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Revivex Instant Waterproofing Spray Review

Revivex Instant Waterproofing Spray
Revivex Instant Waterproofing Spray

One of the main reasons people don’t reproof the DWR (Durable Waterproof Repellent) coating on outdoor clothing, hiking boots, and camping gear is that it’s inconvenient and requires multiple steps. For example, if you want to reproof a waterproof/breathable Gore-tex shell, it’s best to wash it first and then spray on or wash-in the DWR coating, letting it dry before use. Wouldn’t it be better if there was an instant aerosol spray that you could use to restore the DWR that would dry quickly, instead?

That’s the premise behind Revivex’s Instant Water Proofing Spray, now one of their most popular products. They claim that this “PFOA, silicone free formula is safe for nylon, leather, suede and GORE-TEX fabrics.” Just spray it on and air dry.

But does it work? No. Not that I could tell. Not even close.

I sprayed it on a pair of hiking boots and the nylon camera case attached to my backpack shoulder strap. I made sure the surface of the boots, which have waterproof/breathable softshell panels, and the camera case were clean before I sprayed them, per the instructions on the bottle. The DWR coating on both items had worn off and they were in desperate need of retreatment.

I applied a heavy coating to each item and let them air dry on my back porch. They dried quickly and had no residual smell. Then I took them hiking for 4 days in cold rain, freezing rain, and snow showers.

Complete failure. Both items got wet through and through within 15 minutes of hiking in the rain. Water did not bead on the surface of my boots or camera pocket. They got as wet as they did the previous week when I hiked in the rain, and repeatedly got soaked through and through on every hike I took over the next 4 days.

Frankly, I’ve had a lot better results with Scotch Guard, even though they go out of their way to say that their product just improves water resistance, but does not waterproof items. I’d recommend you skip Revivex Instant Waterproofing Spray. It doesn’t do anything as far as I can tell.

Disclosure: Revivex sent Philip Werner a can of Instant Waterproofing Spray for this review. 

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13 comments

  1. Philip thanks for the review, for boots i’m still old school with sno seal in your opinion is there anything better?

  2. What is your recommended process and products for reviving dwr coating on jackets?

  3. Timely review, thank you for this. I am looking for a waterproofing treatment and this was on my list. Do you have any experience and opinion on Nikwax?

    • Nikwax and Revivex “spray on” works quite well. You have to wash the coat first. The problem is that a factory coating will only last about 30-40 uses before it starts to fail. The restored coating about half that.

      • Your review concludes that Revivex spray doesn’t work, but this comment indicates that Revivex spray works ‘quite well’. Are you talking about two different Revivex products? If so, could you clarify which ones work, and which ones do not? Thanks :-).

      • Sorry – the INSTANT waterproofing spray pictured above does not work. The kind that you spray onto a wet jacket that’s been freshly laundered does, probably because you run it in the drier afterwards.

  4. In my experience, the only thing worth a damn are silicone sprays, which improve water resistance but can only be used on certain fabrics. I don’t even try anymore with rain jackets. The amount of money I’ve wasted on bottles of re-proofing treatments (and yes, I followed correct procedure) would keep me drier if they went towards a new jacket instead.

  5. Atsko has some excellent general waterproofing products…different ones for tents/gear vs. raingear. Granger’s does as well. I think the respective offerings from both brands are superior to anything else I’ve tried from Nikwax, McNett, various silicone sprays (generally worthless), and also to the dwr recoat sprays. Frankly, if a fabric isn’t waterproof or treated with a dwr that you can recoat, then I think the best choice is to look for another product that is. Otherwise, probably give the right Atsko waterproofer a shot (and Granger’s for dwr recoat…Revivex is decent as well but Granger’s is better, for now). McNett has brought us some good products, but some duds, too. They’re too heavy into marketing and relabeling instead of focusing on tech/performance. Reminds me of Sawyer in some ways.

  6. After forty-five years working in outdoor gear, I recall when only neoprene (later, urethane) coated nylon was truly waterproof, but it stank, peeled, abraded, wore out, and seams rarely were sealed. Goretex was originally a disaster, as the membrane wicked and got contaminated easily; the secret was the added DWR which keeps the water molecules repelled so as to never make it to the stretched teflon membrane. Now, I’ve found many reviving materials to be inferior after the companies went to “green, low VOC” alternatives. Oddly, for previously untreated fabrics the new gen Rustoleum Never Wet actually works very well, but it leaves a strong if not entirely unpleasant odor that may be too much in tight areas like a car or tent. Forget all about “breathability” hype – stuff does dry a bit faster, but realize that if you exercise you can sweat soak a tee shirt, and it is 100x more breathable than any effective rain garment- wrap one around your face and see for how long you can avoid suffocation. There is a price point of around$100-150 for serious rain shells, after which you’re buying the brand and style, with no additional protective qualities.

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