What do you use to protect your cordura bags?

[Guest]

I know that you recommend Nikwax, but are there any other options?

Those of you that have bags made out of cordura what do you use?

Thanks!

[dbradford]

Right up my alley!

I use a product called Grangers Superpruf, here; http://www.grangers.co.uk/productview.cfm?ID=7. I used this on my ID and my wife's Large Cafe when I lived in Hong Kong. From my experience, it's FAR superior to anything else out there. I used 3-4 coats, and it applies cleanly and evenly. It stays on longer, is more effective in water and stain repellency, and will NOT alter or discolor the look or feel of the fabric you're applying it to. Anything spills on your bags, you just wipe off. Plus I think it has a UV inhibitor, so your bags will have that crisp, vibrant look longer. I used it on the bags, the Key Straps, organisers, and nylon pouches I have.

Before I found this in the US, and here in the Philippines, I've used Scotch Guard spray, which doesn't even come close. I've had to use it here, as there's no one selling Grangers in the Philippines, and it's a flammable material hazard to ship by air, so you can't get it that way. When it's applied and dry, it's not flammable. I had to wash by hand my ID as it contained a leather wallet and passport case, and those items started to mildew and smell. I ended up having to wash everthing 3 times to get the smell out, plus rinsing with a tiny bit of clear vinegar to kill the mold. You NEVER take leather to the Philippines, it WILL rot, I don't care how good the quality is, with all the constant heat and humidity here. Since then, I've ended up using Scotch Guard on my Large Cafe as it's the only thing available here.

I've found that Scotch Guard actually ATTRACTS dirt to your things, so over time and use they can get pretty grundgy looking, plus it quickly loses it repellency. It comes out foaming, so it's difficult to apply evenly and cleanly also.

I've had great luck with Grangers customer service, they're very helpful. I hope this helps, and good luck!

Dave in the Philippines

[Pord]

Thanks Dave for the informative post. Do you think that a Teflon spray called Guardian would be okay to spray on it (Cordura)? I am a college student and we use it at our store to protect different fabrics. We charge around $40 bucks for a coat of it.

[dbradford]

Hi Pord,

I had to Google that one.. Well, it looks okay. You might want to do two things first..you might want to check with Darcy and see how it effects the warranty, if any. She can answer, or she'll run it by Tom and see what he says. Second, you might want to send an email to Grangers and see if any is available in your local area. I say that because it might be cheaper for you, plus you could do multiple runs, or one run with some left for a much later application.

With me, I tend to 'tactically 'nuke it', 3-4 coats. I spray an area, getting full, good, LIGHT coverage, then wait 10 minutes for the layer to get tacky. Then I apply another layer, and so on. It maybe seems like overkill, but I live here in SE Asia.

But to answer your question, yeah, Guardian looks okay.

Cheers Pord,
Dave in the Philippines

[Pord]

Again, superb post Dave.

Thanks! The product I am talking about is my Nomad Shave Kit from Red Oxx. I will be purchasing a few cordura pouches here soon so I figured I could find out now.