Tropical weight foul weather gear

capta

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Jun 4, 2009
4,766
Pearson 530 Admiralty Bay, Bequia SVG
Such materials, including Goretex and its imitators, building 'wraps' (Tyvex/Typar, etc.) are stretched/fractured polymer membranes made from 'hydrophobic' (not wettable) materials such as teflonics, polypropylenes, etc. etc. After the material is made into a film, its then shock-stretched causing almost molecular sized hydrophobic 'macro-strings' (called "fibrules") to form. The controlled stretch-fracturing causes the, still hydrophobic, micro-fibrules to remain close enough to one another to be able to repel (liquid) water. To get free/liquid water to pass through such an array of 'fibrules' you need a pressure of ~60-75 psi; while vapor phase (gaseous) water can easily pass through with essentially no pressure needed, just the equilibrium differences of 'humidity' from one side to the other.
The attachment is what GoreTex looks like under extreme magnification.
:)
Once again RichH comes through with a great answer. Is it possible he's this smart because his Dad wrote the Encyclopædia Britannica or something?
Thanks Rich.
 

RichH

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Feb 14, 2005
4,773
Tayana 37 cutter; I20/M20 SCOWS Worton Creek, MD
Nope, as a volunteer ski patroller and 'volley' paramedic, etc. etc. for more years than I can remember, Ive lived in this 'stuff' ... besides Im CHEAP and always look for such high value (reasonable cost) 'stuff' that has the widest application across all my 'other than work' activities.

BTW / FWIW - nothing beats a good pair of amber/yellow lensed ski goggles when the rain and wind driven spume is stinging the hell out of your face when on a boat!

The best time to buy such 'mountain stuff' is at the end of the ski season and from ski/mountain shops who dont want to carry such inventory during the summer ... @ 40-50% off.
 
Sep 25, 2008
957
Macgregor & Island Packet VENTURE 25 & IP-38 NORTH EAST, MD
Check high end hiking/backpacking gear ( EMS, Northface,etc).
 
Nov 7, 2012
678
1978 Catalina 30 Wilbur-by-the-Sea
I started with a set of Frog Togs I had for my motorcycle, they do breath nice but they tend to rip and break down at the seems over a few uses if you move about a lot.

Now I just use a decent $20 thin Coleman suit that I have yet to use the pants with. I like the hood as it keeps the rain from going down my back in the real toad chokers. The tog hood is not nearly as nice and does not have a bill.
 
Feb 1, 2014
82
Watkins 27 North East, MD
Capta;

My set came with bib-alls.No elastic waist. Might be an option somewheres??

AFA TYvek?? In the bldg trades, it just plain works! Stuff pulled into funnel or bucket shape will hold water' but items wrapped will breath and not sweat. Thanks for 'spainin' the tech of it Rich :D

Also;good to know I'm not "all wet" about goingcheap! lol 25 yr in the PNW? Now *that's* a recommendation for rain gear! :D
 

RichH

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Feb 14, 2005
4,773
Tayana 37 cutter; I20/M20 SCOWS Worton Creek, MD
ooooo Forgot to mention .... Goretex type materials that are 'cast' onto an intermediate 'support fabric' such as Typar are stronger and will withstand much more 'abuse' than a single unsupported Goretex type (loose) membrane.
Secondly, the seams of the various Goretex panels should be 'heat sealed' using an intermediate polymer; such are much stronger and dont require repeated 'maintenance-gluing' the seams back together. All of these good features are on the inside between the taffeta type outer shells of the garment ... so you have to be somewhat clever in exposing them to see the actual construction when buying.

Both of the above variations are a bit more costly when purchasing and will provide a longer lasting leak-free garment.
 

capta

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Jun 4, 2009
4,766
Pearson 530 Admiralty Bay, Bequia SVG
ooooo Forgot to mention .... Goretex type materials that are 'cast' onto an intermediate 'support fabric' such as Typar are stronger and will withstand much more 'abuse' than a single unsupported Goretex type (loose) membrane.
Secondly, the seams of the various Goretex panels should be 'heat sealed' using an intermediate polymer; such are much stronger and dont require repeated 'maintenance-gluing' the seams back together. All of these good features are on the inside between the taffeta type outer shells of the garment ... so you have to be somewhat clever in exposing them to see the actual construction when buying.

Both of the above variations are a bit more costly when purchasing and will provide a longer lasting leak-free garment.
Sadly, when reading your post, it occurred to me that 'longer lasting' is no longer the high priority on my list of important requirements, that it once was.
 
Oct 17, 2011
2,808
Ericson 29 Southport..
Cap, I do the same thing. I commonly do a repair or judge a piece of equipment with the thinking, "Oh well, it'll outlast me".

Now, when I look at a six month warranty and start wondering...
 
