MISSOULA — It's a rather big disappointment to get on the water ready to fish only to find a hole in your wader. Thankfully, over at Grizzly Hackle Fly Shop, they've partnered with Patagonia to offer free wader repair on Saturday.
“We're out here to fix waders because they're an important thing to get people outside and enjoy the places they love and fish the rivers that they love,” said Brendan McManus, the trailer driver for Patagonia’s wader repair program.
McManus has been working on Patagonia’s cross-country wader repair trip for over a decade, helping keep people’s gear in tip-top shape.
Watch the full story:
“A lot of times, a wader, if it's leaking water, it's gonna end up in the landfill. So, we like to try and keep them in play, keep them in use, keep them going longer,” explained McManus.
For those who bring their waders in, the repairs are free of charge. Despite the lack of cost, that doesn’t mean that there is a lack in quality of repair. McManus talked MTN through the repair process.
“Through an air compressor and a little tourniquet, we strap the waiters around a tube, fill them up with air over a table with some soapy water. And we're basically cycling soapy water and run it across the wader,” explained McManus
“So, whether it's along the seam or if it's coming out of the foot, we're able to mark that exactly where it's at with a waterproof marker,” continued McManus.
“And once we've found all the holes, we're pulling the waders off the table, letting them dry for however long it takes,” said McManus.
“We actually have a wood-burning stove inside of our workshop. So that helps dry the waders after an hour or two. We can throw it on a heat press, and we have pre-cut waterproof patches,” finished McManus.
While it may be a process to get the waders repaired, it’s all worth it in the end.
“Giving the waders back to the person who maybe had already decided in their mind that their waders were done and potentially, you know, they held on to them with some bit of hope and we're here to confirm that hope and give the waiters back and get people back in the water and just, yeah, catch and fish,” said McManus.
The crew headed off to Bozeman on Sunday after their stop in Missoula. If you missed out this year, they don’t plan on stopping, so there will be more chances to stop by.
