FirstGear Waterproof membrane peeling off!

[MidLife]

I have an older FG suit (about 9 years old). As it has seen little use down here in hot Texas, the exterior still looks very good. However, the inner white laminated layer is starting to crumble off, leaving dandruff like particles all over the inside of the suit. Same is happening in the pockets.

FG Customer Service says that they have never heard of the white laminate unraveling.

However, reading older posts on this forum, it seems that others have also experienced the deterioration of the white laminated waterproofing layer.

I would be interested in feedback on this, as I was about to consider the purchase of another FG product. I may look elsewhere if I find out FG is bulls***ting me.

 

[Brighteyesue]

9 years, in TX ,,, sounds reasonable to me that a fabric would degrade. They all do over time. Maybe FG has not heard of it because jacket ho's like me buy a new one every few years. Chances are they do not conduct decade long tests in extreme environments.

Sorry to hear your jacket is crumbling. I love my FG and would buy another. The versatility, the armor, functionality all to me say they make a quality product. I have not met a jacket yet that lasts as long as yours did.

 

[Coop]

9 years, in TX ,,, sounds reasonable to me that a fabric would degrade. They all do over time. Maybe FG has not heard of it because jacket ho's like me buy a new one every few years. Chances are they do not conduct decade long tests in extreme environments.

Sorry to hear your jacket is crumbling. I love my FG and would buy another. The versatility, the armor, functionality all to me say they make a quality product. I have not met a jacket yet that lasts as long as yours did.

Sue,
You are not officially a jacket ho until you have half as many jackets as ACL.

 

[Whisperquiet]

I consider helmets, boots, gloves, riding pants, and jackets to be expendalble riding gear. I like to get my money's worth out of each item, but when worn out it is time for some new stuff. I owned a Motoport Spyder waterproof Aerotex jacket for 6 years........one day (a very long rainy day) it was no longer waterproof so I knew it was time for a new all weather jacket. I bought a First Gear Kilimanjaro and when it fails to perform as it should, out it goes. The same holds for all of my riding gear.

Dennis

 

[MidLife]

9 years, in TX ,,, sounds reasonable to me that a fabric would degrade. They all do over time. Maybe FG has not heard of it because jacket ho's like me buy a new one every few years. Chances are they do not conduct decade long tests in extreme environments.

Sorry to hear your jacket is crumbling. I love my FG and would buy another. The versatility, the armor, functionality all to me say they make a quality product. I have not met a jacket yet that lasts as long as yours did.

Brighteyesue,

Thx for your reply, but it shows that I have done a poor job describing what I was asking about. So let me try again.

The FG suit I am talking about has spent most of his life in a closet. It is too hot for Texas riding. So there is nothing close to usage in extreme environment here. I bought the suit years ago for one Colorado trip late in the season and have hardly worn it afterwards.

There is nothing wrong with the outside fabric, as a matter of fact, it looks close to new due to the little usage. What is crumbling away is the thin inner laminated white waterproofing layer (this thin white layer is bonded to the inside of the fabric). I was very upfront with FG about the age of the suit: they told me that regardless of the age, they have NEVER heard of this inner layer ever crumbling!

I own other outdoor garments with comparable inner waterproofing membranes, some of them quite a bit older than the FG suit, and they all have seen much more usage than the FG suit. However, these membranes, although not quite as effective as when new, are still in one piece!

So I am wondering if others have experienced the crumbling of this white laminated inner layer of their waterproof FG garments (as some older posts seem to indicate)?