Posted by: 4evrplan
Opinions on rain suit replacement or repair - 01/15/21 10:16 AM
For TLDR, read the last paragraph.
Years ago I had a generous coworker give me a brand new rain suit he had ordered for himself and then changed his mind. I think it's the Columbia HydroTech, but the label doesn't say for sure. In any case, it's served me well for years. Unfortunately, it's starting to leak. I wore it for a long walk a week or 2 ago, and found there were damp spots in my jacket and pants under the rain suit. I assume the leaks are at seams. It is fully taped on the inside, but I've just now taken a close look at it and noticed the edges of the tape peeling in a few places.
Before this jacket was given to me, I had been considering making my own. I really wanted to try working with silpoly PU4000 fabric. It's really tough to convince the boss to spend money on anything we don't absolutely need, but the cost of all the materials would probably be less than $40, definitely less than $50, so I could probably swing it. The bigger problem is the investment in time. I simply don't have enough hours in the day for something like this, so it would mean sacrificing sleep and doing the project over many days or weeks. Nevertheless, that option had always been in my mind, even after I got the Columbia suit, simply because the DIY suit would probably be lighter and the project would be fun.
Another option that has always been in the back of my mind is the extremely light and low priced Ultra-Lite suits from Frogg Toggs. The only down side to them I know of is their durability. But for < $20 for a complete suit, that doesn't seem like that big of a deal. I'd just have to carry a way to tape up rips in the field. Reportedly, Tyvek tape works well for this. I see they've released a new version now, the Ultra-Lite2.
So I have 3 options, try to re-tape the Columbia suit, buy a Frogg Toggs suit, or make my own rain suit from scratch. What is your opinion on which way to go with this?
Years ago I had a generous coworker give me a brand new rain suit he had ordered for himself and then changed his mind. I think it's the Columbia HydroTech, but the label doesn't say for sure. In any case, it's served me well for years. Unfortunately, it's starting to leak. I wore it for a long walk a week or 2 ago, and found there were damp spots in my jacket and pants under the rain suit. I assume the leaks are at seams. It is fully taped on the inside, but I've just now taken a close look at it and noticed the edges of the tape peeling in a few places.
Before this jacket was given to me, I had been considering making my own. I really wanted to try working with silpoly PU4000 fabric. It's really tough to convince the boss to spend money on anything we don't absolutely need, but the cost of all the materials would probably be less than $40, definitely less than $50, so I could probably swing it. The bigger problem is the investment in time. I simply don't have enough hours in the day for something like this, so it would mean sacrificing sleep and doing the project over many days or weeks. Nevertheless, that option had always been in my mind, even after I got the Columbia suit, simply because the DIY suit would probably be lighter and the project would be fun.
Another option that has always been in the back of my mind is the extremely light and low priced Ultra-Lite suits from Frogg Toggs. The only down side to them I know of is their durability. But for < $20 for a complete suit, that doesn't seem like that big of a deal. I'd just have to carry a way to tape up rips in the field. Reportedly, Tyvek tape works well for this. I see they've released a new version now, the Ultra-Lite2.
So I have 3 options, try to re-tape the Columbia suit, buy a Frogg Toggs suit, or make my own rain suit from scratch. What is your opinion on which way to go with this?
They say maybe next week but they say that a lot. I just carry a pullover Patagonia Houdini that turns back the rain well. Mostly it’s used as a windbreaker.