Waterproof Outerwear
XP Fabrics are highly waterproof, breathable and durable. Our garments are made for life on the river or at sea. Nevertheless you can keep your garment waterproof and breathable for longer if you follow a few simple steps:
- When packing your gear away, fold it up loosely and take care not to let latex seals come into contactwith abrasive dirt, sand or oil-based substances (including sunscreen and insect repellent)
- Try not to leave your gear in a damp condition for ling periods
- Hand wash or machine wash on a gentle /delicates cycle at a maximum temperature of 30deg
- We recommend washing with Granger's Performance Wash detergent
- We also recommend you spray the outside of your garment with Granger's Clothing Repel to renew the DWR
- Do not tumble dry. Hang your gear to dry naturally out of direct sunlight
- Once dry, check to see if any repairs are necessary (Palm provide an excellent repair service)
- Store in cool, dry place away from sunlight
- Don't pile your gear high, or stuff it all back into one bag. Avoid compressing your gear.
Latex Seals
Look after your neck, wrist and ankle seals, if you want to keep the water on the outside! Latex seals are not 100% watertight and do need a bit of care. Movement will always cause a minor amount of seepage, but this is usually insignificant and should not affect your comfort. Every time you use your jacket, pants or paddle suit:
- Remove all watches, rings and jewellery. Gently place your hand and wrist inside the seal and with your other hand ease each seal on one at a time.
- Use both hands for the neck seal. Gently stretch the aperture to allow the seal to pass over your head.
- Finally, remove any excess air from the paddle top by venting the neck with two fingers.
- If there are neck or cuff protectors on your jacket, check that the velcro is not firmly closed when you try to put it on.
- Once the latex seals are fitting snugly and in place, ensure that the velcro tabs are properly adjusted and secured.
- Take just as much care when removing your paddle jacket, follow the reverse steps dressing and undressing.
- For pants with latex ankle seals, it's best to wear a sock, easing the seal on and then removing the sock (if you don't want to wear it).
- We recommend using a silicone protectant (eg McNett Seal Saver) to extend the life of your seals
- Natural latex seals are very sensitive to sunlight and also vulnerable to damage from oil based products (sunscreen and insect repellent).
The size of the latex seals are related to the size of the garment. Should a seal feel excessively tight it is possible to achieve a custom fit by carefully trimming the seal with sharp scissors - neck seals have concentric rings as a guide. Take extreme caution. Ideally, you should wear the garment indoors in cold weather to assess the size required before deciding whether to trim your seals. Due to their vulnerability, no guarantee can be given on latex seals once the garnment has been worn.
Waterproof Zips
Palm use the best waterproof zips in our pants and suits. Take care of your zip to assure that the teeth stay aligned and the zip functions smoothly.
- The zip is susceptible to damage when it is only part undone. Keep your zip fully open or fully closed.
- Keep the zip flat and straight when folding or storing your garment. Don't fold the garment across the zip as this can break the teeth.
- Rinse zips with fresh water after use, especially after use in salt water.
- Check your zip for sand or dirt before every use.
- Lubricate your zip periodically with beeswax or a silicone lubricant, like McNett Max Wax, for BDM brass coil zips; TiZip silicone grease for plastic MasterSeal zips; or YKK Ziptech lubricant for Aquaseal zips.
- If the zip jams, try to release it by throughly washing in fresh water and applying lubricant. After releasing the zip, gently run the slider back and forth to spread the lubricant along the length of the zip and protect it from future jams.
- Store your garment rolled up. Avoid folding or compressing your zip.
- BDM brass coil zips: store the garment with the zip open.
- TiZip MasterSeal zips: store the garment with the zip closed.
- YKK AquaSeal zips: store the garment with the zip closed.
Waterproof Socks
Most of our pants and suits feature breathable waterproof socks with taped seams and reinforced solesor they have latex socks. Don't walk around or paddle in your socks without overshoes. Both fabric and latex socks can be damaged by sharp or abrasive things like grit, sand or toenails. It's best to wear a comfortable layer inside your waterproof sock, try the Tsangpo fleece socks.
Palm Equipment can replace worn out socks at through their repair service. Socks may also be fitted to garments that originally had latex or neoprene gaskets attached by their UK customer services department.
