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Waterproofing 10-Year-Old Aerostich "Darien" Jacket

exgman

exgman

Active member
I spent some time today trying to keep my old Darien jacket waterproof. I found last year that Revivex waterproofing did not do the job. Also, inspection of the interior showed lots of places where the seam-sealing tape had allowed some gaps.

I decided to try two products: 1) Gear-Aid Tenacious Tape and 2) Kiwi Camp-Dry Heavy Duty Water Repellent. The tape went on easily and it looks like it's going to do the job well. The Kiwi stuff went on easily but I had the jacket hanging from a tree branch outdoors to avoid inhaling vapors. It took almost an entire can to do one coat on the jacket. Kiwi suggests a second coat after four hours. Not cheap ($6.50/can at Target), but staying dry (if it works) will make it worth the $$. The tape is about $6/roll, and comes in three colors.

I'm headed down to the MOA Getaway at Fontana Dam in about a week. AccuWeather already is predicting on and off rain most of the way down and back. I'll send a followup report after the trip.

IMG_4571.jpg
 
Water proof

I have used both on the darian pants trouble with washin stuff these new HE washers
Question for John how do you have the yellow jacket for 10 years and have it looook that clean, I can wear hi viz stuff for 10 min and look like pig pen from the peanuts gang, also no specs of dirt or anything ever comes off my yellow stuff , does not mater what cleaning process I use.
 
Word of warning. I used the Nikwax product per instructions from Aerostich when I found myself wet in my Darien after a rainstorm. It ended up wearing away the reflective material. I sent it back to Aerostich to see if they could work their magic and rehabilitate the water proofness. They tried and tried and were unable to get it waterproof to their standards. I ended up buying a new Darien suit at a reduced cost...I still have the old one which is fine for dry weather days.
 
I just washed and waterproofed a 10 year old + Roadcrafter II (2-piece) jacket and pants. The jacket still looked pretty good because I wore my mesh jackets so much during warmer weather.

I used Nikwax Tech wash to wash both garments. I washed them again with just water for a very thorough rinse, as recommended by Aerostich. I then used the Nikwax TX.Direct Wash-in waterproofing product on the garments still wet in the washing machine, as directed on the label.

I fastened the pants and jacket together and air dried them.

The end result looks excellent.

I will buy more of the Nikwax Tech Wash and TX.Direct waterproofing products for future use, including on a Gore-Tex winter coat.

http://www.nikwax.com/en-gb/faq/index.php
 
I did try the Nik-Wax wash-in product in prior years, and still got wet. I tried the Revivex spray-on product last year, after using Revivex detergent, and was not happy with the amount of water which soaked through. This is a last, desperate attempt to try to continue using the jacket.

As to its cleanliness, I just pull out all the armor and wash it using the Aerostich-suggested mild detergent. I think the front side is pretty dirty and somewhat stained, but the back looks pretty good. Now that I've used it, I can see the Kiwi product has brightened and given the fabric a richer color...but the stains in the front are still there.
 
10 years

10 years should be broke in, not to far out of your way going to MOA rally by way of Duluth could stop have seams resealed and re waterproofed I think
 
179212 said:
10 years should be broke in, not to far out of your way going to MOA rally by way of Duluth could stop have seams resealed and re waterproofed I think
Click to expand...

Reviews on the Nikwax TX.Direct product are quite good on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Nikwax-251-T...&qid=1522615799&sr=8-6&keywords=waterproofing

I also did some more seam sealing on my Roadcrafter pants for the dreaded crotch leak with Coglan's Seam Sealer. The seams on the old Roadcrafter pants part of the 2-piece suit definitely need some seam sealing, as Aerostich does not claim those to be waterproof.
 
Scotch Guard

I've had good luck with Scotch Guard on my Darien jacket. Riding in S. Florida it gets wet a lot.
 
