Author Topic: Cheap Breathable Rain Gear and Shelter  (Read 24272 times)

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Offline Westinghouse

Cheap Breathable Rain Gear and Shelter
« on: December 14, 2012, 08:35:45 am »
Tyvek is a material that is cheap, breathable, waterproof, windproof, and light weight. Trace lines on the material that will fit your size for jacket and pants. Cut out two pieces for each. Tape them together with Tyvek tape and there you are. Tents, bivy bags, jackets, rain flies, and tarps are easily made. It breathes like Gore Tex. It is more durable than Gore Tex. It is very light in weight.

Of course, it does not look all that spiffy like some people all decked out in $400.00 Gore Tex jackets riding $1500.00 touring bikes, but it does the same thing and has the same benefits to its users. One guy got a 50 foot by 9 foot roll of it for $50.00 at Craigslist. It could cost $150.00 at Home Depot or Lowe's for a 50 by 9 roll.  It sells by the yard in some places. It cuts easily but is very difficult to tear. You could make a breathable waterproof lightweight tent with plenty of space with a floor for maybe $25.00-$45.00, maybe less. No sewing. Just use Tyvek tape or outdoors, doublefaced, carpet tape for the seams.

Offline Blackbear

Re: Cheap Breathable Rain Gear and Shelter
« Reply #1 on: December 14, 2012, 08:47:29 am »
Westinghouse:  Great Suggetion.  Thank You

Offline Blackbear

Re: Cheap Breathable Rain Gear and Shelter
« Reply #2 on: December 14, 2012, 08:48:52 am »
"Suggestion"-----Sorry!

Offline Westinghouse

Re: Cheap Breathable Rain Gear and Shelter
« Reply #3 on: December 14, 2012, 09:10:17 am »
No problem. Nobody makes more typos than I do, though lately I have taken to cleaning them up. I am planning another long bicycle trip. I have been doing research on buying or making highly efficient, low cost, lightweight gear and lightening my load for a trip of perhaps two months or longer. I am putting forth ideas I plan to put into effect. The stove is a winner. I've seen it working. Everybody swears by the Tyvek. It got only the best reviews over and over again. I will definitely use it. Not everyone can afford to spend a lot of money for fancy expensive status-symbol gear. 8)

Offline newfydog

Re: Cheap Breathable Rain Gear and Shelter
« Reply #4 on: December 16, 2012, 09:14:42 am »
Sounds like great stuff.  Are you really that cash strapped or just trying to make a reverse snob political statement?  There ARE people out there with gear which is not made of duct tape who actually did not have the slightest concern about status symbols, they just wanted something that works and are not as creative or skilled in fabricating things. 

Offline driftlessregion

Re: Cheap Breathable Rain Gear and Shelter
« Reply #5 on: December 16, 2012, 11:12:29 pm »
I love it. I googled Tyvek rain jacket and tent and came up with this and lots more:
http://gossamergear.com/wp/tips/tip-of-the-week-make-a-hooded-tyvek-rain-jacket-and-chaps-for-under-10

Offline Pat Lamb

Re: Cheap Breathable Rain Gear and Shelter
« Reply #6 on: December 17, 2012, 09:30:06 am »
I love it. I googled Tyvek rain jacket and tent and came up with this and lots more:
http://gossamergear.com/wp/tips/tip-of-the-week-make-a-hooded-tyvek-rain-jacket-and-chaps-for-under-10

The graph halfway down the page shows why I don't think too highly of any of the breathable fabric jackets.  Put into the words of this skeptic, it says, "If you start with 30% relative humidity (which we call 'a sustained drought' in the southeast), these jackets keep you dry inside for no more than 15-20 minutes of effort before sweat overwhelms the fabric."   That's a fairly short hill, at a low pace, on a bike, to correspond with the walking in the test.

