've had In the past had localized leak spots. Never seen or heard of this happening before. It would have to be dry rot or something if every seam is leaking right?

Solution, don't store waders in bed of truck to freeze. Gotta go with all user error here.

I hang my waders every night

Mine had a condensation feel to them too but I did not leave in truck to get cold.

Bad17 wrote:Mine had a condensation feel to them too but I did not leave in truck to get cold.

^bladder issue.

Like I said earlier to you. I have made it a priority to take care of my waders. I hang them right away after every hunt, on season 4 with the same pair and just now have a very very small leak in the crotch.

Olly wrote:Like I said earlier to you. I have made it a priority to take care of my waders. I hang them right away after every hunt, on season 4 with the same pair and just now have a very very small leak in the crotch.

This is what I do with mine. They lasted 4 years with only minor fixes with shoe goo. Tape came off the seams so I'm finally going to retire them.

They will condensate from your sweat a lot more than you think.
What I typically do after a hunt, is hang my waders with a couple of fans blowing on them to dry the outside, just so I have dry waders the next morning when it's cold.
And then, before I go to bed, I'll slip them on and roll the legs and the top down to the top of the boots, and then put them on the boot dryer to dry out the sweat and condensation.

If you think you might have a leak,...
Hang them up,
If you have a shop vac that you can switch the hose around so it will blow, stick the hose inside the chest area and then wrap a rope around the waders (I use a ratchet strap) and tighten the hose inside the waders...
(You can use an air compressor too, but it's harder to get the hose to stay in there and get the waders closed up enough)
Have a spray bottle with a diluted mix of dish soap and water handy...
Flip on the switch, (or make the air hose constant), and they will start to inflate...
Spray the soap/water mix and rub it around...
You'll see pretty quick whether you have a leak or not...

So some of you guys are saying that the entire year I've had these being religious about taking care of them and hanging them up to dry that the one time I left them wet in the truck they ruined..... Riiiiiiiiiiight.

FlintRiverFowler wrote:So some of you guys are saying that the entire year I've had these being religious about taking care of them and hanging them up to dry that the one time I left them wet in the truck they ruined..... Riiiiiiiiiiight.

Why not? How many negligent events does it take to break something? Maybe when they were in your truck something punctured them?

Remember that green bag I always put mine in? That's so when they're in my truck they are protected from getting punctured.

Oh and @duckdog that's awesome.

I use a surplus parachute bag as a wader bag. It's the perfect size, I usually stand in the bag then role the waders down and then zip them in. It's great for traveling and not havint to deal with the odd shape of waders.

Looks like this.

Olly wrote:

FlintRiverFowler wrote:So some of you guys are saying that the entire year I've had these being religious about taking care of them and hanging them up to dry that the one time I left them wet in the truck they ruined..... Riiiiiiiiiiight.

Why not? How many negligent events does it take to break something? Maybe when they were in your truck something punctured them?

Remember that green bag I always put mine in? That's so when they're in my truck they are protected from getting punctured.

If something were to have punctured them it would be a localized leak. Wouldn't you think?
They were damp thoughout.
What's the difference in them sitting in the back of my truck overnight and frosting up, vs someone hunting real cold with them and ice forming on them during use?
I hardly think that one "negligent" event which was leaving them in 28 degree weather in my truck bed with a topper on it caused my waders to be ruined.
I'm really
Leaning toward the condensation theory. Because they did not leak opening morning.

FlintRiverFowler wrote:Before I raise hell with cabelas... I noticed my waders were soaked the other day inside and it was all over the inside.
They were in the back of my truck frozen from the hunt the day before. So I took them and put them in my warm truck on the way to hunt so i didn't have to put on ice cold waders. Is it possible the rapid change in temps caused them to condensate on the inside? Or are they leaking? Waders I've had In the past had localized leak spots. Never seen or heard of this happening before. It would have to be dry rot or something if every seam is leaking right?

Any moisture thats in them from sweat on the previous days hunt could draw in more moisture if left in the cold outdoors. I use a boot dryer religiously during the winter months for not only my waders, but also my everyday boots and hunting boots. Since I started doing this I have noticed a huge change in how my feet stay warmer for a longer duration. I cant guarantee it, but there may be nothing wrong with your waders other than the need for a good drying out on the inside, unless you some how cracked them in a frozen spot when removing them from your truck bed. Anyway, sorry to hear this and hope it works out for you.

I would get them good and dry and then try Duckdogs test with the vacuum and soap spray, thats an awsome idea that I will try the next time I spring a leak!!

