Tyvek Clothes as rainsuit – FAIL!

[Ken K]

I thought I'd give the Tyvek clothes a try as rain gear. They did work to keep me and my son dry (me in pants, him in the jumpsuit) in a light drizzle (never got harder than that), but the crotches on both our sets blew out doing light camp chores. Mine lasted about an hour, his about three hours. They may be fine for an emergency or dry-weather safety net, but they are certainly not a viable substitute for real rain gear for any length of time.

Ken

[James holden]

i really dont understand this fascination with flimsy rain gear … i mean an OR helium weights 6-7 oz and is fully waterproof and covered by ORs total guarantee … sure it costs more, but then in a storm whats it worth to have real rain gear

add a decent set of light softshell pants and yr set

there are somethings where weight aint everything IMO

[drowning in spam]

That's a known problem with tyvek clothing that needs to be addressed for long term use. Tyvek is plenty strong, but the seams are tough to get right.

[Andrew F]

Are the seams stitched on the clothes you got? If so, you might try again with another pair and cover all the seams with Tyvek tape. I just made a Tyvek bivy, and tested both sewn and taped samples. The tape is much stronger – a 1" strip on both sides of the seam is stronger than the Tyvek material. In contrast, the sewn seams ripped easily like a postage stamp at the seam.

Andrew

[Warren Greer]

BB – Well, $$$. And they are lighter than the helium. But ya. I know. I'm leaving my heavier weight rain clothes home this year in favor of dry ducks, both peices of which are lighter than just my rain pants alone. I don't bushwack and most of the time my rain gear never see's the outside of my pack. In the end, wouldn't mind having the OR jacket. It's only $$$$.

[BlackHatGuy]

Would applying seam sealer to the seams help, or wouldn't it take?

[obx hiker]

The commercial or industrial "white" tyvek stuff leaks like a sieve and it's the seams.

Also the stuff is very ill-fitting and poorly constructed…. designed as a one size fits all – one use and throw-away coverall barrier in industrial situations.

Seam seal will fix the leaky seams but not the loose stitching or awkward fit leading to stuff like splitting in the crotch. The stuff isn't exactly tailored for active-wear.

http://www.disposable-garments.com/products/cart.html?_vsrefdom=gt&kw=%2Btyvek%20%2Bclothes&ad=16&eng=google&gclid=CNbIgdnN7KgCFUg65QodOgyfFA

Looks like disposable garments is now offering a line of: Sheddable Shell™ Marathon clothing*

Hmmm…….. Maybe they'll pick up some consultants from this site and soon offer out-door wear. They'll have a ways to go to catch up to Frogg Toggs.

[BlackHatGuy]

Since I often backpack with people who seem to love campfires, I've often thought of getting a tyvek top to protect my down jacket from ash burns. Workable solution?

[martin cooperman]

Yes it is a workable solution.
I also backpack with folks who love campfires.
I use the tyvek style tops and bottoms to keep my inner insulated clothes dry when sitting on wet logs, kneeling on the ground, etc. And also to keep sparks from making holes.
The tyvek stuff also adds a layer of insulation in that it traps air between it and the down garments.
I don't use it for active hiking and am careful with it around camp.
Marty Cooperman

[R S]

That's why they make duct tape.

[Ken K]

>> i really dont understand this fascination with flimsy rain gear … i mean an OR helium weights 6-7 oz and is fully waterproof and covered by ORs total guarantee … sure it costs more, but then in a storm whats it worth to have real rain gear

>> add a decent set of light softshell pants and yr set

You're kidding, right? You obviously are only shopping for yourself and have entirely different priorities. Try outfitting a family of 5 with three fast-growing kids and a dozen other things pulling at the family budget. I can spend a paltry $400-something for rain gear for me and the wife, and another $600 a year for the kids? Does OR's total guarantee replace the gear when kids outgrow it or ruin it climbing trees, caving, or sliding down a rock-face?

I don't think there's a general fascination with flimsy rain gear. I think there's a fascination with fairly rugged, light, cheap, semi-disposable rain gear. There's stuff in the market for folks like you. For me? Not so much. If the Tyvek stuff lasted 20 wearings, it would be exactly what I need. I was hopeful. I'm just trying to keep the next guy from wasting a few bucks. Maybe I'll try again with some Tyvek tape over the sewed seams (that was indeed where the blowouts occurred).

[Jeff LaVista]

Outdoor Research won't take clothes back because your kids outgrew them, but if you join the REI Co-op, they sure as hell will! Especially if they are growing quickly and the garments become to small even before they have a chance to wear them a lot.

Likewise, if your kids are really growing that quickly, you should be cruising the sales boards on this site, and some of those other backpacking sites, looking for used items that have already depreciated in price. and/Or you can sell the items here that have been outgrown, or put them up for trade.

[James holden]

You're kidding, right? You obviously are only shopping for yourself and have entirely different priorities. Try outfitting a family of 5 with three fast-growing kids and a dozen other things pulling at the family budget. I can spend a paltry $400-something for rain gear for me and the wife, and another $600 a year for the kids? Does OR's total guarantee replace the gear when kids outgrow it or ruin it climbing trees, caving, or sliding down a rock-face?

hit the wallymarts then … i really dont see a point of UL gear for KIDS especially … you know theyll abuse it … just get what i had at that age … a el cheapo k-mart poncho … or some el cheapo tough rain jacket ….

maybe its different where you are … but in the PNW rain gear is something you DONT want to fail …

[Franco Darioli]

Try Elmers glue (PVA) for the seams (Tyvek).
Franco

[Christopher Holly]

Kinda on topic – I work in bio-tech and chemistry labs and have access to what are lovingly referred to as "Bunny Suits".

