My nylon Columbia zippoffs have what looks like a bleach spot (color changed or gone).
My nylon REI zippoffs have the same spot. http://www.rei.com/product/746908
My nylon Dick’s sporting good zippoffs have the same spot.

The common thing: they are all the khaki color. The spot location is random. I do not use bleach in my washing machine; just some mild liquid soap.
My blue or green zippoffs do not get the bleach spot. They are steadfast.

So I’m wondering- is it the khaki dye, on nylon, that can’t take a lickin and keep on tickin?

Thanks,
-Barry

Maybe it's something you use in the field and not in the wash. Some chemicals don't show their damage until they are washed out.

Also might be the nylon. I bought a pair of Gramicci quik dry supplex nylon in blue and the dye got all over everything, even after I washed it many times and in vinegar. I threw them away.

Try not to laugh, but...*ahem*...where is the spot appearing?

I ask because us men may develop --- well, leaky plumbing when it comes to certain reproductive fluids, and certain components of those fluids act as a bleach on modern dyes. If the spots correspond to this area, you may be getting too turned on by the outdoors!

If the spots appear somewhere else but in the same place, I'd look to something that makes contact with that area. It might be as simple as having a daughter who likes to bleach her hair in the sink. Some residue may transfer to your pants as you lean over the sink to grab a toothbrush. I had several dress slacks ruined by the little lady bleaching clothing in the sink, but that tends to look like lines and not spots.

Potable Aqua and the like can act very much like bleach if spilled on your clothes in the field. It won't become obvious until you wash them at home.

Water treatment=BINGO!

Many water treatments are chlorine based, That could well be the issue. I've had pants bleached by sunscreen, too, oddly enough.

CM

NiytOwl: I had to chuckle. But to answer your ‘question’, none of the spots are in the same place. Some are at belt loops, some are at where the zipoff zippers connect; some are on the rear. Hmmm

CamperMom: you may be onto something. I use a sunscreen that is combined w/ bugspray. I’ll have to experiment on those lines…

Drow42: I don’t use chemical water treatment. I just use a filter. However, after I’m done backpacking, I do clean the filter with a couple drops of bleach. Hopefully I don’t get little of the solution only on my khaki pants; otherwise, that’s quite a coincidence.

-Barry

Mabye caused by holes in the ozone layer ... veeeery small holes.

Does your sunscreen/bugspray contain DEET? Are your pants NOT made from nylon, cotton, or wool?



DEET is no longer welcome in my pack after residues caused my watch to cloud up. I never noticed that it had an effect on any of my clothing, but I wasn't wearing polyester until recently. I can tell you that picaridin-based bugspray has no effect on silk, polyester, nylon, cotton, or an expensive down comforter (I am no longer allowed to pack my pack on the bed!).

The following discussion regarding sunscreen stain issues was pretty informative. It appears that the stains due to sunscreen are rust or orange-colored though.

Sunscreen Stains on Clothing

Maybe for some types of sunscreen, but mine sometimes causes whitish areas (mostly around the neckline). I suspect that if I used more aggressive detergents and warm water, it might wash out; in other words, it might just be accumulation of the stuff and not an actual stain or bleaching process.

I think you're probably right there DK... titanium dioxide accumulating on the fibers in your clothing perhaps?

Barry... not all dyes are created equal... some are more stable than others. Perhaps the conicidence is in the color and the dye being sensitive to your mystery compound. I really don't know anything about dying synthetic fabrics, but I know that not everything will be color fast. I had a shirt that I liked initially, until I wore it once and it turned my skin purple. Scared the sheet right out of me until I realized it was the dye rubbing off on me. Took a while to wash it off too.

MNS

My backpacking clothes have bleached-out spots all over them from:

#1 mixing aqua mira drops in a wind
#2 using bug spray with DEET

I'm a mess!

Since you have the spots and they are not going away. Turn them into camo pants with some fabric paint? or tie them in a knot and add bleach and do some art pants?

That's the beauty of backpacking...you can be a mess and get away with it. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

I bought a new pair for backpacking this year, and then was carrying my pristine (aquamira) in my
pocket on wct - the bottle developed a hole. well, the pants don't look so new anymore. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />