Some answers 1st thing there is "water proof" "water repellent", and water resistant. You should familarize yourself with these terms and there definitions. No fabric that is breathable/waterproof comes close to meeting a waterproof standard according to ANSI or ISO definitions or for that matter fabric university which has a fabric dictionary on line. What you're talking about in waders and rain gear do not excert enough pressure to meet a waterproof standard. Have you ever taken Gore-Tex 30 ft under water? Well I have in testing for the United States Special Operations Command and it fails! So with this in mind Gore-Tex is not waterproof by definition. Withstanding pressure of 30 psi is the defining line between waterproof and not. That would be the same pressure excerted at approx at 67fsw(feet of sea water), that's not going to happen with your waders.
As for National Recalls. I am the director of the USIA Reasearch and Combat development facility as a defense contracting company and I manufacture dry suits. Every dry suit produced by USIA is tested and assigned a serial number, which can be tracked to every customer that bought a Gore-Tex dry suit from us. The United States Coast Guard has purchased 341 dry suits of USIA manufacture with Gore-Tex, 46 to the U.S. Navy Seals, 115 to U.S. Army Special Forces and 7 to the general population. That's how we start institutung a national recall. We keep records. Companies like Kokatat don't 100% test all of their products and the U.S. Coast Guard products they are required to 100% test, they don't keep records.(This information was obtained from affidavits submitted in Federal Court records in a lawsuit filed against the United States Coast Guard by Falls River Manufacturing. This lawsuit is still pending in Federal District Court in Albany New York.)
As far as replacements, as one person noted rubber or urethane coated nylons. Also keep in mind in a survival situation, if you're wearing so called "waterproof-breathable" fabric dry suit. Think about the "breathable" here. When your suit "breaths" it is expelling hot moist air away from your body through the fabric. In a 50 degree environment (like off the Oregon Coast), do you really want heat escaping from your body? I think not. Do you think the average U.S. Coast Guardman (18 to 28 years old)knows or has been told his survivalabilty in 50 degree water has been reduced by 40%? Well the USCG powers to be in Washington DC haven't told them. You can't have it both ways. The fabric doesn't come with a
built in computer telling it when to breath and when not to breath.
I hope this answers some of your questions. If you wish to speak with me or write me directly I can be reached toll free at USIA 800-247-8070 or at
[email protected]