Flyway Stalker wrote:

FlintRiverFowler wrote:Before I raise hell with cabelas... I noticed my waders were soaked the other day inside and it was all over the inside.
They were in the back of my truck frozen from the hunt the day before. So I took them and put them in my warm truck on the way to hunt so i didn't have to put on ice cold waders. Is it possible the rapid change in temps caused them to condensate on the inside? Or are they leaking? Waders I've had In the past had localized leak spots. Never seen or heard of this happening before. It would have to be dry rot or something if every seam is leaking right?

Any moisture thats in them from sweat on the previous days hunt could draw in more moisture if left in the cold outdoors. I use a boot dryer religiously during the winter months for not only my waders, but also my everyday boots and hunting boots. Since I started doing this I have noticed a huge change in how my feet stay warmer for a longer duration. I cant guarantee it, but there may be nothing wrong with your waders other than the need for a good drying out on the inside, unless you some how cracked them in a frozen spot when removing them from your truck bed. Anyway, sorry to hear this and hope it works out for you.

That's a good thought. I've been planing to build a wader dryer out of a hair dryer and some PVC pipe I have laying around at work.

I was sweating like a hog the day before trying to paddle the boat out in the middle of the lake.

Wouldn't think they are ruined just wet from the overnight truck bed stow.

This is the one I have, and it works great.
I don't have the wader extensions, but when the waders are rolled down, most of the leg is now on the outside anyway, so I just put a fan on them.
It works really well...

I just hang them upside down with a small fan blowing up into them. Also, when they start to stink from sweat, throw them into a chest freezer overnight. Freezing kills the bacteria that causes the smell, although you still have to clean them once in a while.

Flightstopper wrote:

Bad17 wrote:Mine had a condensation feel to them too but I did not leave in truck to get cold.

^bladder issue.

I brought my depends damnit.

Lol

FlintRiverFowler wrote:I was sweating like a hog the day before trying to paddle the boat out in the middle of the lake.

It's all sweat man. My waders are wet to the touch on the inside after every hunt. I sweat like a mother, but I also wear cabalas wader pants that wick the moisture away from my skin really well.

I use a homemade boot dryer. Built a box that fits over my floor register, cut holes big enough for 3" PVC pipe. Slide waders over and they will be perfectly dry and warm the next day.
Flint I bet your waders had some trapped moisture from sweat and condensate. But having them wet and froze will ruin them eventually.

NuffDaddy wrote:

FlintRiverFowler wrote:I was sweating like a hog the day before trying to paddle the boat out in the middle of the lake.

It's all sweat man. My waders are wet to the touch on the inside after every hunt. I sweat like a mother, but I also wear cabalas wader pants that wick the moisture away from my skin really well.

That's what I'm figuring. I wear those too. Add in wools socks and it's probly a recipe for disaster.

blockmaker wrote:I use a homemade boot dryer. Built a box that fits over my floor register, cut holes big enough for 3" PVC pipe. Slide waders over and they will be perfectly dry and warm the next day.
Flint I bet your waders had some trapped moisture from sweat and condensate. But having them wet and froze will ruin them eventually.

That's a great idea... Does it stand pretty easily on it's own?
I'm thinking maybe weather stripping around the bottom to seal it to the floor.

FlintRiverFowler wrote:

NuffDaddy wrote:

FlintRiverFowler wrote:I was sweating like a hog the day before trying to paddle the boat out in the middle of the lake.

It's all sweat man. My waders are wet to the touch on the inside after every hunt. I sweat like a mother, but I also wear cabalas wader pants that wick the moisture away from my skin really well.

That's what I'm figuring. I wear those too. Add in wools socks and it's probly a recipe for disaster.

Yup. Sweaty waders are better than sweaty clothes.
If i plan on hunting the next day after a hunt I turn them inside out when I get home and put them on the boot dryer. If I have at least 2 days before I'm going a gain, I'll hang them up for a day to let the outside dry. Then turn them inside out the next day and put them on the dryer.

I just want to build a 6 foot tall wader dryer. Any reason I boulder power it with a hair dryer? Was thinking that or maybe my shop vac. Pretty simple design really. All built out of 3" pipe and drill some holes in the uprights. At the bottom the would be an open end to insert the hair dryer.

why don't you stop being a little girl and open up your pockets for a new pair. lesson learned don't let your waders sit in your bed all night and freeze. Peace

Just hang them up in the garage with a box-fan pointed up at them, the air doesn't need to be warm moving in the waders.

I've never used a dry for my waders and hanging them alone does the job.