Are breathable raincoats compatible with wetting agents?

[dono]

Are the "breatheable, washable" rain suits compatible with wetting agents, or will it just soak through? Feels like it's made out of some Tyvek-like material, the Frogg Togg (tm) brand.

I'd like to get one for foliar. It can get kinda windy here.

 

[krunchbubble]

The fuck are you smoking?

I need to grow some of that....

 

[dono]

I live in a very windy area. Heavy winds almost 24/7. Which means with my sprayer, doing foliar on 15' trees can get me drenched in whatever I'm spraying, without a raincoat.

Right now I use a $10 Harbor Freight rainsuit, but it gets real hot. And heavy and bulky. So the Frogg Toggs breathable lighter rainsuit seems very ideal. However the material is supposed to work by making water bead up and roll down, and not be able to get through the small pores for breathability.

A wetting agent changes the surface tension of water so it won't bead up. Does this mean it will make the breathable rainsuit ineffective?

 

[dono]

I have to foliar multiple acres of a hillside terrain. It's not as easy or comfortable as you think.

 

[plantingplants]

I have a pair of frogg toggs and some polysorbate 20 so I'll do a little test for you if I have a minute tomorrow. They still get hot btw, and if you are covered in liquid, the fabric can't breath anyway. If you have acres of hillsides to spray, just pay someone else to do it. Sounds terrible.

 

[Lyfespan]

The fuck are you smoking?

I need to grow some of that....

 

[sacramental]

Lol you have me laughing. I got soaked the other night trying to spray all my plants. I tripped over a sprinkler head, fell on my ass and got some fish foliar all up n the mouth hah. Got me thinking of getting myself a Bering sea suit! I was only spraying babies! Can only imagine when they get to be bushes!!!

 

[dono]

That sounds a lot like what happens here on a weekly basis!

That cartoon scene where Wily Coyote steps on a rake, only to have it pop up and smack him in the face... well, that doesn't only happen in cartoons -- that's some real-life farm shit!!

 

[FoothillFarming]

I stepped on a rake and almost gave myself a good smack the other day, I get it.

The wetting agent will not effect anything.

If I were you, I would spray at 4am, less wind I assume. If what you speak of is anything like the Tyvek suit, then it will be like wearing plastic and does not breathe. If it were me, I would wear my face mask and a sweat suit, then just change. Good luck.

 

[FoothillFarming]

btw, the breathable raincoat is just a plastic type material woven in a way that doesn't allow water to penetrate, but allows air flow. Not sure how or why that would be effected by a wetting agent.

 

[dono]

FoothillFarming, you might be correct, but I do believe Frogg Togg has at least two different woven tyvek-like products. One is washable, the other is not. I think both claim breathability. Only one (thicker and more expensive) claims washability. Visible micro pores in material.

 

[dono]

Would a lightweight ski jacket or other Gore-Tex light windbreaker be more suitable? Seems like it

 

[dono]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00LU...indbreaker&dpPl=1&dpID=41ITX5ct1jL&ref=plSrch

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00QL...indbreaker&dpPl=1&dpID=4177QAYoXWL&ref=plSrch

 

[dono]

$215 a little more than I expected, but certainly worth it if it works well.

I'd grab it in a heartbeat if they made it in white.

 

[dono]

I can't tell how thick this is

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00AD...aker+white&dpPl=1&dpID=51Y1Qz42m9L&ref=plSrch

And it doesn't seem to have the heat-release flaps/vents like the previous jacket.

 

[dono]

This one isn't Gore-Tex, but is MUCH cheaper.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B011Q..._SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=white+rain+jacket

 

[dono]

Tiny pores in breathable jackets work because the water beads up from surface tension and rolls off as a drop. If it were a film, couldn't the smaller-than-hole water molecules simply soak thru?

 

[Betterhaff]

Waterproof breathable fabrics (WPB) are usually fabrics that are laminated with a membrane that allows breathability while maintaining waterproofness or resistance. This membrane is usually laminated to the inside of the garment, sometimes sandwiched within a liner. They were basically designed for active situations so moisture (perspiration) can escape while keeping moisture from the elements out. Gore-Tex tends to be on the higher end pricewise.

The wetting agents or whatever shouldn't have any effect on the performance of the breathability factor or to the waterproofness for that matter.

A lot of cheaper rainwear is made out of PVC and it doesn't breath, that's why it's hotter.