sold! FS: No Longer Available - Vintage Early Winters Goretex Bivy Sack

[normankirk]

Early Winters vintage bivouac sack. Made in Seattle. The company used an early Goretex fabric for the canopy that had a fuzzy interior surface much like Bibler Todd Tex and the purpose was to dissipate body moisture.

- I washed it, removed the the crusty old seam sealant and resealed the seams (required 1&3/4 tubes of Seam Grip), applied dabs of Seam Grip here and there and added Velcro to the hood.  

- The blue panels were added by the original owner. Under each are several dime sized or smaller spots of wear on the moisture dissipating fuzz and in places into the Gore. Not extensive wear and the owner opted to add the panels which cover a much broader area rather then patching each individual spot beneath. While functional, the panels seem also to bespeak of a creative mind and may be thought of as retro cosmetic.

– Polyurethane coated ripstop nylon fabric on the ground side.

– No zipper but its a fairly roomy slide in.

– 1 lb 4 oz, size large. A generously sized bivy sack that will accommodate winter bags.

– Although all the seams are resealed, I can’t vouch for its absolute ability to be waterproof in heavy prolonged rain. I was once stuck in a desert canyon overnight and it repelled intermittent sprinkling through the night. Rain coming in a day or so for a serious test of protection. 4/24 Update: Set the bivy out with rain overnight. Puddling on the surface this AM. The Goretex repelled the water well but the coated nylon on the underside was damp to slightly wet in places. Coating looks good so may be a low PSI rating or just old. I have decided that a fresh application of polyurethane over the entire bottom is needed and will be using McNett Recoat. 4/26 Update: Today I applied a coat of McNett Recoat.

Restored, clean condition. All area's of wear have been addressed with either dabs of seam grip or the panels. Asking $115.00. Or Estes Park pickup for $105.00.

*Note: Not certain but ‘Early Winters may have been the first company to use Gore-Tex (brand name!) in outdoor products. ByroTex, Todd Tex, Integral Tex and Gore Tex are all the same material; expanded polytetrafluorethylene. Gore Tex no longer licenses its material for use in tents, thus the non proprietary versions in the various single wall tent manufacturers’. (Courtesy of Excitable Boy)

Shown with a Western Mountaineering Summerlite inside and a huge pillow at the head.

 

Edited July 30, 2020 by normankirk
IN HOSPICE CARE