Resuscitating Your Foul Weather Gear Quickly // Waterproofing Outdoor Wear

On September 17, 2020
By Kimberly

Here’s how you can protect your foul weather gear. My rain gear is so important to me; it keeps me dry, comfortable, and safe while sailing. It’s also an expensive investment. I decided I wanted to extend the life of my foul weather gear, and resuscitate an older jacket as a backup for really wet days when I need to swap out damp gear.

Taking Stock of Gear

First I sorted through all the sets of foul weather gear I had, and chose several unused items to donate to the loaner gear at the sailing school where I teach and sail captain charters. It felt good to know someone else could stay dry by using my extras.

I selected my two favorite backup jackets to concentrate on for rejuvenating waterproofing foul weather gear. My husband Bill chose one backup jacket to treat. We each had a fairly new jacket that did not need treating just yet.

Earth-Friendly Decision

While we try to stay away from unnatural products, we had to balance whether it was more Earth-friendly to throw away a couple jackets and buy new ones, or try to resuscitate and waterproof foul weather gear we already owned.

We decided the overall lesser impact was to reduce / reuse / recycle – in other words, accept that we would contribute two plastic bottles to the recycling bin. The alternative was to throw away several jackets, and buy more jackets plus the impact of manufacturing those items.

Not only was our choice more economical, we reduced possible landfill contributions. While we are not huge fans of chemicals and plastic bottles; they were the far lesser evil in this decision.

Water Repellent Treatment

We chose Rustoleum NeverWet Fabric Spray, two bottles, and headed outside to follow the directions to waterproof our foul weather gear.

It was simple; spray each area of the jackets. We were careful to pay close attention to seams, folds, and anywhere that needed to be exposed.

We spread jackets on the ground, draped them over chairs; anything to access each square inch and make sure it not only got treated, but also dried completely and thoroughly.

Rainy Days Ahead!

We have plenty of opportunities to test out foul weather gear in Florida. While my main jacket is stored, ready to go, in my sailing bag; our backup jackets hang by the door for dog walks and outdoor activities.

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