Reader J writes:
Hi Kevin,
I searched the forum and your posts, but couldn’t find anything on this. I just got a Red Oxx Sky Train. I know that you really like the Air Boss, but I’m wondering if you’ve ever had water resistance issues. Have you treated it (or any of your other bags) with a waterproofing spray? I’m concerned mostly about the seams and stitching.
Any thoughts on this would be appreciated. Please feel free to post my question on your site if you think others would be interested in your answer. Cheers.
I’ve treated golf apparel (rain jackets and the like) with silicone sprays in the past, although I’ve never treated any of my bags. I know Nikwax is highly regarded by many, but frankly I’ve not used it. A quick search lead to their “Tent and Gear Solarproof,” but I’m not certain that’s the best choice for synthetic fabric bags.
I know some of our readers have used Nikwax (and perhaps other waterproofing treatments). Can you chime in with some recommendations by commenting? I’m sure J would appreciate it. Thanks!
March 5th, 2010 at 5:47 AM
I’ve used Nikwax on my rain jacket and it’s great. Their product line is quite varied so I wouldn’t be surprised if they had something that works well with the type of material in the bags.
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March 5th, 2010 at 10:37 AM
The problem you are going to have is with the zippers. I do not believe the zippers on the Redoxx product are waterproof, and I’m unaware of anything you can do about that. If you are really concerned about waterproofing what is packed in the Sky Train you can purchase waterproof bags from sources such as LL Bean, REI, etc. Hope this helps.
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March 5th, 2010 at 12:26 PM
Granger’s has a few products that would work great for synthetic including the one-step wash and waterproofer (my favorite), as well as the performance or xt waterproofer. they are completely water-based and environmentally friendly.
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March 6th, 2010 at 1:55 AM
Here’s my very pragmatic take on it. Figure out how much waterproofing you really need. Is this just some undefined OCD fear or do you really travel to places where it rains so badly and where the bag will actually be exposed to the rain long enough that that will matter?
Home test: Put the bag in the shower, packed with towels. Give it a really good spray down. You will see where the weak spots are.
You can seal the seams with tape and apply Nikwax from the outside and perhaps even the inside. There is nothing you can do about the zippers, though. Even if you do the two things just mentioned, this will not make the bag waterproof. Only a bit more water resistant. But perhaps that will make it just sufficiently water resistant to fulfill your needs.
Guaranteed solution: Get some Aloksak packing sacks. Whatever really needs to be protected goes in there. End of worries. Easy and elegant.
That said, I never ever even worried one second about the water-resistance of my nylon carry-on luggage; and I worry a lot about luggage, as others can attest. ;)
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March 7th, 2010 at 5:06 PM
I’d check the RedOxx product first. Most of them are already treated with a very good water repellent and will shed drops of water (dribble some water from a glass and see if it beads up).
Nothing can be done about the zippers. The best thing is to pack the interior items in a large garbage bag or trash compactor bag. There are some transparent garbage bags if you look for them that won’t be as ominous as the usual black ones. Some companies make very large, fairly waterproof silnylons stuff sacks, but they are expensive for what this traveler is trying to achieve.
The most water my bags have ever encountered was during a tropical rainstorm while they were being off-loaded. They had water beaded on them, but thanks to the proofing there was no “wetting out” or “soaking in” and I didn’t detect any moisture instrusion through the zippers when I unpacked later.
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