Kuiu Attack Pants and Rain Gear

[PhillyB]

Hey guys and gals- I purchased some attack pants early this year. I have done the sink test and they seem to repel water very well.

My question is to those that have usd the attack pants for a season. In the early season bowhunts where the occasional storm may pass through, will the attack pants keep me dry or should I continue to pack my rain pants with me?

Last year I used the guide jacket as my rain gear coat and it preformed flawlessly. Keep in my I wasn't stand hunting or sitting in the rain for hours on end. But for the occasional mountain storm that is over in an hour or two and I am able to get under a tree to wait it out, will the attack pants keep me dry?

 

[muleman]

I alternated between two pairs of attack pants last year and they lost a lot of their water repelent properties with wear. I always packed my Chugach rain gear.

 

[Chesapeake]

I use then here in sw Washington. Wash them with nikwax treatment. They do great in all but a downpour and they dry quickly.

 

[Battle]

The DWR that Toray uses is the best I have used, but I still don't trust the Attack or Guide stuff to keep me dry, even here in Wyoming. Unless it is a short trip with very little chance of moisture, I take the Chugach set.

 

[PhillyB]

So the nikwax is a wash that retains the dwr properties but doesn't actually 'treat' the fabric with a new chemical?

Is this the stuff http://www.nikwax.com/en-us/products/productdetail.php?productid=268

I don't wash any of my Kuiu products with soap, I just use cold water on the gentle cycle. It's works well enough just to get the blood and smell out

 

[Matt Cashell]

You got it. That is how NikWax wash works.

Never wash a DWR treated fabric with standard detergent, or it will lose its water repellent properties quickly.

Water-only washes work too, but NikWax Wash is the best, IMO.

 

[Evan Williams]

DWR ( DURABLE WATER REPELLANT ) .... NOT durable water PROOF. Trust rain gear to keep you dry.

 

[Lawnboi]

For a day or 2 of decent forcasted weather... i may risk it.

For a 3-10 backpacking trip. No way. The DWR fades faster then you would think.

 

[Chesapeake]

Nikwax makes a wash in DWR as well as a wash to preserve the DWR finish.
With the two you can keep your gear performing well for years.