Thread: Jacket waterproofing

On a similar note, has anyone had any experience with Earth Sea Sky's Gecko Guard?

Originally Posted by stm

On a similar note, has anyone had any experience with Earth Sea Sky's Gecko Guard?

Yip I use it on one of their coats it works great.
Reminds me I need some more

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I decided to try another batch of the waterproofing solution, this time using turps instead of shellite as the solvent. To mix, I emptied about 200ml of turps out and added the silicone directly to the bottle, with a metal marble to help with mixing. It definitely took a lot of agitation and longer to mix than the shellite, but eventually got there. This time I used the spray gun to apply which worked reasonably well. Gave the tent fly and groundsheet a birthday, and also my pack and gloves.

Originally Posted by -BW-

There is a great video on YouTube detailing this process, where the guy turned a cotton bedsheet into a waterproof tarp. I don't know how long this lasts but I intend to try it with some inexpensive cotton based jacket/parkas and try it out.

I think the cotton/polycotton fabrics may potentially work better for this, as the cotton can absorb the water repellent agent into the fibres. I bought a cheap mil-surp polycotton British field jacket for my son to use when we go hunting so he doesn't trash his lightweight biking jacket, it cost $35 (B-grade - had a small tear that was easy to repair), spent another $30 putting it through a wash with Nikwax Tech wash then the wash-in waterproofing, after a 2 hour bash through damp bush jacket was still dry, just beading off, meanwhile I was soaked! But I wasn't wearing my raincoat as I would have just sweated too much... Got one myself now, ideal for bush bashing and drizzle. Still wouldn't trust it in the pouring rain, its reasonably heavy and would be a potential death-trap if it did wet out in cold conditions, but it definitely has its place. When it needs proofing again I'll be seriously considering the DIY option.

Yep works mint I’ve put it on a few diff fabrics and water beads off nicely

I've found based on my recent experiments, the Shellite is easier to mix, seems to evaporate faster, and doesn't leave much in the way of noticeable odour. The turps however has definitely left an oily smell - hopefully it'll lessen over time (it is half the price though). Maybe better relegated to tarps etc.

Shellite is a much cleaner solvent. Worth the extra cost in my opinion for this application. My also make your garment less flammable if no residues are present.