Repairing Welded Seams

[jmcdonou]

Im not sure what happened, I posted this a while back but couldn't find it.

I have a NF Water Duffelo. When I returned from my hike it noticed the seam split. I was wondering if anyone had repaired a welded seam. Can I just use seamseal? I got a feeling it wont be 100% again but i loved just throwing my bag in my truck bed and driving through a rain/snow storm

Does anyone know of a local outfitter that has the water duffelo lying around? Ive looked on ebay but still haven't found it. Its from spring03. Hands down my favorite piece of luggage.

[Roland]

I'm not familiar with The North Face Water Duffelo. If it's no longer in production, take a look at SealLine (http://www.seallinegear.com/packs.asp?Category=PacksDuffles). They have similar, waterproof duffles. (http://www.seallinegear.com/packs.asp?Action=Boundary&Category=PacksDuffles)

[jmcdonou]

Thanks Roland.
I just got off the phone with TNF, they destroyed it for me and are sending a check.

Ever heard of Watershed? http://www.altrec.com/shop/detail/6305/?sch=clk
It looks like a good bag but I've never heard of the company.

[Roland]

No, Joe, I have never seen the Watershed bag.

Kudos to TNF, for refunding your money. I've never been a great fan, but they treated you right.

My experience with dry-bags is primarily with SealLine brand. Because of their great quality and durability, I usually check there first.

[Pringles]

If you're into making your own stuff, Seattle Fabrics (http://www.seattlefabrics.com) sells a heat sealable nylon that you can sew and iron (yup, just like the one you iron your shirt with) your own dry bags. The fabric's sort of expensive (about $15 a yard if I remember right), but you can make bags the size and shape you want. So if you want a big bag for the back of your truck, you can make it. If you want a pointy little bag for the front end of your sea kayak, you can make it. Ask them to include the directions for making dry bags when you order the material. It's free. It's a reprint of an article from Sea Kayak in the 1990's. Other than it takes a few minutes to figure out "which end is up" from the directions, it's pretty easy. Oh, and put a brown paper bag down on the ironing board or you get heat-sealable stuff all over your ironing board. Also, put a brown paper bag over the fabric you're heat sealing, or, again, you get heat-sealable stuff all over the iron. Another neat thing about making them yourself is that if something goes wrong later, you know how they were made, and so you have a good idea of how to fix them. Mostly, my repairs have been by plugging in the iron and re-sealing a bit. My stuff has never gotten wet in one of my bags, though.

Beth

[jmcdonou]

Thanks to eBay!!
Since TNF destroyed my bag without telling me, my roomate found it on ebay. 50 bucks plus 18 for shipping. Just waiting on that check from TNF warranty dept. to come in.