So I wash my camo ALOT. I primarily hunt weekends and one full week in November every year, I will wear an outer layer maybe 2-3 times at most before I wash it. My outer layers will typically get washed around 15-20 times a season. Before the 08' season, I invested in 2x sets of Wolfskin from Jeff at Gray Wolf Woolens. When I got them, for most of the 08' season they really did well in terms of the the water resistance from the DWR (durable water repellant) treatment the fabric gets through the manufacturing process. Towards the end of the season though, I believe these coatings really begin to wear off through repeated washings. Water wasn't beading up anymore.......it was soaking through. Last spring, I decided to try something to fix this problem. I bought myself a can of 3M Scotchguard, and decided to try applying to my Wolfskin garments. I did a bit of research on different types of DWR's, and the 3M product had good reviews and was readily available at Wal-Mart. I pinged a buddy that knows a few people in the business, and he provided some third hand advice to treat the garments with this, and then throw immediately into the dryer for a full cycle. I was so impressed with the results over a full season of turkey hunting, that I decided to try and treat some of the other Micro Suede types of garments I have. I have a full suit of the Rocky Scent IQ micro suede in MO Obsession that I use for turkey hunting, and for early season archery, and after a coating of the Scotchguard and a dryer cycle, it now has the same water repellent properties of Wolfskin. [shameless plug ] You can purchase the Scent IQ products for great prices right here on www.bowhunting.com. http://www.bowhunting.com/blog/post/2009/09/27/NEW-Rocky-Tri-Season-Apparel.aspx [/shameless plug:D] Hope this bit of advice helps a few of you. I'd be willing to bet that this will work with most any type of synthetic fabric you might use. I think I'm gonna try and treat my Badlands Monster pack next. :D Oh, one more piece of advice. Treat it, throw it in the dryer, and then make sure you wash it. You do get a bit of an odor on the fabric until it gets a few washes. I probably have a half dozen washes on mine now since treating, and it's still working great!
I have one of those too, but hate using it unless it's a down pour. It just seems that it would stick out like a sore thumb in a tree. To be honest, if it's a sprinkle I'd MUCH rather not use anything and just rely on my outer garments. I have rain gear too, but I really like the patterns on my wolfskin, so I only use the rain gear if it's really coming down.
Sounds great. I have a bunch of the Rocky Scent IQ stuff and after this season I'm sure it could use this treatment.
