Gatewood Cape made of W/B material

[Mike Nielsen]

I really love the idea of the Gatewood Cape, but since I sweat like a pig when moving, even a poncho causes me to be very sweaty.

So I was thinking about trying to make a Gatewood Cape out of something like soft structure Tyvek that I have left over.

Any suggestions on if a W/B material will even do anything in a poncho situation? I would love to use Event, but we all know that is not possible. Seems like this could be a great way to get around the whole "can't use Event in a tent" issue.

Any thoughts suggestions?

[Anonymous]

Mike, I have been wearing Tyvek rain gear for years and appreciate very much the breathability and overall comfort. Furthermore the material, that is the Tyvek type used in hazmat safety clothing is super lightweight and inexpensive. Notice the pants in my avatar. Tyvek! They are at 7-8 years old. Go for it.

[Mark Hurd]

Mike,

Didn't you make one of Henry Shire's TarpTents out of Tyvek that had a problem with leaking? I know that John has been able to use Tyvek for his rain gear successfully, but other posters have had problems with it. I purchase a Tyvek shirt and pants last fall and gave them a test in the my shower (probably not a great test). I seam sealed them and then the next day stepped into the shower. With very light spray they seemed fine, but in anything beyond that the material got overwhelmed and wetted out after a few minutes. It seemed to me that the Tyvek performed more like a DWR coating which is great for light rain and brief showers, but not what I would pick for a shelter.

-Mark

P.S. The shirt and pants make a pretty good wind suit and are certainly light and cheap so I have used them, I just don't trust them for rain.

[Vick Hines]

The water resistance of Tyvek depends entirely on the grade used. There are many formulations. I've had no problem with HomeWrap.

[Mike Nielsen]

I did make the TarpTent out of Tyvek and have had mixed results.

I think that the statement about "light misting" is probably the best way to regard the waterproof ness of the material. I used the 1443 "soft structure" tyvek which is probably less waterproof than the housewrap.

On a camping trip last fall I got rained on, but since I camped under a nice big tree I had no problems with leaks. When I had tested in the yard it was in direct, medium rain, and I "think" it leaked.

I really need to get my butt in gear and do some proper testing in a variety of situations. Should get going on it as I live in WA state and we have had lots of rain to test in lately.

I used a set of legs from a tyvek suit as "rain chaps" and found that they kept my pants clean, but wet when walking through wet undergrowth. Also the shredded after only a few miles of poorly (not) maintained trail.

[Author]

Posts