This is a topic that is always very important. Yet I have noticed that many of the sites I have looked at as well as you tube channels do not cover it well. Waterproofing is something that when surviving is insanely important. In survival if your gear is wet much of it is useless. I mean a soaked bedroll will not keep you warm in the night. Fire starting tender will often not catch if it is damp. This is not just an issue with fire but in general. One of the things that we a modern people have forgotten is that rain and damp are some of the biggest enemy of man kind. While we need water to survive we are not designed to be damp in all times. Damp can lead to serious medical issues such as infection, trench foot, blisters, and cause issues regulating warmth. It can also destroy equipment including steel tools. Do not be fooled by stainless steel it can still rust if not maintained no matter what the seller tells you. Running rust can occur on any piece of steel tool. Especial if you do not keep it clean and relatively dry.
So wet weather bags. These are bags that can be closed and keep water out of your equipment. There is a couple of designs that are modern and some that are old school (pre-1900’s). The modern designs use either zip tops or tie tops. The larger one’s are tie tops and usually made with a rubber lining and cloth outside. They work great for general gear storage and work for the main compartment of a pack or as a carry bag in their own right. Smaller bags usually are made of plastic sheeting and have heavy zip closures. They can be used to divide small items into kits similar to the Amp-3 medical kit. They work and can sort your gear into small sections to make it easier to find things. Also it keeps you from having to open all the gear and exposing everything to the damp.
Exterior waterproofing is a little different. It requires the use of a cloth that has a tight weave. Usually the materials that work best are oil cloth, canvas, twill, polyester, nylon or a similar cloth. These require that you apply a compound to the cloth in layers to create a waterproofing exterior barrier. One of the easiest to find is the drizabone oilskin waterproof treatment. You can also find waxes like this drizabone desert wax and also otter wax waterproof wax. There is also Greenland wax which is similar to the other two waxes above. You can also use Linn seed oil to do things similar to the oilskin waterproofing from Drizabone. Now with Linn seed oil you will want to make a waterproof compound using bee’s wax, tallow (mutton recommended), and boiled linn seed oil. There are directions all over the Internet on how to make this compound. Be careful making this and do it in a well ventilated area. Always apply waterproofing in a well ventilated area as well since many of them can catch fire when they evaporate or are spread onto a surface.
Waterproofing other things. Well many parts of a kit cannot be waterproofed but can be weatherized. The biggest are maps and metal tools. The best thing for maps is to use a rainproof map case like you can get from military surplus stores or amazon like this map case. As for metal tools the best thing is to keep them dry. You should coat them with a layer of fixing wax to protect the metal and handle. Fixing wax can also be used on leather for sheaths and slings. Often you will need to make fixing wax ( or fixen wax if you are from my nick of the woods) in the home and store it somewhere safe. It works well on protecting metal tools, wood, and leather.
Well I hope this pulled some of the mystery away from how to keep water and damp out of that gear that is so important when out in the woods.
tennesseewoodsman 