I have what I thought was good rain gear but am now second guessing. I had my Kuiu Chugach rain gear top and axis hybrid pants.
The pants were definitely the wrong ones to be wearing but I hadn’t tried them out in the rain. The pants would probably be ok for after a rain in wet vegetation conditions but definitely soaked through in the constant rain. My bad!
What I did not expect was for my Chugach rain jacket to soak through like it did! I first noticed that I was getting wet on my right sleeve and thought maybe I had ripped a hole in it somewhere/sometime but on closer inspection, no holes. Then the left sleeve started leaking. By the end of the day, I was absolutely soaked through. And got cold. Real cold by the time I got back to the truck a couple of hours after dark!!! Not good in the backcountry!
Got me wondering…
Does the waterproofing wear off on this stuff or is it just me being hard on my gear?
Should I treat it with DWR or something?
How well does DWR work? Will it work on just regular clothes? Wool?
Anyone else have issues with the Chugach rain gear?
Thought maybe I’d ask the crew here what their experience was with both the rain gear and DWR for waterproofing.
My 2c.
I would rank the rain and brush I was in yesterday right up there with Alaska wet and brush… When hunting up there, I used the rubberized stuff.
Probably would have worked better in that situation but darn sure would have been sweating!
Kind of discouraging to get soaked and cold like that in really high end rain gear though…
Hopefully, someone will chime in with experience with DWR treatment on these breathable rain gear. Thinking that I should treat up all of my gear just to make layers to keep from getting soaked.
Could mean the difference between life and death…
The Yukon Kuiu stuff is stronger than the rubber stuff I described but why spend that as most waterproof stuff doesn’t breath.
I have about the same experience with rubber boots or quality mountaineering boots and they are probably going to be wet from perspiration even if the outside moisture doesn’t cause them to get wet.
FWIW, I have a FL SEAK set and it didn't leak a drop through one all day rain and several squalls through the season. It's also durable but I don't bust through brush with rain gear.
Good luck finding something that keeps you dry when you need it most.
Pulled this from another site:
Yes, Nixwax Tech Wash for non-residue. Followed by a rinse in Nixwax TX Direct for DWR replenishment. Amazing results. Water just beads up and rolls off.
I’ve used that Kuiu only a few times since I bought it. Nothing really wet, though and not for very long. Decided I needed better quality stuff after that NWT horseback sheep/caribou hunt where I shredded my Cabelas Space Rain gear. Dropped a pretty good amount on the Kuiu top and bottom and was expecting better performance.
I have the HH stuff for Alaska but it is pretty heavy and doesn’t breath. Would have been really rough for the country I was in - steep, nasty oak brush and blowdown…
Will get some DWR and treat that rain gear as well as pants, vests, and jackets. Hopefully with multiple layers treated, it will keep from getting soaked. If it had been any colder or further in, it could have been a big problem.
I would hate to be relying on that rain gear in tougher conditions and get in serious trouble…
Think I will get the wash and the spray.
Yesterday was not fun, but a damn good lesson. All our gear needs regular maintenance and making sure that your rain gear works could end up being a lifesaver…
What I have found is that my sleeves are the first to get wet in a non-ending downpour and the reason is water running down my sleeve from my wrist. Just a thought. :-)
Treeline's Link
Gonna get this stuff and make sure to do a good treatment of all my hunting clothes while it’s fresh on my mind. I do not want a repeat of yesterday!
No, it actually started in my elbows, not my wrists. I initially thought that as well that it might be coming in there (pretty common when fishing). By the end of the day, I was completely soaked through everywhere. The rain jacket was actually soaked up and heavy with water and still soaked today.
i also have the chugach and so far so good but i have not had to wear it in wet brush or a heavy down pour and all-day rain. i could see it wetting out and leaking in those conditions. after reading this i suppose i better treat mine.
i carry a poncho rolled up in my bag for when/if the rain becomes relentless. for me, the HH is too heavy and bulky to carry.
I have waders and wading jackets that have been amazingly waterproof for many, many years. Others that started leaking after only a few uses.
It’s not normal for me to be out hunting in all day rain, but when it happens, I really don’t want to get saturated. I can imagine it being a problem on a long fly-in/horseback/backpacking type of hunt…
I have never reapplied DWR to any of my clothes and that is probably a mistake. I will be treating my rain gear and also my jackets/vests. Having treated layers under the rain gear should also help.
Anyone ever treat wool with that DWR stuff? I will probably be at least spraying down my wool stuff to keep it from getting so waterlogged.
If I’m on a hunt where I have to plow through wet brush every day for a week to 10 days straight, i use the HH stuff but its heavy.
