Re-waterproofing a textile suit

Albino_batman

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What's the best way to do this? I have an alpinestars suit that's not as waterproof as it once was.
There is a fair few products out there. Mainly wash in or spray on. Is nikwax any good? The suit is pale grey so I don't want a product that may change the colour or stain the material.
Finally, there are micro hyperbolic or whatever it's called sprays. These make the water bead on the surface, are these any good or are they just for light showers?

Thanks in advance.
 
Last edited:
Albino_batman said:
What's the best way to do this? I have an alpinestars suit that's not as waterproof as it once was.
There is a fair few products out there. Mainly wash in or spray on. Is nikwax any good? The suit is pale grey so I don't want a product that may change the colour or stain the material.
Finally, there are micro hyperbolic or whatever it's called sprays. These make the water bead on the surface, are these any good or are they just for light showers?

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

I am hoping to have some super products available soon, please look out here next 3 weeks.

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Big Derek
 
Was/is the outer shell fabric waterproof to begin with? Or is there a separate waterproof liner in your suit?

If the former, you should be able to revive the DWR coating with something like NikWax - most of the bigger-name membrane manufacturers state NikWax to be fine with their products. But if the suit is leaking there may be more wrong than just the DWR having worn off - there may be perforations/punctures or zip issues?

If the latter, washing the outer (presumably non-waterproof) shell with a DWR-reviving washing product will bring back the DWR so water will again bead off. But again, if the suit is leaking there may be more wrong than just the DWR having worn off - there may be issues with the waterproof inner liner?
 
PhaedrusMC said:
Was/is the outer shell fabric waterproof to begin with? Or is there a separate waterproof liner in your suit?

If the former, you should be able to revive the DWR coating with something like NikWax - most of the bigger-name membrane manufacturers state NikWax to be fine with their products. But if the suit is leaking there may be more wrong than just the DWR having worn off - there may be perforations/punctures or zip issues?

If the latter, washing the outer (presumably non-waterproof) shell with a DWR-reviving washing product will bring back the DWR so water will again bead off. But again, if the suit is leaking there may be more wrong than just the DWR having worn off - there may be issues with the waterproof inner liner?
Click to expand...

It's an alpinestars Andes suit. It was pretty damn waterproof but I'm not sure the technology used. It's not exactly unwaterproof now but just seems to be slightly damp in places and my (supposedly waterproof) inner pocket that my phone usually goes in seems to be getting slightly damp too. The liner in it is a padded thermal type and not actually waterproof. I presume the waterproofing is in the shell.
 
The Andes suit has a waterproof liner - fixed to (but not laminated to) the outer shell.

With this design, water can seep past/through the outer shell and meet the waterproof liner. Maybe this is giving the feeling of dampness?

Or, as the waterproof liner is limited in terms of breathability, you may be feeling damp inside due to sweat vapour not escaping?

Either way, probably no harm to wash the suit with a NikWax-type DWR-reviving product. Remove any removable thermal liners first.
 
ok, thats a plan then. it has been warm but rainy recently. it could just be my arse sweating in the seat thats making my bum wet!!
 
PhaedrusMC said:
The Andes suit has a waterproof liner - fixed to (but not laminated to) the outer shell.

With this design, water can seep past/through the outer shell and meet the waterproof liner. Maybe this is giving the feeling of dampness?

Or, as the waterproof liner is limited in terms of breathability, you may be feeling damp inside due to sweat vapour not escaping?




Either way, probably no harm to wash the suit with a NikWax-type DWR-reviving product. Remove any removable thermal liners first.
Click to expand...


Agree to all above then check label to see if it can be tumble dried on low. The heat from the tumble further enhances the DWR.

Failing that stick it a a warm radiator.
Steve
 
Yeah🍻
I was trying to buy nicwax recently to do the was and waterproof thing. Ended up buying something else after hearing about nucwax's delivery issues. The new spray stuff in the greatoutdoors.ie is business.
 
Nikwax. Rode through torrential rain on the autobahn today. Bone dry when it stopped after an hour.
 
i have ordered a litre of the Nikwax Tec-wash and a litre of the TX-Direct wash in stuff today - 15 quid for both @ tesco!
ill wash then wash, as per the instructions and post my results. it says 100ml for a wash and i can do two items per wash - thats ten goes at a full suit. What i may do it try to was an old pair of jeans in the stuff too, if that works my Kevlar jeans are going to get the treatment!!! Obviously ill post the results of that too. :) Wonder if it works on any fabric?
 
Smelly Old Boots said:
Yeah��
I was trying to buy nicwax recently to do the was and waterproof thing. Ended up buying something else after hearing about nucwax's delivery issues. The new spray stuff in the greatoutdoors.ie is business.
Click to expand...

If you ever need Nicwax products in the future, Ted Johnsons in Naas stock the range on the shelf. They are a hardware/engineering supply store but they also do a lot of outdoor/watersport gear as well.
 
Manufacturer's specs will/should outline whether DWR products will be compatible. Not all fabrics are, AFAIK. NikWax is pretty unique in the world of DWR products - apparently they were the first and remain one of the few green waterproofing products.
 
Our local Go Outdoors always has loads of Nikwax in stock, usually reduced.
 
My Richa jacket has started to leak badly at the abdomen. Looks like the waterproof membrane liner is breaking up at that point.
Was looking at trying Nikwax but thought I'd try something else first.
It's well out of warranty but I emailed the maker, telling them how much I liked the jacket and is it possible to buy a new liner?
One of their reps emailed me today to tell me that he's going to try and supply me with a new one for £42 through one of their dealers.
The rest of the jacket is fine so if I can get another few years out of it for £42, I'm happy.
Not there yet, though, so still following waterproofing with interest.
If it's the membrane layer of your jacket that's at fault, it might be worth a try.
 
Nikwaxed our gear before our trip to Austria last month.
Kept us bone dry through some biblical autobahn storms.
Excellent stuff.
 
So after some 2000 miles and a fair bit of bad weather, including rain like I have never seen in northern Italy, where I had to keep a constant 100mph just to keep out of wagons spray, I can say that after nikwax wash and re-proofing I'm still bone dry! Success.
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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