Seam Sealing Soft Shells?

[Capt DropBear]

Say that one ten times fast...

Is there any way of doing an aftermarket job on your softshells, and seam-sealing them (with seam tape or somesuch)?
Would it be a straightforward task to do, how readily available is seam tape?

Reason for asking: I have a Macpac Sabre hooded jacket and Macpac Nemesis pants - both use Macpac's inhouse softshell material "6th Sense" but neither of them are seam-sealed (like that seen on some of the Mountain Hardwear softshells).

They're great bits of gear in their own right, but I feel they're let down by this - they would be excellent pieces of gear if seam-sealed (*wink* *wink* *nudge* *nudge* Macpac )

Cheers,
Capt DropBear

[sthughes]

Crikey I bought a Macpac "6th Sense" soft shell and while it looks nice it repels rain slightly better than a cotton t-shirt. So for me seam sealing would be pointless. But to answer your question no - I have no idea. Sail tape maybe? It worked well on the holes in my old overpants.

[ninjapuppet]

ive got the non-hooded version.

it isnt waterproof so theres no point seam selling it.

[Capt DropBear]

Ok, I agree it's not waterproof in the same sense as Goretex/eVent - but they do have a DWR coating I believe, and they've both done me fine in light rain and snow. The only sensation of water ingress comes from the stitching I've noted - hence the desire to seam seal them.

Sail tape aye? Is it adhesive, or does it need to be heat-bonded (ironed on?)

[sthughes]

Yep it has a peal off backing and just sticks on like sticky tape and is waterproof as anything. However I just had a thought: It is not at all stretchy, so on a soft shell it may quite well come unstuck due to the fabric stretching independent of it. Dunno.

[corvus]

G'day ,
Have no experience seam sealing soft shell however Pure Silicone mixed with Turps works really well to Seam Seal Si Nylon Tents so I believe it should work with "soft shell" however as "soft shell" is only maginonally water repellent with a DWR treatment I suspect the end result will be an overall wet garment with really dry (daggy looking ) seams IMHO .
corvus

[HitchHiking]

One heads up from a health standpoint. The Mcnett stuff and other commercial gear sealant for example has some extremly harse chemicals in them and there is usualy a warning about future birth defects. So your OK but your kids might slap you wiht a 6 fingered hand.

[corvus]

One heads up from a health standpoint. The Mcnett stuff and other commercial gear sealant for example has some extremly harse chemicals in them and there is usualy a warning about future birth defects. So your OK but your kids might slap you wiht a 6 fingered hand.

With respect HitchHiking do you really think that 100% Silicone can cause birth defects and in what use, if so why does the GE Premium Waterproof Silicone I purchased from the USA only have an "Uncured product causes irritation "warning on the tube ?
Or are you talking about some other seam sealer ??
corvus

[HitchHiking]

One heads up from a health standpoint. The Mcnett stuff and other commercial gear sealant for example has some extremly harse chemicals in them and there is usualy a warning about future birth defects. So your OK but your kids might slap you wiht a 6 fingered hand.

With respect HitchHiking do you really think that 100% Silicone can cause birth defects and in what use, if so why does the GE Premium Waterproof Silicone I purchased from the USA only have an "Uncured product causes irritation "warning on the tube ?
Or are you talking about some other seam sealer ??
corvus

My apologies if I was unclear on that one.The 100% silicone is fine of course. I was refering to to the seam grip McNett produces.(works well for PU coated fabrics) Im pretty sure that its toulene (sp?) that the warning is about which is not very good espicaly when inhaled during application. I read of a fellow on a forum who had seam sealing his hardshell with the stuff and then someone gave him a heads up didnt hear what he decided to do with the jacket.

[Capt DropBear]

G'day ,
Have no experience seam sealing soft shell however Pure Silicone mixed with Turps works really well to Seam Seal Si Nylon Tents so I believe it should work with "soft shell" however as "soft shell" is only maginonally water repellent with a DWR treatment I suspect the end result will be an overall wet garment with really dry (daggy looking ) seams IMHO .
corvus

Ha! Well, I'm certainly no Franco when it comes to seam-sealing, I decided to do the silicone seam-sealing on my Scarp 1 myself, and the results were... a bit messy If I can't keep it to a straight line on a tent, I don't rate my chances on softshells. Thanks for the suggestion anyway corvus.

Yep it has a peal off backing and just sticks on like sticky tape and is waterproof as anything. However I just had a thought: It is not at all stretchy, so on a soft shell it may quite well come unstuck due to the fabric stretching independent of it. Dunno.

Sounds like it could be a fairly simple and relatively cheap trial - I'll hunt some down, thanks for the tip sthughes.