I've got a pair of North Face gloves I bought in the late 1990s (seen below in a G20 glamour shot). Treated with HydroSeal™ according to the marking on the cuff. These have been great in rain and snow, but after all these years, the waterproofing has disappeared completely.

I found some stuff online called HydroSeal but it looks like it's some kind of surface treatment for watercraft.

I checked Amazon for waterproofing treatment and it appears there are two kinds- spray-on and direct application. It seems me, for my purposes, spray-on is the way to go. Y'know, reading online reviews for any product is frustrating because no matter how many positive reviews there are for a given product, there are always these one-star assholes who say "This doesn't work."

Does anyone have any recommendations for spray-on waterproofing that's effective and durable? (and doesn't smell like shit. Yes, I actually ran across comments like that)

Never tried it on gloves but Camp Dry was pretty good at treating sweatshirts, canvas shoes, hats, ect. Worked well if walking the dog or light yard work.
Never give them a hard test of extended exposure to a hard driving rain.

Are they a smooth nylon/poly type outer fabric or a more cloth-type weave? It can matter.

Nikwax is well regarded for wash-in and spray on water-repellant - and I can vouch for 2 or 3 of the formulas that don't smell like shit, at least in the wash-in version.
I've used the pre-wash, the TX-direct for snow gear and the cotton waterproofing. They have a glove-specific type as well.
I don't know how much the formula matters, but the TX-direct works well to revive snow gear and cotton formula made my carhart jacket & bibs stay dry again.

That said, I'm not sure the cost/benefit will work out well for 25+ year old gloves. It will help, but you can probably buy new for about the same cost.

I have 4 pair of these now from amazon:
Schwer 2 Pairs 100% Waterproof Winter Work Gloves, ANSI A2 Cut Resistant Freezer Gloves for Outdoor Cold Weather Keep Hands Warm, Thermal Insulated Gloves for Shoveling Snow, Ice Fishing, L

$9 a pair for dry, warm, dexterous gloves that are holding up very well to working outside, with metal parts, etc.
I haven't tried shooting with them, but I can't see them being any worse than other gloves I've tried to shoot with, and likely better.

I used Camp Dry and Scotchguard. Both work for my uses - jackets, gloves, caps/hats, shoes, boots, pants, backpacks. Wife complains about Camp Dry smell during application and drying but doesn’t bother me. Both work well but haven’t tested durability. I just spray annually or as needed (2-3 years).

Scotchguard once left some residue on a jacket once but likely because I oversprayed. It was not bad but I noticed it.


ETA: I depend on these sprays for rain. I use hats, caps, jackets; I’m loathe to use umbrellas. I hate them. It’s why I do my pants too; although if I suspect my pants will get wet, I will use a trench coat (either thigh or calf length). Only with natural fiber suits would I use an umbrella.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: konata88,

quote:

Originally posted by snidera:
Are they a smooth nylon/poly type outer fabric or a more cloth-type weave?

The former.

I need something that not only waterproofs the material, but also penetrates into the seams and seals them.

Just fyi if it matters. I believe Schwer is a chicom company.

Nikwax TX direct or Gear Aid Durable Water Repellent (DWR), both available from Amazon should work well - although I’ve never found anything quite as good as the original treatment. (However, most of that was done back when fluoropolymer treatments were still permitted).

Both of the products I mentioned are water repellent dispersions in water and will work best if you can put the treated items in the dryer on medium for a bit to dry the treatment. The detailed instructions are written on the containers (in what appears to be a microscopic font to my aging eyes).

The Camp Dry and other aerosol sprays are generally solvent based equating to the noxious smell. However, I have found them to work well on suede/Nubuk shoes/boots.

I’ve never tried it but look up a product called Sno-Seal. It seems to be popular for gloves.

A handful of ski patrollers that I patrol with use Scotchguard (mentioned by konata) to treat their patrol jacket and ski pants, getting good results.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Sc...nt-5020-13/206599197

One patroller demonstrated by pouring a large cup of water on the front of his patrol jacket and sleeves, and the water beaded up and rolled off like water on a freshly waxed car.

I may give it a shot when my gear ages and becomes less effective at keeping me dry.

Para this stuff has served me well. Wash the gloves, dry in the drier medium heat; don't roast them but fully dry, then apply this stuff.

Nikwax Glove Proof

HydroSeal/Hyvent is underneath the face fabric, should be waterproof but the outer coating called DWR (Durable Water Repellant) needs a new application. Think wax on a car's paint, forces water to bead and roll-off.

Atsko silicone water guard is a really good product. It's pretty much odorless to me.

I use scotchguard for my boots and gloves. Works fine. Just reapply every month during the winter

The scotchguard outdoor waterproofing spray can works really well.

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:
HydroSeal/Hyvent is underneath the face fabric, should be waterproof but the outer coating called DWR (Durable Water Repellant) needs a new application. Think wax on a car's paint, forces water to bead and roll-off.

corsair is on the money here. All those fabric treatments are DWRs that help fabric shed water. None of them will keep you dry in a downpour. You need a waterproof-breathable membrane for that. Anything that has a lot of holes from sewing & stitching won't be waterproof unless the seams & holes are taped over w/ waterproof seam tape.

Gore-Tex & eVent are (or were) the industry leaders in waterproof-breathable membranes, although they're getting a lot of blowback these days for using Teflon, forever chemicals, and other Earth-unfriendly practices. HydroSeal was a proprietary knock-off of Gore-Tex that cost less.

I don't know if much has changed, but TNF used to have a good reputation for customer & warranty service. Many years ago, the HydroSeal seam tape in my TNF jacket pealed off all over the interior. I was able to send it in to TNF, and they completely refurbished my jacket and made it look like-new again.

I think it's worth contacting them to see what they recommend. They might tell you that 25+ years is beyond the useful & practical lifetime for those gloves, or they might have you send them in for repair.

https://www.thenorthface.com/en-us/help/warranty

I can't say I have a whole lot of experience with different products, but I've always used Nikwax products for my waterproof camping gear and I've never felt the need to look for something else.

I have found the Scotchguard works really well, but that I also need to reapply it regularly.

I have used the Nikwax also with really good results.

Either will work for your application.

Cheers~