On 20-Mar-2006, Bill Tuthill wrote:

Nobody has mentioned it, so I'll add this: after every trip, spray
all latex gaskets with 303 Protectant, especially on the inside where
salt-perspiration degrades the latex. Doing this will prolong latex
by a factor of 3-5x.

My experience is the opposite - I have a paddling jacket (drytop) and a drysuit that are
stored side-by-side in a closet. The ($$$) drysuit gets the 303 treatment; the jacket
is largely ignored. The drysuit is worn in cold weather; the jacket is worn in warmer
weather and is stuffed into the kayak even in hot weather (i.e. it gets abused). The
drysuit gaskets are starting to crack; the jacket's are in perfect condition (the jacket's
a couple of years older)..

If you have cuffs and a collar over the latex, you don't need much UV protection
compared to the suits with exposed latex. I'd say use the 303 sparingly on
the latter and not at all on the former. I'm not convinced that 303 doesn't cause
premature deterioration of latex.

I also have a pair of latex rubbers (no, not those things you silly Brits - these cover
your dress shoes in the rain) that are almost 25 years old. They are only slightly
heavier than the latex gaskets on my drysuit. Never been treated with anything
and have been walked on a lot. Still in good shape. YMMV

FWIW, I've never heard of perspiration damaging latex.

Mike

Michael Daly wrote:

303 Protectant ... on inside ... will prolong latex by a factor of 3-5x.

My experience is the opposite ...

Could be the latex in your jacket was of higher quality, or newer.
Perhaps this 303 business is an urban-stream legend. But probably not,
given all the equipment vendors recommending its use, for example:
http://www.kayakacademy.com/gasket.html

If you have cuffs and a collar over the latex, you don't need much
UV protection compared to the suits with exposed latex. I'd say use
the 303 sparingly on the latter and not at all on the former. I'm not
convinced that 303 doesn't cause premature deterioration of latex.

The benefit of 303 on latex seems mostly for lubrication, rather than
UV protection. Some latex lubricant might work just as well or better.

FWIW, I've never heard of perspiration damaging latex.

"In general, Latex will decay from salt/sweat."
http://www.purplepassion.com/purple-passion-hints.html

OTOH, "Saline will not ... deteriorate the latex."
http://www.cervcap.com/faqs.html

Per Bill Tuthill:
Could be the latex in your jacket was of higher quality, or newer.
Perhaps this 303 business is an urban-stream legend. But probably not,
given all the equipment vendors recommending its use, for example:

Dunno if my seals are/were latex or neoprene, but before I started slathering
them in 303 after every use, I was getting 18 months absolute max out of a set
of neck/wrist seals. Now I'm getting more than 3 years...

Also, I've discovered two ways to toast a set of seals virtually overnight:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1) Leave the suit in a vehicle that gets very hot inside.

2) Store the suit in one's garage near to an old 1920's-era beer refrigerator
that's emitting ozone.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
PeteCresswell

On 20-Mar-2006, Bill Tuthill wrote:

Could be the latex in your jacket was of higher quality, or newer.

The Kokatat jacket was older and one of the low end models. The Stolquist
was a lot pricier and high end.

Perhaps this 303 business is an urban-stream legend. But probably not,

I know - I've seen lots of recommendations from almost every manufacturer.

The benefit of 303 on latex seems mostly for lubrication, rather than
UV protection.

I've seen the recommendations mostly based on UV protection.

"In general, Latex will decay from salt/sweat."
http://www.purplepassion.com/purple-passion-hints.html

Interesting - I guess I don't have the same hobbies as you :-)

Mike

Michael Daly wrote:

The Kokatat jacket was older and one of the low end models.
The Stolquist was a lot pricier and high end.

Stohlquist is not renowned for high quality at any price.
It's possible they specified a lower grade of latex, or recycled
one of those purplePassion suits (see below).

I've seen the recommendations mostly based on UV protection.

I believe the UV protectiveness of 303 is extremely over-rated.
Many years ago an ad appeared showing two PFDs, one sprayed with 303,
one not. The non-sprayed one was really faded. So I have sprayed
my PFD with 303 over the years, and it still faded badly.

OTOH, before going on low-water rock-infested creekin' runs, I spray
303 on the bottom of my inflatable kayak to make it slide better.

"In general, Latex will decay from salt/sweat."
http://www.purplepassion.com/purple-passion-hints.html

Interesting - I guess I don't have the same hobbies as you :-)

That was just from Google. Try searching "paddling fun" sometime.
Isn't it really bizarre what some people enjoy? I can't see why
anyone would dress up in a latex suit.

Hopefully you also learned something about cervical caps.

Bill Tuthill wrote:
Michael Daly wrote:

The Kokatat jacket was older and one of the low end models.
The Stolquist was a lot pricier and high end.


Stohlquist is not renowned for high quality at any price.

I've found my Maytag dry suit to be very high quality. There are some
aspects of the design I'm not totally happy with, but it's a very
well-made suit.