weather clothes

I'm branching this off from the "How Was Your Commute Today?" thread.

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Originally Posted by hoffsquared

Yesterday afternoon commute = soaking wet by time I got home. My old Goretex pants aren't quite totally waterproof anymore.

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I was disappointed that my expensive Goretex doesn't seem to be as waterproof as when it was new. My rainpants & jacket aren't all that old, maybe 2 years, but I have worn them a lot. But, they're better than anything else, and I carry dry clothes to change into.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hoffsquared

I have to get some big ziplocs to keep my clothes dry in my non-waterproof panniers. I did put them in some cheap trash bags for these two rides.

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I have ziplocks of every size, including very big! Typically I put my clothes in a plastic grocery sack, and then double-bag it. I use the ziplocks to carry papers and books.

I do not want to have to tell my students "The rain killed your homework" OR "The cat ate your homework". Both scenarios are quite plausible.

Oh, one more thing--my merino wool shirt that I bought last year, the one that made me choke at spending $70 on something labeled "undershirt", has developed holes! I am SO bummed about that.

The polartec fleece pants have a couple little holes too. :(

So much for thinking that spending money on clothes would mean they'd last a long time.

Yeah. Next trip to the grocery store I plan on getting those giant size freezer ziplocs.

I noticed two holes in the merino wool top I picked up from the thrift store. Since I was just looking to use this for biking, I'm not too bummed. But I imagine the original owner was since it's got the Bloomingdale label.

I haven't bought much of my sport gear brand new - it's mostly from eBay or thrift stores. I do cave in at races (like MCM) and have some of those running skirts.

All of my outer gear I got used and then it gets very well used by me & my daughter who is the same size!

Gore-tex and any breathable fabrics need the water repellency renewed every so often. NikWax is the treatment of choice, recommended by most manufacturers. Also remember never to wash breathable fabrics in detergent. Use soap such as Dr. Bronner's, shaved castile soap or NikWax Tech Wash. If you've already used detergent on it, you can remove the residues by washing once or twice in soap.

Also, I had great success darning a couple of small holes that appeared in my expensive Ibex crew. I was a little nervous about trying it since I hadn't darned anything in 30 years and couldn't find darning yarn as fine as the original material. After a couple of washings, I can't even see the repair if I don't look for it - even though the color wasn't a perfect match. Be sure to repair the holes, either by darning or by patching, or they will get larger.

I've noticed that the really fine merino undergarments are really fragile. I put a big hole in the long janes that i bought. good thing they're for wearing UNDER stuff.

back to weather wear, if you're really working out, you're going to still be wet underneath; that's my biggest problem. I can stay warm as long as I'm uphilling, but then I'm fogging glasses and then getting cold when the pace changes. It's tough for sure.

I mend and mend the wools and always put them in a lingerie bag to wash, and keep them in ziplocks.

We have had critters and it's heartbreaking.

I have also stopped buying dubious woolens secondhand and even new ones take a wash right away.

Thanks for the input. I've been afraid to wash the goretex at all, but I will rinse it gently now that I know. And I'll look into the waterproofing.

How timely - the Gore rep was in last week leading a clinic for us and this was one of the topics we covered.

Don't be afraid to wash and dry your GoreTex. It needs washing and a warm dryer to reactivate the DWR coating. Here is a link to the care instructions directly on the GoreTex website.
http://www.gore-tex.com/remote/Satel...g-instructions

If you have washed it enough to need to renew the DWR, do not use a wash-in type - that ruins the breathability of GoreTex. Use a spray on for the outside only (NikWax is one brand but there are many others that work as well - I use Camp Dry).

Give it a try and let us know if you like the results of the wash/dry :-)
Edna

All great answers to the Gore-Tex and wool questions..

regarding taking care of your merino... if you can find it (try a yarn store or a place that sells spinning fiber), buy a wool wash product called euculan. it restores the lanolin in the garment to a small degree (you won't smell like a sheep) and keeps the fiber supple. Also, clean wool repels critters.. they like dirty, smelly stuff. best way to wash is to put your garment in a room temp basin of water/euculan and let it soak for 15 or 20 minutes. gently squeeze out excess water. you could then put it in a top loader and spin it, or you could wrap it in a towel and step on it. garment should be damp. lay flat to dry.

this treatment will extend the life of your garment...

I'll look for euculan.
We had a wet/icy day yesterday, and my goretex held up! Putting it through the dryer restored its water-proof!

Kookaburra makes a woolwash too.
Some people like the smell better than Euculan.

Lanolin is great stuff. Every winter when my hands go over the sandpaper edge I make it a point to knit something from nice greasy wool.