... What will you do in the face of a serious risk of rain?
If the day comes that the sheepskin does get wet, have you got a drying strategy?
Robson Valley, this is an insightful question!
It seems inevitable to me that the sheepskin will become wet (and dirty). And here the sit pad suffers compared to closed-cell foam.
My strategy is as follows:
Transport
The sit pad fits vertically in my daypack. It consumes a small volume along one side of the main compartment. Alternatively, I can put it in a silnylon stuff sack and strap it to the exterior of my pack.
So I think I can keep it clean and dry during transport.
Wet
Even if there is no precipitation, when I roll-up the sit pad the sheepskin comes into contact with the back face of the nylon (I was unable to find a better way to roll it).
I plan to wipe off any moisture on the surface of the nylon before rolling it up. When the sheepskin gets wet, I will need to air-dry it at the first opportunity. I'm not eager to find out what wet sheepskin smells like!
My biggest concern is that the sheepskin becomes soaked in a sudden downpour, or over time from sitting on snow. My intent at this point is to air dry or dry near a fire.
I'm also considering placing a desiccant into the silnylon stuff sack with the sit pad.
How effective is this strategy? We'll find out.
Dirt
When the sit pad becomes dirty, I'll use a carding brush or "dog brush" to remove loose dirt and untangle the hairs. I will hand wash it with one of several detergents on the market for sheepskin rugs (and/or wool). Many contain lanolin and other oils. But I'm skeptical that detergent can coexist with oils in the cleaning solution. Time will tell.
This will be an interesting experiment. The sit pad definitely requires more care than the rest of my gear. But I reason that if I ruin the sit pad, I'm just out the modest cost of the materials I already had around the home.
Do you have any suggestions for care and feeding?
- Woodsorrel
