Patagonia's Wader Repair Tour will repair any brand of wader for free—while you wait—all you have to do is schedule an appointment. (Courtesy of Patagonia)
March 28, 2025
By Ross Purnell
If you’ve got leaky waders, Patagonia wants you to get back out there fishing—dry and comfortable—as soon as possible. The Patagonia Wader Repair tour is coming to three Rocky Mountain States this spring and is offering free wader repairs . . . no strings attached.
They will repair any brand of wader for free while you wait—all you have to do is schedule an appointment. The limit is one wader repair per person, and the waders should be clean, dry, and turned inside out before you arrive. Patagonia can’t guarantee they can fix every damaged wader, but they will try.
At the first stop on the wader tour—day 1 of the February Denver Fly Fishing Show—I watched them fix 30 pairs of waders for happy attendees, one of the waders required 13 different patches to fix, and the owner walked away grinning ear to ear.
If you’ve got leaky waders, Patagonia wants you to get back out there fishing. (Courtesy of Patagonia) At each stop on the tour you’ll also see patching demonstrations so you can follow up with your own future repairs , hear some maintenance tips to guard against abrasion and mildew, and you’ll get organic snacks and refreshments from Patagonia Provisions. Not a bad deal.
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The tour has already been to Denver, Grizzly Hackle Fly Shop in Missoula, and to MAP Brewing in Bozeman, in an event hosted by Yellow Dog Fly Shop and Montana Troutfitters.
Next up, the tour will be at Anglers All in Littleton Colorado (5211 S. Santa Fe Dr.) on April 25 from 2 to 7 P.M. There will be an open fly-tying class from 5 to 7 P.M.
And the nonprofit organization Community Fly Fishing will be there to collect lightly used fly-fishing gear to help provide outdoor access and fly-fishing opportunities. So if you have some tackle that is in working condition but you don’t use, bring it along to help the next generation of up-and-coming fly fishers.
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At each stop, you’ll see patching demonstrations so you can follow up with your own future repairs, hear some maintenance tips to guard against abrasion and mildew, and you’ll get organic snacks and refreshments from Patagonia Provisions. (Courtesy of Patagonia) The next day, April 26, the tour stops at Arbor Anglers Fly Shop (489 US-287, Suite 130) in Lafayette, Colorado from 9 A.M. to 2 P.M. There’s an open fly-tying class from 11 A.M. to 1 P.M. and Community Fly Fishing will be there also to collect lightly used gear.
The “keep ‘em dry” effort continues April 27 in Fort Collins, Colorado at St. Peter's Fly Shop (2008 E Harmony Rd) from 9 A.M.to 2 P.M. There is an open fly-tying class 11 A.M. to 1 P.M. and again, the Denver-based Community Fly Fishing will be there to collect your lightly used gear.
The final stop on the tour will be Western Rivers Fly Fisher (1071 East 900 South) in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Utah Wildlife Federation will be there to answer your questions about their collaborative efforts with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Utah Department of Transportation, and the Utah Legislature, to protect and restore native wildlife in Utah.
For all of the Wader Repair Tour stops, contact the local fly shop and let them know you are coming so they have adequate resources on hand. Free (and quick) wader repairs are in high demand going into the spring season, so get your name on the list!
If you have some tackle that is in working condition but that you don’t use, bring it along to help the next generation of up-and-coming fly fishers. (Courtesy of Patagonia/Andrew Burr)
