Silnylon as VBL?

[Eli]

I'm looking into getting a silnylon rainsuit from Luke's Ultralight to use as a VBL. How does silnylon compare to other materials in terms of VBL efficacy? From what I understand it should be perfectly adequate.

I've been considering some other budget options as well, including applying a DWR inside my Patagonia Houdini… That RBH stuff is just too darn expensive.

[Mary D]

That's what I use, although mine was one of the last made by BrawnyGear–it's been around for a while! .

The great thing about a suit vs. a VBL bag is that I can wear my insulating clothing over the suit. With a VBL bag, I'd have to drape the insulating clothing over outside of the bag (unless I want it to get damp!), which means it falls off every time I turn over.

I use mine as rainwear, as well. I've found that I get just as sweaty inside "breathable" rainwear as I do with "waterproof." If it's warm, I leave the rain gear off and get wet–the wet polyester knit shirt and nylon pants dry on my body in about 15 minutes. If it's cold and rainy, I don't sweat inside the non-breathable rain gear. It helps if the rain suit is relatively baggy for more ventilation. For VBL use, I tuck the baggy jacket inside the pants.

The wet shirt and pants spend the night in a large plastic ziplock in the bottom of my sleeping bag. No, they don't dry, but at least they are warm when I put them on in the morning! Of course I could leave them outside and put them on cold if I want to wake up in a hurry!

One person's experience here–YMMV, of course.

[Eli]

That's just what I was thinking. I want to be able to wear my insulating jacket while I sleep.

How do you deal with moisture buildup inside your VBLs and in your base layers in the morning?

[Link .]

You might like this article if you haven't read it yet,it discusses fabric.

[Anonymous]

"I've been considering some other budget options as well, including applying a DWR inside my Patagonia Houdini… That RBH stuff is just too darn expensive."

Whaa..??? Why would you go and ruin a nice Houdini like that? The beauty of it is that it breathes to a certain extent while being fairly wind resistant and in a very good balance and proportion (pre 2013 at least).

Also, since the fibers are treated with silicone, the only "DWR" treatment you can do with it, is silicone type stuff. Silicone spray would definitely decrease the breathabilty and increase water resistance, but i doubt would make it waterproof/impermeable enough to be a VBL. It would be far more effective to do the ole mineral spirits and silicone caulk brush on process. In fact, why not buy a cheap, thrift store nylon shell, wash and rinse really good, and then do the ole mineral spirits and silicone caulk etc process?

As far as cheaper VBL stuff, did you check out Stephenson's stuff? The VBL clothes at least are MUCH cheaper than the RBH stuff. No experience with either though.

[Eli]

The idea was for the Houdini to outlast the DWR. I'm well aware of how fast it can wear off the outside of a rain jacket let alone the sweary inside of a rainshirt.

The warmlite looks like a good deal, but would leave me pantsless. Plus I've been toying with the idea of a new UL rainsuit, what better excuse than it functioning as a VBL as well!

[Author]

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