John C. Winskill wrote: > Dave: > Don't let anyone fool you. There is no debate. Gortex is far and away > superior to coated nylon for drysuits and tops. Any debate is from > those who have coated nylon and are trying to rationalize not getting > Gortex. Dear John: (Always wanted to write a "Dear John" letter. Guess this is my moment.) Not fooled. I use and love the stuff. Wrote the original post to attempt to document how people maintain it (not an insignificant issue), and how long a typical dry suit/drytop lasts. Have you got anecdotal data for us? Here's mine: I'm on my second Kokatat drytop -- first one died after 4 years of regular use -- failed at the edges of the seam tape. Kokatat replaced it *for the cost of the seals!* Can't beat that guarantee! My experience with restoring the DWR is mixed. Washed the first one a couple times, and used the Nikwax products Steve, Hank, and others recommend -- both for the washing and to restore the DWR. Applied the near-steam-setting iron to the inside of the fabric to push the DWR out to the outside of the fabric (per Kokatat instructions). Not a big success -- after 2 - 3 seasons, the DWR was unrestorable. (Probably unconsolable, also. It's an Italian thing, I think.) The second one is faring better. Have NOT washed it -- but I have RINSED it a lot in plain water. Have not used any DWR restoring agents on it. Got a year and 3/4 use on the second one. In my "stable" of Goretex garments, the Kokatat stuff is the best. Since I decided to minimize washing the garments, they seem to work better. Second conclusion: if your wet pleasures involve mud and slime -- don't use Goretex -- cleaning it really does a number on the DWR, which really enhances its performance. OTOH, even when the DWR is gone, it's still WAY ahead of any fully water-vapor-impermeable stuff. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR sometime organic chemist *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************Received on Thu Nov 19 1998 - 08:17:42 PST
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