The main job of the bunny suit is to A) Protect the wearer from caustic chemicals and B) Protect delicate things from human contamination (i.e. skin flakes, sweat, etc.)

The main theory is that a wearer should be protected while protecting the outside environment in a clean room. Anyone who has worked in a clean room can tell you the places are on the warm side of hot, so a lot of the lab companies market highly breathable fabrics similar to DriDucks and in many cases, name brand Tyvek garments. Obviously I began to wonder – could these things be adapted to trail use?

Standing in the way: loose, cheap as heck stitching.

I wonder two things now:

– Could the seam tapes used on cuben, silnylon, etc. might be employed to shore up the weak, water loving seams?
– Are the clean room garments sufficiently different from DriDucks, etc. to make it worthwhile to find out?

In particular, I am wondering about the MicroBreathe materials. I have tested them and can say they are water proof when suspended on a beaker with 1/2 cup of water pooled into the fabric. And if you look at the below link, the appeal of a longer garment is appealing….

http://www.yourcleanroomexperts.com/microbreathe-lab-coats.aspx

Does anyone have experience with this sort of thing? There is a MicroBreathe cover all that could easily become a 2 piece garment if the seams could be reliably reinforced….

EDIT: The full coverage suit has a zipper, unlike the other garments which close with plastic snaps – hence my interest.

[Jeff LaVista]

If you really want to save a ton of money just get some yardage of regular old construction tyvek and just cut it into a simple poncho. Then you and your family will each have good durable rain gear, but also will each be carrying a useful ground cloth that will be used rain or shine.

When they DO wear out, which will take a lot longer then the bunny-suits will, they are easy and inexpensive to replace. And you can always get that nice custom fit.

[drowning in spam]

hit the wallymarts then … i really dont see a point of UL gear for KIDS especially … you know theyll abuse it … just get what i had at that age … a el cheapo k-mart poncho … or some el cheapo tough rain jacket ….

Tell that to the 11 year old girl this site is sponsoring to thru hike the PCT this year. She just did her first 30 miler a couple days ago. She also the only hiker of over 50 I saw that felt energetic enough to play horseshoes. She's going UL and knows her pack weight.

Standing in the way: loose, cheap as heck stitching.

As I understand it, the problem is not the stitching as in the thread, but that the sewing process creates a line of holes that greatly diminishes the integrity of the fabric. The tyvek tape that Andrew mentioned should fix this problem, although some seams are easier to tape than others.

[Richard D.]

I have an old 100 g Tyvek coverall that I take on most hikes. Nothing that weighs that little provides so much additional warmth. I would only use it in cold rain to complement an umbrella or something, but for warmth purposes it’s unparalleled. Note that there are different weights of Tyvek. I think mine is 400. Heavier weights are more waterproof, but breathe worse. They can cause uncontrollable nighttime sweating ))

[Rusty Beaver]

I’m approaching 9 years on the Tyvek jacket I made from a pair of coveralls. Not sure how many times I’ve used it…perhaps 50 times, maybe more. By 2016, I had used it a dozen times and washed it 5-7 times. Even after that, it kept me dry in 2.5 hours of a steady light-medium rain. I haven’t used it in rain since then so don’t know how waterproof it would be now.

I use it on windy ridges or any time I need something to take the edge off the temps… like early mornings or eves. I’ve slept in it a dozen or so times too. I carry a cuben poncho so it isn’t my main piece of rain gear.

It’s showing some wear but still has life left. At the rate I’m going, I have no plans to replace it any time soon. It’s been absolutely perfect for my needs. I love this thing! And I only have $12 in to it.

Here’s a description and photos for anyone interested (I abandoned the tyvek chaps for a  pair of cuben chaps): https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/64670/

[Sam Farrington]

Since they were cheap, and very breathable, bought a couple DryDucks rain jackets just to wear around town for shopping in the rain.  They did not last long enough to justify the small price.  Almost immediately they developed tears that made them worthless.

However, I remembered Will Rietveld’s MYOG tyvek jacket from his old site and found it here, but without the pics:

http://ultralightinsights.blogspot.com/2012/03/make-hooded-tyvek-rain-jacket-and-chaps.html

There are no doubt different grades of types of Tyvek, but his article sounded like he did reasonably well with what he was using for his Tyvek rain gear.  At one time he wrote excellent reviews for BPL, so the info in his article may be helpful.  The prices will be higher now of course.

[Rusty Beaver]

Sam,

I’m pretty sure it was Will’s description that inspired me to make mine.

On a similar note, someone, years ago, had a graph comparing the breathability (and maybe waterproofness) of a number of different fabrics, including GoreTex and Tyvek. Do you or anyone else have a link to that?

 

[Sam Farrington]

Rusty,
There was a longer article about WPB’s by Alan Dixon on BPL with graphs. It may be a bit outdated now, though. Having been forced by circumstances to be obsessed with journaling for many years, do not keep good records on BPL topics these days.

[Author]

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