Waterproofing a fleece

footman said:
I'm going on safari to South Africa next week and it will be cold for the early morning and night game drives.
I'm looking for a solution which will allow me to wear the fleece to keep out the cold but also deal with any rain showers that may occur.
I really don't want to take my bulky waterproofs with me.
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Typically SA (excluding cape town area) has thunder showers in the aftenoon when it usually is hot - get a thin waterproof to go over the fleece, otherwise you will be sweltering if you use a non-breathable fleece as raincoat.
 
Thanks for the replies.
I spoke to Nikwax earlier and they confirmed that washing a fleece in Polar Proof will make it water resistant and have no adverse effect on the fleece material.

However, I will probably go into Millets or Cotswold tomorrow and get one of those packable tops.

Oddly my wife came home yesterday with the Aldi spray(after I had bought her the Nikwax version!) but that's really for re-proofing waterproofs.

Interesting about the rain in SA, the area we are going to,Madikwe, is showing no rain ATM. Let's hope it stays that way!

Once again, thanks.
 
I own two regular fleeces and a micro-fleece; I would never dream of trying to waterproof any of them. I also own a heavy Gore-Tex jacket and an ultra-lightweight waterproof jacket.

Use the right clothing for the job.

Having said that, it would be interesting to hear the results of your little experiment

As to Nikwax, I somehow can't imagine them saying "Yeah, actually Polar Proof was a total disaster but we have a whole lot to get shot of, so do please buy a can; in fact, why not buy lots for all of your friends for Christmas?"
 
stockhausen said:
I own two regular fleeces and a micro-fleece; I would never dream of trying to waterproof any of them. I also own a heavy Gore-Tex jacket and an ultra-lightweight waterproof jacket.

Use the right clothing for the job.

Having said that, it would be interesting to hear the results of your little experiment

As to Nikwax, I somehow can't imagine them saying "Yeah, actually Polar Proof was a total disaster but we have a whole lot to get shot of, so do please buy a can; in fact, why not buy lots for all of your friends for Christmas?"
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As I said,I'm not going to experiment with the Polar Wash after reading the comments on here. I value my Berghaus fleece too highly to do that.

I also own a Berghaus heavy Gore-Tex jacket and a lightweight one, I just didn't want to pack anything heavy because of the baggage weight restrictions as we will be using a light plane.

I also understand about the right equipment for the job, I've been walking the hills,moors and dales most of my life.
 
don't bother, your going to SA. If you get wet you will soo dry out. Also if you're on a game drive it does get very cool in the mornings especially if you're out before sunrise. Often the trucks will have blankets to keep you warm.

Take a lightweight jacket if you are worried about showers but don't try turning a fleece into a waterproof.
 
Much better idea to get a lightweight waterproof to put over the top. Depending on what brand of fleece you've got, you might even be able to get one that zips into the jacket.

If you're set on waterproofing the fleece to the best of your ability, then you can get wash-in waterproofing liquids for use in the washing machine, but they're not particularly good.
 
The area you are going to has pretty low rainfall anyway - and usually only starts in October. It is quite possible you will have no rain at all.
 
I personally dislike fleeces, I prefer more technical baselayers, but that's besides the point.

I don't see how it would be possible to waterproof a fleece without ruining it, and the guy in Cotswold probably did know what he was talking about, everyone is limited by the knowledge they have.
 
I wonder just how good that Nikwax stuff really is, maybe for a light drizzle once, but really I would take doofskis advice and take a lightweight waterproof jacket. You could end up ruining a nice fleece by putting Nikwax on it!
 
Key thing in all this is waterproof vs water resistant - Even the Nikwax people say it only makes it water resistant, which is basically light drizzle. Same for a lot of this newfangled soft shell gumph they issue in PPE nowadays.
Wool, however, is not waterproof but does at least remain warm when wet. Get ye an old Nutria brown wooly pully from a surplus shop... and add a bush hat, for that proper gamekeeper look!
 
footman said:
I've just had a 10 minute lecture from an assistant at Cotswolds as to why it's inadvisable to waterproof fleeces.

Come home and googled and found that Nikwax do a product called Polar Proof that appears to be ideal.

Am I missing something or was he talking rubbish?
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Have used Polar Proof on 3-4 fleeces and while I haven't noticed any loss of breathability, it only makes them less water absorbent, not shower proof.

Useful in heavy mist or drizzle, but you're going to be soaking wet inside 5 minutes in all but the lightest showers.

As almost everyone else has pointed out, get yourself a lightweight packaway rainproof outer layer if you're planning to be out in the rain.
 
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