I find that when your riding gear (jacket/pants/boots) start leaking, it is time to just buy new ones. I have never had any luck using ANY type of "waterproofing" once they start to leak. I take good care of my gear, but it gets lots of use. It just seems that once the factory waterproofing wears off, it's all over. Absolutely nothing worse than feeling water, especially cold water, running down your butt crack :D, and being hours away from a motel or home. The wash in waterproofing helps a little if you aren't in a down pour...I'm never in a light rain, always a storm:bluduh. I came thru Maine, on my way back home from Nova Scotia, with my boots literally half full of water, and it was in the mid 30's.:laugh I bought all new gear ASAP.
 
ExGMan said:
...I decided to try ...Kiwi Camp-Dry Heavy Duty Water Repellent. ...The Kiwi stuff went on easily but I had the jacket hanging from a tree branch outdoors to avoid inhaling vapors. It took almost an entire can to do one coat on the jacket. Kiwi suggests a second coat after four hours. Not cheap ($6.50/can at Target), but staying dry (if it works) will make it worth the $$...
Click to expand...
I've used the Kiwi waterproofing spray many times. It works well. I usually spray it on in the garage. If you do it like that, make sure to put a tarp on the ground first. The overspray will make the concrete floor slick.

I switched from the Kiwi spray cans to Thompson's WaterSeal Sport Seal about a year ago. Fred Meyer quit carrying the Kiwi product. It also works very well and there's very little smell afterwards. About the time the waterproofing dries, the smell is gone.
Sport_Seal_Image


Chris
 
Remember that Goretex works by allowing small droplet moisture to be drawn out via it's membrane, but not let water in, as the rain droplets are too large. As soon as the water no longer "beads" up on the outside of the jacket, the Goretex is going to have a tough time. The sprays and wash-ins are designed to restore that durable water finish to the outside of the garment, reducing the "wet out" of the garment during prolong water exposure. A lot of the moisture you may feel with Goretex is actually accumulated sweat and not that it's letting water in. Goretex does have a lifetime warranty...

The tenacious tape is absolutely amazing - I've used it repair a couple rips in my well-loved tent over the years, and it's never failed so far. Tenacious Tape and cockroaches - the only thing left over after a nuclear war. :)
 
I'm back in Boston after 2873 miles of riding to, at, and from the BMW MOA Fontana Getaway. After treating my Aerostich Darien, I eventually rode in a lot of precipitation during the trip. 40 miles of snow in CT, 350 miles of mostly heavy rain coming home on I-81 in VA, 50 miles of light rain from VA to NJ.

The exterior of the jacket was wet in spots (shoulders mostly) during the VA piece of the trip. After I arrived at my Airbnb place in Stephens City, VA I was dry, the interior of the jacket was dry, but the some of the exterior was wet. I don't think sweat was an issue as the ambient temperature was in the mid-50s, so I had my 9-year old Gerbings jacket liner cranked up.

I certainly appreciate all the comments others have made to this discussion. FWIW, I have some fairly young (maybe 5 years) Aerostich AD-1 pants. I treated these with ScotchGuard for breathable fabrics, and they weren't even wet during the VA slog. I imagine that the fairing shielding of the RT had a lot to do with keeping me dry.
 
ExGMan said:
FWIW, I have some fairly young (maybe 5 years) Aerostich AD-1 pants.QUOTE]

:eek I must be hard on my gear as I never have mine last more than 3-4 years! The Velcro tab on the neck of my riding jacket doesn't have anything to fasten to, as the material is gone! It is BMW too! Just ordered new gear last week. Lots of miles=worn out stuff.:lol
Click to expand...
 
My 'Stich was purchased in 96. It has always leaked just a "smidge" about the neck and crotch area if ridden in all-day heavy rain. Otherwise (e.g., light rain or very short rides), I stay dry. It helps if one remembers to close the vents when in heavy rain :) . I use the Nikwax TX.direct spray-on stuff a couple of times a year to help the suit remain water resistant.

nikwax-tx-direct-spray-on.jpg
 
ExGMan said:
I'm back in Boston after 2873 miles of riding to, at, and from the BMW MOA Fontana Getaway.
Click to expand...

You 'da man! :thumb

I imagine that the fairing shielding of the RT had a lot to do with keeping me dry...
Click to expand...

This is something you have to keep in mind when reading suit reviews; what was the reviewer riding.
 
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