british army gortex bivvi leaking

[andyc54]

hi just wondered if anyone had any ideas im out at the moment the ground is damp and my newly bought bivvi (and first one )is leaching water through is this ok or is there anything i can use when i get home to reproof it

cheers andy

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[Dartmoor navigator]

If the textile is laid straight on the ground with weight and pressure applied then it will wet through eventually, the water can't bead and run off.

 

[andyc54]

its not been laid on yet but i thought they were designed to be laid on.plus from what ive read there bomb proof and 100% waterproof ?

 

[Cyclingrelf]

Mine is bomb proof - have slept out in all sorts of conditions here in Cornwall, mostly involving wet. I wonder if nik-wax or similar might re-proof yours?

 

[Cyclingrelf]

I did a little bit of investigating, and found this video http://www.trakkerproducts.co.uk/trakkertv.php?id=134&cid=3 demonstrating how to re-proof a hooped bivvi using fabsil fabric conditioner (for cleaning) and fabsil gold (for waterproofing), but I'd guess you could just throw a british army bivvi in a washing machine with the cleaning product (Nik wax also do cleaning and waterproofing, but I don't know how products compare with fabsil, as have never used fabsil). Let the bivvi dry, then spray on the waterproofing, wipe it down to mop up drips and let it dry again.

I haven't tried these yet, but have used Nik wax to re-proof a tent groundsheet and it was very effective.

 

[Dartmoor navigator]

If that part of the textile has come into contact with detergent it may also wet through.

 

[lannyman8]

to me Andy the stitching looks suspect and could have been patched or mended before at some point, the seams should be taped over after being stitched.....

if it is the seam and only in that place then some silicon spread over the whole join will sort it out for good, use a thin layer and before its dry throw some talk over it to help try and prevent it sticking together when packed away.....

hope it comes good though....

 

[michael hecquet]

i use nikwax and it works fine but you must get all the detergent out of your washing machine before using nikwax products

 

[michael hecquet]

if its just the seams theres a seam seal available in most camping shops

 

[Silverclaws]

If it is a surplus bivvi, expect anything.....

Or even a preowned item.

But it is my experience goretex doesn't always work, but I understand even gore tex has to be proofed now and again to bead the water on the surface so it water can run off and allow the perspiration from inside to pass through. Nikwax contains silicone which is a hydrophobic chemical and it allows water to bead and run instead of splotch and spread into the fabric up to the gore tex membrane there inhibiting perspiration transmission. Also gore tex does not work in certain conditions and I have found where the ambient temperature outside is high, perhaps higher or equal to that of the inside gore tex action can stop or even reverse.

But as to what can be done for now, well if you are lying in the damp patch, put something impervious over it like a karrimat if you have one with you to insulate you from the gore tex and the the damp and sort it out later when you are at home.

But yes a detergent residue on the fabric will inhibit the action, that is why nikwax offers the tech wash for such fabrics- as detergent breaks the surface tension of water and any residue will continue to do so, as detergent residue often remains even on well rinsed fabric, ad the rule is, if you can smell detergent when the fabric is dry, the detergent is still present.

 

[andyc54]

its not the seams thats leaking its the fabric think i will try nikwax when i get and just rough it tonight

 

[adam_myers]

Rough it? last time I looked you were setting up a hammock :S

 

[Rabbitsmacker]

I had that happening to my old bivi, gonna sound daft but I stood up inside it with it over me like a big French letter! Lol, anyway, once inside I was transfixed by the starry night experience and found loads of tiny pin ***** holes all over the foot area. The bag wet out all over anyway and would seep in like yours but especially around the abrasions and tiny holes, in the end tech wash killed it by then stripping all the seam seals of of it, in the bin it went, I've now got a Lithuanian bivi, brand new same as those from endicotts.
I was left feeling a bit let down by the British bivi, it didn't breath very well either, but was very roomy and the materials was nice and soft. I reckon I'll try again with a British one, but only brand new.

 

[andyc54]

thats the thing thats annoying it looks brand new and has nt even got a name written on it ive just looked and no lights getting through so nicwax might save it

 

[Dartmoor navigator]

thats the thing thats annoying it looks brand new and has nt even got a name written on it ive just looked and no lights getting through so nicwax might save it

Mate, wash it with tech wash first, then reproof with TX direct.

 

[andyc54]

cheers lads going to do that just pleased it did nt rain last night

 

[Silverclaws]

I know sleeping in damp isn't fun and a damp patch your mind seems to focus intently on that one possibly small part of oneself, but with synthetic sleeping bags they work when wet, so really it is not so much of a hardship for one night. Bivvying in gore tex for me in the past was shove a sleeping mat inside for the sleeping bag to lie on and even with gore tex try and sleep under some kind of shelter, even if it be a few branches covered in leaves and stuff.

 

[andyc54]

just thought i would give a follow up to this in case anyone is in the same situation

i bought some satchets of nikwax tech wash and tx direct wash in plus got a free wash ball with them.
after cleaning the detergent tray out and running an empty cycle to clean out any detergent i added the tech wash in the little bowl then set the washing machine away on a 30 oc synthetic wash once finished did the same with the tx direct then left to air dry

well tried this morning with a hose pipe and made like a bowl shape to hold the water on the bivvi bag rubbed the water in then turned it over on the glass patio table and pressed on and so far no wetting out and water beading straight off so heres hoping

cheers for all the replys andy

 

[The Lord Poncho]

I hate to say this, but I doubt very much that any waterproof treatment will solve that problem. Goretex is not 100% waterproof in all situations- especially not the situation you mention when this happened- i.e. damp ground, and water leaching though the fabric under the pressure of your overlying weight. Goretex is microporus- so that it can breath, but under pressure, water will find its way through. Thats why many civi bivvi bags have a non breathable floor. British army bivi bags tend to be used on top of roll mats, so its not too much of a problem.

If the bag is a used surplus item, then there is a reasonable chance it has had a fairly hard life- when in the field you don't usually choice where you kip- so brambles patches etc are all fair game. I once spent 3 days in the middle of a gorse bush- my bivi bag ended up looking like a hedgehog with all the dead thorns stuck in it.

But, as you have treated the bag to make it water repellant, you shouldn't have any problems- as long as you put it on top of a roll mat or some other protection from waterlogged ground.