$10 Tyvek coveralls converted to 2.95oz jacket & 1.73oz chaps.

Thanks Vic for sharing your experience with the driducks, I appreciate the information.

I just bought a couple of these suits to make the same modifications. Thanks for the ideas and insight!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0008F4HP6/ref=ox_ya_os_product

So cheap!

Let us know what you come up with, Rem.

Funny, I just placed an order yesterday for these for use in the same purpose:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0008F5HGY/ref=pe_175190_21431760_3p_M3T1_ST1_dp_1

I wonder what the difference, aside from size, is?

I'll post results when I'm done. Don't know if I'll be making chaps, too.

I've heard that the clothing type Tyvek fabric is by itself only somewhat highly water resistant (wheras the Homewrap is noticeably more so), wouldn't it be a good idea to coat it with some kind of DWR type repellent? Or would it still just wet out anyways if in an extended downpour?

I ended up making a pullover. The material was easy to work with and much more water resistant than I imagined. I did all the sewing by hand because I'm a college student and I was away from home while making it. I would post a picture, but now I'm home and the jacket isn't…

I took the hint from above to seam seal the entire thing – which added strength to the places where I did some hand sewing.

My process went as follows:

1. Put on the tyvek suit (my roommate was very confused)
2. Mark the suit with a marker about waster high to know where to cut
3. Cut the suit with scissors (make sure the zipper is above the cut so the jacket will zip)
4. Rip the seams about halfway up the jacket
5. Cut the zipper with scissors
6. Sew the pullover back together where the zipper used to be
7. Seam seal (I used standard seam sealant used for tents and the likes)
8. Try on the jacket – at this point I noticed the hood did not fit well
9. I marked the hood with a marker, cut it to make it smaller, and stitched it back together, then seam sealed it

I eye-balled all the measurements. I'm not experienced with this stuff and it took me about an hour and a half, plus the time for the seam seal to dry. In January when I'm back in school I'll post a picture. I'm sorry I forgot to either snap a quick picture or bring the jacket home with me.

I did not make chaps.

I like how the jacket turned out, but I realized that I may not end up using it. My houdini likely fulfills the same function.

I also have not weighed it yet – I was in a rush to get home and this project fell off my radar.

Hopefully some of this response is helpful.

Thanks again for sharing the idea!

I hesitated to dye my jacket and chaps due to the limited success I had read about from others. However, it dawned on me that this is a different Tyvek than that of used on buildings…so I gave it a go.

Knowing the end result is rarely the color of dye you purchase…particularly with synthetic materials, I went for black hoping to get a dark grey. It ended up gray with a bit of a bluish tint. Not exactly what I was hoping for but it's far more subdued than the stark white. I was pleased with the evenness of the dye. Not blotchy at all. Over all, I'm pleased. Below is how I went about it:

I prewashed everything by hand then threw it in the solution: A full package of RIT dye in 1.5 gallons of near boiling water with 1/2-3/4 cup white vinegar. I thoroughly swished this around every 10 minutes for 3 hours, hand rinsed, then washed in the wash machine with a small amount of liquid detergent with a double rinse.

The total cost of this sexy get-up is now $12.

Bump for a great idea. Thanks Will, Rusty and everyone else, now I have a super light $8 rain jacket / mosquito jacket / pillow thing.

I got the XL for my ape arms, cut in super long (mid thigh) and took it in at the waist. 3.3oz. I may dye it, I may go to town with a sharpie.

Good job to both Rem and James!

"I've heard that the clothing type Tyvek fabric is by itself only somewhat highly water resistant (whereas the Homewrap is noticeably more so), wouldn't it be a good idea to coat it with some kind of DWR type repellent? Or would it still just wet out anyways if in an extended downpour?"

Wind shirts normally have zero hydrostatic head and only can be considered water repellent. Tyvek has some hydrostatic head. For 1443R Tyvek the Hydrostatic head is 850mm. Some tyvek versions have more than 3,000mm hydrostatic head. Tue DuPont TY127S Disposable suit mentioned above has a hydrostatic head or 1,000mm according to a quick google search. Most water proof fabrics have a hydrostatic head of 17,000mm or more.

So in a rain storm that would cause a wind shirt to completely soak through in a minute, tyvek can still keep you dry. Only in very heavy rain will a limited amount of water get through tyvek. If a fabric has some hydrostatic head mosquitoes cannot bite through.