Nov 9, 2012
2,500
Oday 192 Lake Nockamixon
In the backpacking/outdoor activity outerwear industry, it seems the new gee-whiz-bang material is eVent. This stuff is very breathable - so breathable, that they make dry bags with an eVent panel in the bottom, that you can squeeze the drybag and expel excess air, yet it is still waterproof. REI was one of the first outdoor stores to sell an eVent jacket. I remember reading employee reviews of the jacket a few years ago, that they found they had to wear an extra insulation layer, because the fabric was SO breathable, they felt colder in winter type activities. REI doesn't seem to have an eVent jacket anymore, but I found this one at EMS: http://www.ems.com/product/index.jsp?productId=22225286&cp=3893527.11021492.41661566 Here is some info from the eVent website, and they do show the same pictures RichH showed: http://eventfabrics.com/technology/

Most waterproof breathable fabric technologies don't breathe so much once water soaks into the supporting fabric. The exterior of all the jacket fabric is treated with a Durable Water Repellant (DWR) at the factory. This chemical is hyrdrophobic, and is what causes the water to bead up. Once the water soaks through the DWR, then the waterproof membrane just keeps the rain off you. Rubbing eventually wears out the DWR, and dirt traps down the chemical "fingers" that repel water. Cigarette smoke is the WORST, highly sticky and aerosolized, and it will kill a DWR finish straightaway.

Hmmm... now that I think of it, from working REI and knowing about the high tech fabrics, one thing is that when it's hot out, there isn't that temperature differential to drive the moisture out through the fabric, as the eVent website discusses. So, yeah, maybe eVent would be the best choice for tropical fabrics.

I have used a GoreTex XCR pullover spray jacket from Kokatat when kayaking and racing. It's a very thin fabric, with just an exposed GoreTex membrane on the inside. Seems to work pretty well.

I think there are a plethora of "waterproof/breathable" fabrics out there now, many of them are polyurethane. Many more since Gore's patents have expired. I've never been all that thrilled with the performance of a non-GoreTex shell for snow skiing, though I have to say that the one pair of non-breathable shell bib pants I bought for skiing were absolutely HORRIBLE. When I took them off, my legs were SOAKED. So, even "whatever" branded breathable materials (such as found on Columbia clothing) is FAR better than a non-breathable material.
 
Jan 27, 2008
3,045
ODay 35 Beaufort, NC
If you are really cheap like Rich in a pinch you take a trash bag, poke a hole in the bottom for your head, poke two holes in the sides for your arms and VOILA' you have a raincoat that is cheap, is completely waterproof, and extremely lightweight. I used one once on a three day canoe trip and it worked perfectly.
 
Dec 29, 2008
805
Treworgy 65' LOA Custom Steel Pilothouse Staysail Ketch St. Croix, Virgin Islands
I just returned last week from a NARC passage from Rhode Island to Bermuda, then Bermuda to Nanny Cay, BVI. It actually snowed when I arrived in Newport, RI, and was still chilly when we left. I wore my Gill "OS2J Key West Jacket" the entire trip. I was surprised to find it still comfortable during those night watches during squalls on the leg from Bermuda to the BVIs. I agree with some of the posts above that even in warm weather, getting saturated with rain and spray in the wind in the middle of the night can still chill you to the bone. If I'm going to spend hours out in the wind and spray on watch, I don't plan to be shivering the whole time.
 

RichH

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Feb 14, 2005
4,773
Tayana 37 cutter; I20/M20 SCOWS Worton Creek, MD
If you are really cheap like Rich in a pinch you take a trash bag, poke a hole in the bottom for your head, poke two holes in the sides for your arms and VOILA' you have a raincoat that is cheap, is completely waterproof, and extremely lightweight. :eek:I used one once on a three day canoe trip and it worked perfectly.
HA HA .... damn straight, such does work in a pinch. However dont wear a trash bag when skiing, as if you do fall, the very low friction characteristics of the trash bag will cause your body to become a 'rocket' across the snow .... and then down the mountain with your arms, legs, and head flailing about and your fingers and toes and sometimes teeth aimless and violently scratching about looking for 'anything' with which to hold on to and stop you .... as you continue to accelerate to 'terminal velocity'.
:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:
 

Kermit

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Jul 31, 2010
5,657
AquaCat 12.5 17342 Wateree Lake, SC
HA HA .... damn straight, such does work in a pinch. However dont wear a trash bag when skiing, as if you do fall, the very low friction characteristics of the trash bag will cause your body to become a 'rocket' across the snow .... and then down the mountain with your arms, legs, and head flailing about and your fingers and toes and sometimes teeth aimless and violently scratching about looking for 'anything' with which to hold on to and stop you .... as you continue to accelerate to 'terminal velocity'. :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:
Sounds like the voice of experience.
 

RichH

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Feb 14, 2005
4,773
Tayana 37 cutter; I20/M20 SCOWS Worton Creek, MD
:) Yup, I had that tee shirt ... but it too probably got ripped off when that 'bag' tore during that terminal velocity event. Even worse, the damn ski boot fractured and broke loose, and it and the still affixed ski went down the mountain faster than 'clothing', fragments of that damn trash bag, ski gear, and the now limp (but now stopped) body.

Later on, Id had to buy many 'rounds' to help my friends to stop their continuous uncontrollable laughter and, of course, to gain their promise of never ever to disclosing their impression of a Freeking 'human color wheel' splattering all over the mountain, .... at least not with my name attached.

Crime scene: Lech / St. Anton, AUT 1989

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:
 
Jan 1, 2006
7,039
Slickcraft 26 Sailfish
... will cause your body to become a 'rocket' across the snow .... and then down the mountain with your arms, legs, and head flailing about and your fingers and toes and sometimes teeth aimless and violently scratching about looking for 'anything' with which to hold on to and stop you .... as you continue to accelerate to 'terminal velocity'.
I have the scar in my back to prove it. K27 Hunter Mountain.