First Gear Jacket leaks

[racer]

My First Gear Killimanjaro jacket and pants are no longer water proof. I used to be able to ride all day without getting wet, however, now despite annual treatment with heavy duty Scotch Guard, the fabric transfers water almost immediately.

Is it time to purchase new gear or would a product like Nik Wax rejuvenate the material.

Any suggestions?

 

[Bounce]

Every year I wash my gear and then treat it. My first gear V1.0 is still in use by my SiL and it continues to work well.

Wash in powdered soap only

3 rinse cycles (2 additional washes without any soap)

let hang dry

treat with Scotch Guard outdoor spray (i get it soaked in every nook and cranny) - well ventilated location

let hang dry

 

[dsmack]

I agree with the extra rinses. The soap residue reduces the surface tension of the water drops, enabling them to get past the water-proofing.

I hope the NikWax product for fabric smells better than their glove treatment. The stuff is good, but the smell is overpowering for quite a while after the semi-annual treatment!

 

[Lee B.]

My First Gear Killimanjaro jacket and pants are no longer water proof. I used to be able to ride all day without getting wet, however, now despite annual treatment with heavy duty Scotch Guard, the fabric transfers water almost immediately.
Is it time to purchase new gear or would a product like Nik Wax rejuvenate the material.

Any suggestions?

I was doing a search and happened across a 3 yo post on nikwax, singing its praises.

nothing was mentioned about the smell.

I think I recall someone mentioned that using the scotch gard repeatedly would cause the waterproofing qualities of the fabric to break down.

if you search nikwax you'll probably see the posts.

 

[Geezer]

I had the same problem with my Kili. I tried Nikwax and it helped but it still leaked in heavy rain. My Kili jacket shrunk while hanging in the closet over the winter and I had to buy a bigger jacket the next year so I never solved the leaking problem.

 

[Bounce]

I think I recall someone mentioned that using the scotch gard repeatedly would cause the waterproofing qualities of the fabric to break down.

if you can find an authoritative cite for that, i'd be interested in seeing it.

i've been following the above process for more than 10 years and hundreds of thousands of miles without any problem.

 

[Rick_W]

I use the NikWash & NikWax on my Kili 4.0 & HT Overpants and to date have had no problems with the leakage.

I have been through some real frog-stranglers - I can't keep anything in the cargo pockets because they can & do fill up with water regardless of how well I think I've secured the velcro flap.