Rewaterproofing raingear

Greetings.. I have some hi priced rain gear (maybe 5 yrs old) and it's about as waterproof as tissue paper. There is no warranty on the product .. last phone# for them (Olympia) is disconnected. Has anyone had success waterproofing non PVC/rubber rain gear. I've tried stuff from hardware stores with little to no help..
As always TY in advance for Your time

Tom Casey
2017 R12GSA (Pony... causes its not as tall as the other GSA horses)
1975 R75/6 Old Yeller

Nikwax is a brand of wash in etc products for many applications. I have read their wash in waterproofing is very good. They have a pretty broad range of products for different textile applications. Check them out.

I've used some but it's been a long long time.
https://www.nikwax.com/en-ca/

I treat my Aerosmith gear with Nikwax wash-in at every washing. Note that the Nikwax instructions must be followed in order to get the full benefit—including some dryer time at higher temp. My gear gets one wash with laundry soap and pre-treatments, one wash with plain water to get out the last of the soap, then a wash with Nikwax and a trip to the dryer. So far, that’s worked well for me, but you’ll want to check the Olympia care instructions.

Best,
DeVern

Nikwax works on Goretex and goretex-like textile gear. It’s a two step (two bottles, wash and rinse) process. Also, I have a very old Olympia one piece suit that I hang up and spray with Camp Dry every other year. That method works, too.

Maybe I'm the idiot but I used Nikwax on my Aerostich Darien and it didn't work...actually a lot of the tape-on seams inside came undone and some of the reflective material was ruined. I even ended up sending the suit back to them so they could try and wash the suit. The results didn't pass their waterproof testing. Not much they could do...they offered me a reduced price on a replacement which I took. Maybe the issue was that I had not washed it with any regularity when I tried it myself. They sent me my old suit back which is just fine for those sunny day local rides. The new one is in the closet for the not so nice days.

20774 said:

Maybe I'm the idiot but I used Nikwax on my Aerostich Darien and it didn't work...actually a lot of the tape-on seams inside came undone and some of the reflective material was ruined. I even ended up sending the suit back to them so they could try and wash the suit. The results didn't pass their waterproof testing. Not much they could do...they offered me a reduced price on a replacement which I took. Maybe the issue was that I had not washed it with any regularity when I tried it myself. They sent me my old suit back which is just fine for those sunny day local rides. The new one is in the closet for the not so nice days.

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You’re certainly not an idiot—the results you got, along with the company’s willingness to discount a new suit, speaks to both an issue with either the chemical or the suit, and the company’s willingness to step up. I’ve never used the Nikwax detergent, just the TX wash-in waterproofing and a dryer. I do note that the washing instructions for both of my first two Aerostich suits called for dry powder detergent; my newest suit specifically recommends liquid detergent and a second plain water wash/rinse before treating with Nikwax. But I’m not a chemist or professional launderer so can’t speak to whether detergent type makes a difference.

Best,
DeVern

20774 said:

Maybe I'm the idiot but I used Nikwax on my Aerostich Darien and it didn't work...actually a lot of the tape-on seams inside came undone and some of the reflective material was ruined. I even ended up sending the suit back to them so they could try and wash the suit. The results didn't pass their waterproof testing. Not much they could do...they offered me a reduced price on a replacement which I took. Maybe the issue was that I had not washed it with any regularity when I tried it myself. They sent me my old suit back which is just fine for those sunny day local rides. The new one is in the closet for the not so nice days.

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One thing I found out when I sent my Darien jacket back to Aerostich was that over time sweat just deteriorates the garment. Mine is older but I sent it to them to wash/treat and fix some things like the seam tape and velcro. Still my go to jacket (unless it super hot)even tho I have a Klim Badlands Pro jacket and an Olympia hanging in the closet...among others as I'm sure most of y'all do too!

At least once a year I give all of my riding jackets, pants, 1-piece stich, etc. a throrough treatment with the NikWax TX. Direct spray. I find that this really helps keep stuff water-proof. (Some water still comes in around the neck and crotch on my 'Stich!! And water will leak in like crazy thru vents that don't get fully closed when approaching a storm ).

The 'zon has slightly better prices on the 16 oz spray bottle than REI (although it works out to be about the same if one is an REI member) -

https://www.amazon.com/Nikwax-TX-Direct-Spray-On-Waterproofing/dp/B0019GLADA?th=1

https://www.rei.com/product/724688/nikwax-txdirect-spray-on-water-repellent-treatment-17-fl-oz

I do the NikWax cleaner and wash-in TX water repellent stuff annually on my Aerostich stuff but what little I could find on Olympia rain gear didn't reference a breathable technical textile like Gore Tex or it's similar competitors (the patent on Gore Tex expired a while back) that high end gear uses.

From what I could find is Olympia perhaps used a treated rip-stop nylon material in your gear. As odd as it sounds, you might try liquid Thompson's Water Seal with a spray or paint brush application. Let it dry and repeat. I owned a sailboat for 40 years and worked in the marine supply trade for 10 years and the active ingredient in many cloth or canvas waterproofing products is the same as Thompson's. Light solvents and some kind of wax. Some boat owners would buy the expensive stuff we sold in small quantity while the boat monkeys and canvas guys that made and installed boat canvas would show up with a gallon of Thompson's and paint brush. It dries clear on textiles and in marine use might be re-applied annually to keep canvas water resistant. You have nothing to lose.

GTRider said:

I do note that the washing instructions for both of my first two Aerostich suits called for dry powder detergent; my newest suit specifically recommends liquid detergent and a second plain water wash/rinse before treating with Nikwax.
DeVern

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The early Gore-Tex stuff I used at work called for powder detergent and I also noticed at some time this changed to liquid detergent.

rewaterproofing raingear

Thanks All, so Nikwax it will be..

Tom Casey
17 R12GSA pony (causes it's not as tall as normal GSA)
75 R75/6 Ole yeller

good luck

For Gore-Tex fabrics, why not go to their Care & Support page.

I used ReviveX which is supposed to be applied on a damp suit. Sorry, I cannot confirm how good it is since my KLIM Latitude suit never leaked before I used the product.

A while ago, Gore-tex used to recommend products but for whatever reason, they no longer do. A long time ago, they said not to use a "wash-in" product. A while ago, they recommended ReviveX.

GlobalRider said:

For Gore-Tex fabrics, why not go to their Care & Support page.

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Thanks, I saved the site.
I see I have not been drying our gear long enough.

The Olympia website is active, and you can view their waterproofing and care tips.

Ken

kbowman said:

The Olympia website is active, and you can view their waterproofing and care tips.

Ken

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Just checked. Same here, I used to use 3M Scotchgaurd Outdoor on my last Aerostich suit, but use ReviveX on my KLIM now. And sure enough they also recommend Shout which is what I have used on all my suits for decades.