Please note there are versions of tyvek that are pin perforated. Pin perforated Tyvek, like a wind shirt, also has no hydrostatic head.

Also Tyvek is made from Polyethylene plastic which is inherently DWR. There is no need to add a wash in DWR to tyvek. Besides wash in DWR coatings will not add any hydrostatic head to any fabric.

If the forecast is 100% chance of rain and I had a choice of Tyvek and a wind shirt, I would take the Tyvek.

I know this is an older thread but thinking about making a set. Would this coverall set from Home Depot be the same as the TY127S set on Amazon. Only a few bucks cheaper but local to get.

Home Depot Link
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Cordova-Defender-II-Microporous-White-Men-s-XL-2-Layer-Coveralls-HDMP200XL/202593575#.UpaRcMSsh8E

Amazon Link
http://www.amazon.com/DuPont-Protective-Coverall-Disposable-X-Large/dp/B0008F4HNS

Thanks

Good question, Scott. I don't know…at least about the type of Tyvek itself. The Home Depot model though doesn't have a hood…so there is that difference.

Still loving mine.

ack thought I linked the hooded one, they have a few there. Not too savvy on the tyvek so I figured I would ask. Guess I will pay the extra 4 bucks for the amazon one. Best to be sure I guess. but 4 bucks…this gear is expensive. :) Thanks for the thread. Gonna save me some cash for other gear.

"Gonna save me some cash for other gear".

That's the idea……that and to be able to get out of debt so we don't have to work as much… so we can play more. :)

Anyway, you're welcome. Let us know how it turns out.

I finished up the jacket. Have not really gotten a chance to test it. I sealed it up hoping to use it on a hike but it did not rain and got warm. Quite the opposite of what was forecasted. I was sad lol. I dyed after I sealed knowing that the seams would look funky, which they did. Ended up with 1.5 gallons boiling water, one RIT black, 1 cup of Vinegar. Soaked for 3 hours swishing every 10 then another 3.5 while my kids dragged me off to buy two bearded dragons. Grand total soak of 6.5 hours. Came out looking a light purplish. I also dyed the bottoms but I have not decided if I want to make chaps or a rain skirt yet. Leaning to chaps and there may not be enough material to do a skirt loose enough.

Few pics. Fabric with white paper.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-R30CqKuY23c/UsnTaUILKsI/AAAAAAAAEp8/ZRv9VgJ5Cxk/w1280-h720-no/100_0997.jpg

And the jacket itself.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-px9ULCqIqUE/UsnTbIPTnUI/AAAAAAAAEqE/UcLXeG5uy8U/w1280-h720-no/100_1000.jpg

And here are two vids of making it and dyeing it. Yeah I am a nerd.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39chVyur8Lg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jH2Y5UNvX08

Thanks again for posting this up. The project has been fun so far.

edit: trying to figure out the image links.

Good job!

Rusty and others, how have your jackets held up?

I recently got one and have been impressed with the combination of breathability, water resistance, and air permeability. But I've heard it is also easily abraded, pills, wets out in the presence of body oils, etc. Perhaps the tyvek in these coveralls is different than the 1443r that some mention, less prone to durability issues? According to one post above, it has a higher HH, so perhaps it is a thicker version?

Edward,

I don't have that much time in mine. Perhaps around a dozen uses. Thus far though, it's doing great. I have noticed a small amount of pilling…but that doesn't make it perform any different. I'd say I've got way more use out of it than the small investment I have in to it. And at the rate it's going, it'll be good for another decade.

As to your other questions, I'm sorry but don't know.

rusty

Just an update. I have used this jacket a couple dozen times now and have laundered it in the washing machine 5-7 times. Used it in real rain last week…a good 2.5 hours in a steady light-medium rain. A bit to my surprise, it didn’t wet-out at all, keeping me perfectly dry.

It’s probably the most used and versatile things I carry in my pack. Not only does it keep me dry, it’s perfect to take the chill off when not too cold, it makes a fine windbreaker, and adds a layer of inexpensive protection to my pricey down around the campfire. Love the way it fits (after the mods) and it’s gotten super soft.

I am continually amazed with this thing…more so considering how little money I have into it!

I see too that RIT has a dye for synthetics now. This winter, I’ll make another and dye it a red or orange for times when I’m hiking during hunting season….or any other time I want to be more visible.