Sometimes dry bags can fail, due to punctures, tears, etc. Fifteen years ago, my dry bags were all made of PVC. I am experienced at repairing PVC stuff. The Vinyl Tech 2000 adhesive from Northwater is amazing! It is excellent for applying patches of other vinyl material over holes, tears, even holes in Royalex canoes! It works much better with some heat applied. I have either used hot coals on the end of a stick, or sometimes lit it for a few seconds with a lighter, and then blown out the flame, when in the field, when there is no access to a heat gun or hair drier.
Over time, many of my dry bags have been switched out with non-PVC ones. I just purchased a brand new Seal Line Pro Pack, which is made of non-PVC material. It should ship tomorrow. It occurred to me that I need some some of field repair game plan for repairing it. These days, I generally go out on one month long trips every summer, in remote parts of the NWT, where gear failure could spell a disaster. I recall that when I first owned a silicone impregnated nylon tent, I made the unfortunate discovery that regular seam sealer for nylon tents would not work with this material. I am hoping that there is someone here who would know from experience what works best for field repairs of non-PVC dry bags. I guess that is a loaded question, since there are potentially a variety of materials which could be used in non-PVC dry bags. This one is apparently made with 600-denier polyurethane-coated polyester.
In addition to Vinyl Tech 2000, I usually carry some Aquaseal. Have either of these compounds worked for folks out there? Is there something else, which I should be considering? What range of patching materials would work, and which would work best?
Thank you in advance, for your experienced perspective.
_________________ Seth http://www.wffg.ca
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