When I was a kid, options for waterproof or water-resistant outdoors clothing were relatively limited.  Most of the products available consisted of rubberized or waxed canvas, oilskin, plastic, or various combinations of fabric, rubber, nylon, or plastic.  The best of these were expensive… well beyond the reach of a family living on the income of a Coast Guardsman… and none were made for children.  Mr. Gore and company didn’t patent Gore-Tex until I was entering my teens, and apparel made with his miracle material didn’t filter down into our financial bracket for a few years afterward. 

I remember shivering in the stand and duck blind on a lot of soggy, freezing mornings as my hand-me-down coat finally soaked through, and the cold rain joined the cooling sweat (there weren’t many options for breathable fabrics then either).  The very definition of misery was the sensation of cold rivulets running down a hot spine, and the sensation that your body heat was literally being sucked through the clammy garments and dissipating into the icy wind.  The only real solace I could find was the knowledge that my dad was suffering the same discomfort, even if the hard-headed cuss wouldn’t let it show. 

To alleviate this problem, and to “waterproof” boots and pants for extreme weather, we often resorted to silicon-based sprays.   I remember going through several cans of Kiwi’s Camp Dry every hunting season.  This was relatively amazing stuff!  The spray really enhanced the water-resistance of my hunting coats, and could make a pair of leather boots shed water like a couple of ducks.  With a thorough application, even a pair of blue jeans could be water repellant… for a while. 

Since those days, of course, waterproof gear has become pretty standard equipment.   Gore Tex, nylon, Kevlar, and all sorts of new technology have come along to keep us dry, warm, and comfortable.  The thought of spraying down with water repellent has faded into a dim memory for me, and for most of my generation.  But from time to time, I find myself wishing my hunting pants wouldn’t get so wet in a dew-covered field… or that my lightweight coat could repel an early-season drizzle. 

A little while back, I received a press release and an introduction from someone representing the Kiwi Company.  Apparently they’ve updated the old Camp Dry product line, and they wanted to send me a couple of cans of the new stuff to try out.  In the package, I found a can of their Heavy Duty Water Repellent spray and a can of Camp Dry Fabric Protector.  Of course, when the stuff arrived, we were still in the dry season here in Northern CA.  Short of spraying my gear down with the garden hose, there wasn’t any good way to test the product.  But that’s finally changed now, with an apparent vengeance, as we seem to have leaped straight out of summer and into winter.

 I’ll be taking advantage of the opportunity over the coming days up at Coon Camp Springs.  We’ve had a regular mix of snow and rain up there so far, and I expect that will continue over the next couple of weeks.  My plan is to apply a generous spray to my light coat and to a couple of pair of Carhartt work pants just to see how long the water repellent holds up.  The Fabric Protector, by the way, claims to be scent free after drying.  I’m pretty sensitive to chemical smells, though, so this is one thing I’ll put to the test.  The Heavy Duty Water Repellent has a distinctive, chemical odor, so I will probably avoid putting it on anything that I might actually use for hunting. 

I’ll let you know how it works when I return.  Based on the experience of my youth, though, it’s a pretty good product for temporary water resistance.

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