Since I've already got a couple of pretty good cycling jackets, this is academic for me.  I do wonder, though, how the Tyvek outfit will work on the road.  How will it hold up?  How will it perform at the end of the third cold and rainy day?  Will it trap odors like the first generation of polypropylene clothes and reek?  Perhaps most importantly, how will it affect social interactions?  Will the locals see the wearer as  hobo on a bike, or be just as another crazy cyclist in a wilder than usual get-up?

Offline paddleboy17

Re: Cheap Breathable Rain Gear and Shelter
« Reply #7 on: December 17, 2012, 12:23:05 pm »
I have a 12 year old Gortex jacket that I truly love.  What makes it such a joy to use is the zippers that the were sewn in for ventilation.  This is what makes the jacket comfortable over such a great range.

Granted urethane coated nylon next to bare skin gets pretty gross pretty quickly.  Gortex next to bare skin is not bad.

So your budget creation needs ventilation.
Danno

Offline JayH

Re: Cheap Breathable Rain Gear and Shelter
« Reply #8 on: December 18, 2012, 12:48:43 pm »
I made a footprint for a Kelty tent once, I believe a place like Campmor sells it that you can cut to size. I don't remember if they sell it by the yard or in
 some kind of packaged length but you can always call and ask.  Do be aware that Campmor sells some stuff in their retail store not available via mail
order.

Jay

Offline Westinghouse

Re: Cheap Breathable Rain Gear and Shelter
« Reply #9 on: December 19, 2012, 05:03:02 am »
I have two Gore-Tex jackets. One is the Summit series and costs about $450.00 or so. Both are too heavy for a long bike tour. Why spend hundreds of dollars for a result you can get for ten or fifteen dollars? The same with the stove. It is only four metal sides with a fan and conduit. Why spend $80.00 when you can make one easily that weighs much less for much less money in no time?

Offline Pat Lamb

Re: Cheap Breathable Rain Gear and Shelter
« Reply #10 on: December 19, 2012, 09:36:52 am »
Horses for courses.

Do let us know how the Tyvek suit works out.

Joe B

  • Guest
Re: Cheap Breathable Rain Gear and Shelter
« Reply #11 on: December 19, 2012, 07:12:07 pm »
While reading the original post, I had a flashback to The Red Green Show www.redgreen.com. I do carry a piece of tyvek but just a 8x10 in  piece, makes a great tire boot.

Offline Westinghouse

Re: Cheap Breathable Rain Gear and Shelter
« Reply #12 on: December 22, 2012, 05:12:15 am »
Tyvek gets rave reviews on youtube. I am definitely going to use some on my next tour. All you need are scissors and tyvek tape, and of course, don't forget the duct tape. I saw that graph. Even gore-tex clogs in a heavy sustained rain. What I don't like about tyvek is it is white. It highlights dirt and grime. It does look kind of hobo cheapo. No doubt, what you wear makes a difference, but if light weight, warmth, dryness, low cost, and comfort are the results, it might just be the way to go. I wouldn't use if to make a tarp or a tent because I do a lot of stealth sleeping / camping. White would show for a long way through a stand of trees. The camo blends in and makes you invisible from a distance. That's what it is for. Sure, tyvek can be painted. I think it is too much trouble, but who knows.

Offline Old Guy New Hobby

Re: Cheap Breathable Rain Gear and Shelter
« Reply #13 on: December 22, 2012, 05:59:43 am »

Offline PeteJack

Re: Cheap Breathable Rain Gear and Shelter
« Reply #14 on: December 29, 2012, 01:08:49 am »
Quote
cheap, breathable, waterproof, windproof, and light weight
Reminds me of the adage for anything to do with bikes: light, cheap, strong; pick any two.  Similarly, cheap, breathable, waterproof: pick any two. My experience with Tyvek is that it lets nothing in and lets nothing out. It's also irritatingly noisy. If you sign up for Cascade Bicycle Club's Seattle to Portland ride you get a Tyvek jacket as part of the sign up package (at least it says Tyvek by DuPont on the label) so I have a couple of them. I have a Gore Bike Wear jacket that I think is very good.