Gear that lasts.

[crucible]

I have found excellent customer warranty service from Patagonia and Arcteryx- both companies have warrantied multiple jackets and bibs that I have worn out from snowboarding and alpine climbing with professionalism and cheer.

You might pay more for the initial purchase of this gear, but the cost of ownership in the long term (5 years plus) and the strength of the warranty makes them a great value.

Case in point- I am on my third warrantied pair of Arcteryx Theta SV bibs, and I bought the first pair 16 years ago. Of course, it helps that I am in a city that has Arcteryx's headquarters and warranty shop, but I have seen the warranty coverage that they have extended to heli guide services, ski patrols, and military units, and they stand behind their gear.

The warranty reputation and customer service focus of a manufacturer is a big factor in my buying decision, and makes me loyal. I am willing to pay more for a product that lasts and for a company who sees me as a long term customer.

[Corey]

Just put some Sikaflex 252 (mix with Aceton to get a nice surface), Aquasure (Mcnet), Bison Rubber Repair on your pants and your problems will be over. Just put some tape on your pants first so you can mark a nice spot within you put the protection stuff..

I coated some areas on a couple pairs of mitts and a jacket with Sika Flex 252 yesterday. Some random notes for anyone else thinking of doing this:

1. Thinning with Acetone worked well. It takes a bit of work to mix the two well. I used a cheap butter knife bent at a 45-degree angle in a metal pan. A shearing action, like trying to spread peanut butter thinly, worked best to mix the two. You want it to end up being a little thinner than mayonnaise. My first attempt had it like peanut butter; it looked like crap as I tried to spread it. I'd be worried about it running/sagging if it were much thinner. If it were something you could lay flat, you could make it pretty thin so it would self-level a bit. With mitts/gloves, you need mayo-like consistency. You're going to be mixing for a while and adding a bit more Sika if it's thin or a bit more Acetone if it's thick.

2. The best thing you could do to prepare for this would be to ice a cake with someone that knows what they're doing. I've never iced a cake before, but think I'd be better at it now after doing this! The smoother you get it while it's wet, the better it's going to look when dry. All the little bumps and dips really stand out when dry. I'll spend more time smoothing next time.

3. Taping worked well, it gives a crisp line that looks more like you meant to do this and not some kind of horrible goth painting accident. Make sure the tape sticks well, but can be removed without major stress or heavily distorting the garment. You're going to take the tape off while it's still wet, plan for that.

4. This stuff does stink, but not nearly as bad as Shoe Goo. A standard bathroom fan kept the smells out of the rest of the house with no issue.

5. I put down newspaper over the entire bathroom counter and floor. That wasn't enough as some of the black-tinted acetone spilled from the pan while mixing and basically went right through the newspaper! It wiped off with no trace. Acetone is pretty aggressive to some plastics - I imagine it could stain or eat through many counter-top materials! I consider myself lucky. It would be WAY better to plan ahead and do this outside in the summer...

6. Next time, I'll grind the little teeth off the butter knife so I had a curved but smooth surface to spread with. Unless you like the mini-corduroy look that a butter knife gives! Using only the back/flat side of the knife made it tough to spread well on concave surfaces.

7. You're going to get some of this black sticky icing of death on your gloves, be careful what you touch while maneuvering the clothes. I've got a couple of black fingerprints outside the taped area on my jacket.

8. It dries pretty fast when spread thin. The first mitt was pretty tacky & stiff by the time I finished the 4th one. Get it smooth the first time! All pieces seem to be fully cured about 12 hours later. The final result is still surprisingly flexible.

9. I've now got custom clothing reinforced exactly where my body parts contact the snow. That's pretty cool! Just look at where your stuff is worn, then tape a bit outside that area and do the above.

Edited January 2, 2013 by corey_dyck

[lafcadio]

Thanks for all the info, Corey. Would be great if you could get some pics posted.

[OhD]

You could use a notched trowel (such as are used for laying mastic adhesives and tile-setting mortar) to lay on a uniform distribution of whatever thinned goo you choose, then butter it smooth without redistributing it too much. A foam paint mini-roller could be used to give it a consistent matte finish.

I've also glued pieces of seatbelt webbing onto the palms of gloves using polyurethane sealant (automotive window adhesive or builders window/door seal). I need to do that to my Level gloves after 1.5 seasons of pretty hard use - the right palm patch is finally fraying a bit and the seam is opening. Good gloves - warm, protective and durable. Only drawback is that the palm wear patches are really grippy on snow - maybe to discourage behaviour that will wear them out! 'Bout spun me clear out the first time I laid down a hand!

[OhD]

BTW - that was embellishment of Corey's excellent advice. Masking tape is your friend!

[Corey]

OhD - I actually tore a seam open on one of the pairs of mitts the last day I used them. I used a nylon piece cut from an old set of mitts as a patch. I used the Sika to stick the patch down and then buttered over the whole mess. Hopefully that works! If anyone sees me with new mitts at NES or SES, then this whole thing failed. ;)

Thanks for all the info, Corey. Would be great if you could get some pics posted.

Yeah, I was in the final spreading stage when I realized pictures and a how-to write up would be valuable to others. Oops. I can take some shots of the finished product and the supplies.

[OhD]

I used seatbelt webbing on a pair of Swany leather gloves shortly before I bought the Levels, and I still use them some. I'm pretty sure the seatbelt webbing will outlast the gloves and me. It's staying on real well, but I use the Swanys mostly for skiing. I masked the glove around the easy edges of the patch and masked the exposed face of the patch, buttered both the glove and the patch real well with urethane, pressed the patch in place and clamped it between pieces of plywood with a bit of polyethylene bag for a release film. Then I opened the clamp and troweled the squeeze-out away neatly. Finally I clamped it between plywood again and left it to cure overnight. It came out pretty tidy-looking against black leather.

A woodburning pen or hot knife works well for cutting out patches of Nylon and other thermoplastics, fusing the edge so it doesn't unravel. Keep the knife moving or you'll get a messy edge. Try to butt the patch against existing proud seams if you can, to inhibit peeling.

Single-component urethane sealant will cure in the tube if the opening is exposed to moisture (like water vapor) so don't leave it open longer than necessary, or dispense some into a carton, seal the tube then trowel it on. Or line up a bunch of projects at once. Black urethane sealant works well to repair wear and to make lace protectors on black softboots. Un-diluted it cures really tough. I haven't needed to dilute it for my projects so far, except for cleanup. Mineral spirits paint thinner works to clean up and may be less agressive on many plastics than acetone. I don't know which solvent would result in higher strength in a cured sealant if used to dilute it. I guess that if one is extending glove life it isn't that critical.

[Marc H]

http://www.kinco.com/products.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage_images.tpl&product_id=18&category_id=1

These last a long time. And if your in Maine you'll blend in real easy.

[Corey]

I added pictures of my Sika experiment in this thread: http://www.bomberonline.com/VBulletin/showthread.php?38861-Coating-clothes-gloves-with-Sika

[kmartshopper]

I got these Mammut mittens back in 04' and they are almost entirely made of Keprotec. They lasted soo long but finally wore through on the tips. I'd buy them again in a heartbeat, but unfortunately, can't find a similar design anymore.

Lots of great tips on this thread though, and I'm going to try to resurrect them with the Sikaflex treatment.