Re: [Paddlewise] Paddle jacket

From: Dave Kruger <dkruger_at_pacifier.com>
Date: Tue, 02 Oct 2001 23:54:57 -0700
Doug Lloyd wrote:

> Well, it rain and blew all right, and I experienced complete drytop
> failure.  My Navarro drytop is only a couple of years old, not too
> heavily used. It is made from Sympatex (breathable fabric, like
> Goretex). There appears to be some delamination upon closer inspection.
> [snip] Be careful of imitations, I guess.

I have used Sympatex in a rain hat for several years, with good success.

My original Kokatat dry top began to leak at the edges of the seam tape (after
3 seasons of use), and I returned it to them.  They replaced it with a new one
for the cost of seal replacement.  I considered that a good deal, inasmuch as I
got a lot of use out of it.  The replacement is now five years old, and does
not seem to leak.  It is made of slightly heavier Goretex.  However, it is not
as heavy as the stuff Kokatat uses for full dry suits.

I suspect either Sympatex or Goretex will eventually leak wherever there is
repetitive bending at a line, probably owing to breakdown of the PTFE layer.

In Doug's case, the failure is very premature.  I think the manufacturer owes
him.

-- 
Dave Kruger
Astoria, OR
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Received on Tue Oct 02 2001 - 23:56:29 PDT

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