Waterproofing clothing

Joined
Dec 14, 2018
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604
Anybody ever experiment with waterproofing clothing? I’ve seen several sprays for it but have never tried and am curious as to weather or not it works, and what would be the best brand of spray to try if it does.


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conhawa

Lil-Rokslider
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You might be able to make clothing temporarily water "resistant" using a spray on product...but you will never make it totally "waterproof". You will need to buy something with a waterproof membrane and taped seams in order to achieve total waterproofing.
 
OP
SneakyThunderCat
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Do those water repellent sprays work well or leave sticky residue?


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20DYNAMITE07

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They work well, but it can depend on the condition/type of the material. When dry, you wont know they're on the material. What are you're trying to treat?
 
OP
SneakyThunderCat
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I’m wondering about the unpronounceable gear from first lite specifically. I’ve worn it out in a cold wet rain this year once and it soaked up everything, even though it claims to have the DWR coating on it already.


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Shraggs

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Yes. Bought a pair military mittens, leather palm and wool inserts. Wanted gunlet style glove to go over my sleeve in the rain. These are cotton.

Used a mixture of 50/50 linseed oil and mineral spirts. The old time method. Used a paint brush to apply and let dry in safe spot for 2 weeks. Safe cause it’s combustionsable as it dries.

Absolutely works. Not sure you could do this with a synthetic material however

John
 
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I’m wondering about the unpronounceable gear from first lite specifically. I’ve worn it out in a cold wet rain this year once and it soaked up everything, even though it claims to have the DWR coating on it already.


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Im not familiar with the first lite gear. I think the Sitka gear would wet out too without putting rain gear on. I was thinking a brief light rain.
 
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I seem to remember reading somewhere that DWR has to be reactivated to be most effective. Especially if the garment gets dirty. It has to be cleaned, then retreated by washing in the cleaner (I think it was Nikwax), rinsed twice, then dried in a dryer to reactivate the DWR (heat activates the water proofness). If the clothing is dirty, it causes the water to soak in as opposed to beadup and roll off of the clean fabric. If the clothing is clean, then you can spray the product on, let it dry, then tumble in a dryer to activate the water repellant.
I haven't had to retreat my Sitka Jacket yet. It is still water resistant.
 

20DYNAMITE07

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I seem to remember reading somewhere that DWR has to be reactivated to be most effective. Especially if the garment gets dirty. It has to be cleaned, then retreated by washing in the cleaner (I think it was Nikwax), rinsed twice, then dried in a dryer to reactivate the DWR (heat activates the water proofness). If the clothing is dirty, it causes the water to soak in as opposed to beadup and roll off of the clean fabric. If the clothing is clean, then you can spray the product on, let it dry, then tumble in a dryer to activate the water repellant.
I haven't had to retreat my Sitka Jacket yet. It is still water resistant.

Some DWR's can be "recharged" by running it through a warm dryer, but it depends upon the kind that was used. Companies like Nikwax make spray on DWRs and wash in DWRs that can be used on pretty much anything. You can find them on Amazon. Nikwax also makes DWR for down garments/sleeping bags, so if you purchased an item that didn't have water resistant down or if the factory treatment is fading, you can just reapply.
 
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Some DWR's can be "recharged" by running it through a warm dryer, but it depends upon the kind that was used. Companies like Nikwax make spray on DWRs and wash in DWRs that can be used on pretty much anything. You can find them on Amazon. Nikwax also makes DWR for down garments/sleeping bags, so if you purchased an item that didn't have water resistant down or if the factory treatment is fading, you can just reapply.

That makes sense. I did remember that Nikwax was involved. Thanks for clearing it up.
 
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