Scotch Guard your stuff??

[eisely]

Some old hands I deeply respect have advised against using scotch guard on camping equipment as a water proofing agent. They say it makes things worse rather than better. Certainly the original scotch guard products were sold as a fabric treatment to reduce staining and were not sold as water proofing agents.

 

Yet when I now google "scotch guard" it now appears that 3M is making water proofing products under the scotch guard brand specifically for camping products, clothing, tents, etc. Does anybody have any experience using this stuff? Any other insights to share?

[Gold Winger]

I Scotch Guarded a fleece jacket. I have since worn it in light rain and stayed absolutely dry. I haven't tried anything else.

[GernBlansten]

I'd worry about anything destroying the breathability of Gore-Tex by plugging up all the tiny holes in the fabric. Goretex works by allowing the smaller vapor molecules pass while blocking the larger water molecules. I've heard they sell stuff that is compatible with Goretex but haven't used any.

[allangr1024]

I used it on my tent just before the Philmont trip in 2005. It mostly worked, and I have not seen any adverse effects. We had a wet 3 or 4 days towards the beginning of the trip, around the Miners Park area. The tent collected some water in the corner by my feet from somewhere. I mainly applied the stuff to the seams of the tent. The rest of the tent stayed dry, and I could avoid the little puddle in the corner.