Waterproofing Clothes

[dr_wu002]

Yesterday, my Marmot driclime jacket whatever turned into a sponge. I had more than a shot glass worth of water pooled in each elbow of the jacket (it did a good job of keeping the water in but not out!) and in general the thing was soaked and I started feeling uncomfortable. Now, I realize that this thing is only water 'resistant' and conditions were particularly wet yesterday but I don't remember it being this bad. It actually attracted water.

Can this thing be 're waterproofed'???? I was suggested to get some stuff that you put in the washing machine with yer clothes but I don't know. Is there anything I can spray on? Maybe I need better waterproofed clothes than 'water resistant' but like I said, my marmot jacket never behaved this badly before.

-Dr. Wu

 

[giggy]

I would call marmot - they are really good with cust service. I can't say I know alot about this topic - I kind of put my trust in the gear I buy - but I think if its 100% waterproof - then its not breathable. think raincoats.

though I think that if it is just constant downpouring - it can get wet not matter how good.
kind of just guessing here.

I was in a 8 hour rain before with my marmot gore-text and to be honest - I couldn't tell if it was leaking - or its was my sweat that made me wet.

 

[BIGEarl]

Waterproofing Suggestion

I have had the need to apply waterproofing (DWR) to various Gore-Tex (and other similar material) garments over the years. There are several products that I have tried but the one that works best for me is Scotchguard For Outdoor Fabrics (they actually have two models - regular and heavy-duty).

Before I did this for the first time roughly fifteen years ago I contacted WL Gore for guidance on the best approach.

I was told to wash the garment in powdered Tide detergent. The person made a big deal over this particular product but I don't remember the details. Then, after the piece has dried, soak it with the Scotchguard. In other words, not just a light spray on the outside but a very heavy application to the outer surface. I normally use a couple cans of the stuff when treating a set of raingear (jacket and pants). After this dries you should be good for a couple years depending on the use and/or abuse.

A while ago I tried Nikwax and was very disappointed. It worked well when fresh but didn't last. I returned to the Scotchguard product and am once again happy with my rain gear.

Good luck!

 

[dave.m]

Wu,

Let me guess.... You were hiking with hiking/ski poles?

Couple of loose thoughts....

1) A lot of water control is structural. You can't stop leaks at the hood and cuffs cause your face and hands need to stick out. If you hike with poles, you will likely get run off down your forearms unless you use gauntlet style gloves since your hands are slightly raised. A corolary to this observation is that all jackets "leak" when used in all day rain unless they are dry suits with seals at the cuffs (nobody wants to hike with those).

2) My experience with shelled insulation like the DriClime shirt has been hit and miss. More precisely, better onthe legs and worse on the torso in the rain.

I have similar pants (full side zip), an EMS knock off of the dri clime shirt and an old Patagonia Glissade sweater (nylon over pile). I find these garments do a great job at keeping me warm in most rain situations provided I'm moving. Do a google on Bufalo systems and Pertex and Pile. Its a scottish clothing outfit for this type weather. Or find Chris Townsend's excellent backpacking book in which he describes this approach. But, I have 2 problems with this type of clothing. First, I stay warm (not dry) so long as the rate of rain doesn't overwhelm the non-waterproof clothing too fast. That is, so long as warm sweat is what I feel, I'm fine. But when I start feeling cold rain on my skin, the system is becoming overwhelmed. Mostly, I use GoreTex over fleece on my torso and dri-clime non waterproof pants in cold rain for this reason. Second, once they are soaked I find that nylon shelled garments (or nylon lined garments) take a long time to dry. They do suck up water. This is why I prefer unlined GoreTex and why I prefer non-shelled insulating layers under the GoreTex. I took my dri-clime shirt on my recent trip to Crag (2 days of straight rain) and it just got overwhelmed by the wet and it stayed wet and clammy.

Please note, I think it is a great piece. I used it yesterday on a training ride and it was perfect and I plan on it being my number one bc skiing shell this winter. But all shelled insulaters suck up water.

 

[Rick]

Dr. Wu, I am afraid there is nothing you can do for waterproofing the garment. You will lose the breathability if you coat it. It is a great shirt for light mist or light sprinkles, short fast-moving rains/t-storms and such, but if it rains long enough, you will get soaked. I found that if I keep moving through warmer rains, I can keep fairly comfortable as I heat it up and vent it out.
I also find that with my hiking poles, I get a lt of water running down my ams. I usually shorten them a little so that my arm is bent down a bit, but I still always seem to get rain sucking up into my sleeves.
The only thing I can think about the pooling is that the molecules were too big to get through the material, other than dripping out, but there was more coming in than going out.

