Ventile rip strength

[big_swede]

Turns out not so good:

Had it been goretex it would been easy to duct tape. If the weather hadn't been so good the day after I ripped it I would have been forced to stitch it up, with an awkward fold right under the backpack. There are always drawbacks and advantages with all materials. Had it been T/C cotton (65/35) it would probably not have ripped as bad. I will continue to use cotton jackets, but I don't think I will shell out the extra for ventile or eta-proof again.

 

[John Fenna]

How did you manage to make such a bad tear?
I have had minor rips in Ventile before now - but nothing that bad, ever!
I have just spent a couple of hours putting leather bindings on the cuffs of some of my Ventile and Ventile-esque jackets as some are starting to fray with years of use and abuse.
If a bad rip occurred on my Ventile when I was away from home I would use Gaffa tape/duck tape (it will stick - but might leave residue) or just cobble it up with rough stitches and then sew it up with backing patch when I got home.
The joy is that once sewn the Ventile is still as windproof and waterproof as it ever was whereas Gore-Tex would leak like a sieve at the stitching, or if you taped/seam sealed it, not breathable at all!

 

[rg598]

With a rip that big it would be hard to repair permanently no matter the material, especially in that spot.

With GoreTex you can permanently fix it by sewing it and then seam sealing it. It will work just as before except that it will not breath along the 1/8 inch seam. In an emergency you can duct tape it and it will work fine in the short term. The coat will be just as breathable as before except for right under the duct tape.

With Ventile you have to stitch it up, but for it to remain waterproof, you need good overlap of the fabric and very tight stitching. Otherwise water will seap through.

How old was the jacket? I've had some old Ventile that would rip like paper. New Ventile should be hard to rip that badly.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

 

[sandbender]

"...I have had minor rips in Ventile before now - but nothing that bad, ever!.."

That has been my experience too.

Which make of ventile jacket is it? I have had a few and the quality of the ventile material does differ between brands.

 

[Dave]

I ripped my sass smock where the two poachers pockets are sewn together the day it arrived. By pulling it off, over my head like a smock....
Bit of stitching and it was as good as new.
Good lesson as Ive been careful with it since.

Its a bad rip, but you should get it repaired.

 

[big_swede]

Now, to be honest this jacket is 7-8 yrs old and has seen a lot of use. Abuse almost. And I've worn it from the equator to 79 degrees north so it has been around. But I never expected such catastrophic failure.

I managed to rip it by trying to take it of. It was wet and stiff and I was sitting under a tarp, grabbed the back and started pulling it of my head, riiitsch! The rip started in the area of the hood/back seam, seams are the areas which are worn first with normal use.

And regarding repair, yes all fabrics would be hard to repair permanently, I was talking about field repairs, where synthetic shell fabris are easier to duct tape. I have done this on several occassions.

The quality of fabric does only depend on which weight the ventile/eta-proof is. The maker have very little choice regarding quality as there are only two mills making fabrics as these, and both have rigorous qualiity control.

The jacket was made by swedish brand 'klättermusen' which is a high end brand with a good reputation among climbers and outdoors people. The jacket has long gone out of production. This is the third item from that brand that I have had problems with. Although this jacket have given me a lot more use than I had foreseen. And another jacket also had fabric issues, some eVent that started delaminating prematurely. One thing is clear, not worth paying the extra for a expensive brand in this case.

 

[John Fenna]

It sounds like you had just worn it to death - all things wear out in the end
8 years of abuse seems not too bad....

 

[rg598]

Sorry, I know I went a bit off track with the permanent fixes. And yes, Ventile that old can get very weak. People sometimes assume that canvas-like products will last forever because they feel strong, but after prolonged exposure, they get very weak. Like I said, I've had old Ventile clothing that would rip like paper.

On a side note, give Tenacious Tape a try. Duct tape works well for fixing synthetic shells, and I've done that quite a bit, but I've found that Tenacious Tape is even better. I've seen people do emergency repairs on an inflatable mat with it, and it worked.

 

[Shewie]

Sorry to see this Ollie, Klattermusen too so I am surprised.

I'll be taking my ventile smock off a bit more carefully in the future I think.

 

[John Fenna]

I just retired one of my Ventile jackets from Bushcraft wear to filthy work wear - such as feeding the pigs where I work!
This has been one of my favourite jackets since around the end of 2006 when I bought it.
OK - I use other jackets as well but this has been my "go to" jacket - the Bison Bushcraft SAS Smock - and I am glad I bought a spare just before they went out of production!
The cuffs on the jacket had abraded away (twice!) over the years, buttons had ripped off, small tears started at pocket corners etc but with running repairs and now with leather cuff bindings I am hoping to get several more years out of this garment. It no longer looks pretty but it still works
I am not gentle on clothing or boots - as a gear tester for magazines and websites it would be wrong if I was too gentle on things - but the Ventile gear I have tested seems some of the hardest wearing I have!
One way to extend the life of fabrics of most sorts is to keep them clean. Dirt in a fabric works like an abrasive and will degrade the threads. Ventile is easy to wash.