Other than that the Dri-clime is an awesome windshirt/lightrain shirt
Good Luck
Rick

 

[Rick]

Woops - I see Dave.M answered some of what I said already while I was typing (or I repeated what he answered ) good luck with it.

 

[Sugarloafer]

Nikwax and Grangers both make a wash-in product that can be used to clean and restore waterproofing. I think Nikwax also makes a spray on product. I've used both wash-in products successfully on my ski gear, but I don't believe they're intended to waterproof previously non-waterproof materials...only restore existing DWR. Also, you need to follow the directions to the letter for the product to work....do not discount the importance of the cleaning process...even clean lint etc. from your machine/dryer. REI sells all these products and I'm sure you can find them online , as well.

 

[Pete_Hickey]

While I agree with Dave, let me just add one more thing. Inner layers can wick water into places it may not go otherwise. Capliary action can bring water inside the 'waterproof' outer layer.

 

[MichaelJ]

Great avatar, Pete!

Remember that Gore-Tex has two components - one is the material itself, which has pores designed to be large enough to let air out, but not let water in. However, for that to work, water has to bead up on the outer surface of the material. This is achieved through a substance applied to the garment at manufacturing time, and which can wear off or even be washed off. Many of these "waterproofing rejuvenator" products are designed to try as best as possible to reapply that substance and cause water to once again bead up instead of soaking in and through.

My shell performed soakingly miserably in the rain on Waumbek several weeks ago. I've washed it with Techwash and plan to spray it with (product name forgotten and I'm here at work) and see how it performs.

 

[DougPaul]

I read recently that the spray DWR treatments are supposed to be better than the wash-in--new manufacturer's recommendations. Unfortunately, I don't remember where I read it...

Doug

 

[jmegillon149]

Here's a thought

Has anyone ever thought of using 'tent seam sealer' its very possibly the water got in through the seems of the clothing. Tents and raincoats are really not that dissimiliar when you think about it.

 

[dave.m]

Back in the day (early 80s), Gtx and waterproof jackets were sold with tubes of sealant. When seam taping was introduced, one manufacturer noted it allowed you get rid of the "dried snot" look.

 

[hikerfast]

poncho

sunday i went up crawford path, snow melting off the trees was like rain, and it was cold out. we picked up a 5 dollar poncho at the highland center, since my girlfriend and i somehow managed to not pack a raincoat for her. my 'goretex coat' was somewhat water resistant, but the poncho was totally waterprooff, and breathed nicely. amazing how it works compared to an expensive jacket. sometimes these super products dont really work as well as a simpler cheaper solution. i have always liked ponchos for wet winter hiking ever since the amc said you couldnt bring them on their hikes. whenever i hike with them on wet winter days i always make sure to wear one.

 

[NYBRAD]

i have always liked ponchos for wet winter hiking ever since the amc said you couldnt bring them on their hikes. .

That's hilarious

 

[dr_wu002]

Wu,

Let me guess.... You were hiking with hiking/ski poles?

Yer durn right I was hiking with poles. This was the first time in a long time I used them too so perhaps I'm forgetting.

Thanks everyone for your responses. I think the driclime windshirt in this case probably isn't the best option because it's just too durn wet out there. I like the cheapo poncho idea... I tend to overheat easily but I could simply take the durn thing off for a few minutes and cool off. I could also call Marmot and ask them if there's anything that I could do.

Thanks again for all the suggestions. I can't respond to all of them but I found this very helpful.

-Dr. Wu

 

[BorealChickadee]

I'm a big poncho fan for wet weather. Keeps me dry and comfortable. I put that darn thing right over my pack and all. What is hard to find is a poncho with a full length front zipper. It's not a replacment for a windproof goretex or similar coat on high, but for hiking below it works great. Even more comfortable in warmer weather. I've watched people in their goretex raincoats sweating up a storm in the rain while I've been dry and a comfortable temperture under my poncho.

 

[Pete_Hickey]

I'm a big poncho fan for wet weather.

I like a poncho, SOMETIMES.

Did you know, that swinging an axe is a pain, and possibly even dangerous, while wearing a poncho.

 

[BorealChickadee]

Pete, trust me, you DON'T want me swinging an axe (or maul)!

I haven't split wood in years. Now the nice little wood man brings it all split up, all 10 cords. I just stack it!

I agree Pete, a poncho is ideal for certain conditons but would be disastrous in others.