DetraPel Gear Protectants Review

We love gear around here at TMM, and if you love your gear, you also need to take care of it! Regular cleaning, repairing, and protecting will help your gear live a long, healthy life. And if we all take care of our gear, we can use it for longer and keep it out of the landfills a little while longer.

If you are looking for a product to help safely protect your gear, then you need to check out DetraPel.

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DetraPel was started in 2013 when the founder realized that most of the protectants out there are not friendly. Many contain chemicals that are potentially harmful to both you and the Earth. DetraPel creates nano-based protective coatings that are safe for people, animals, and the Earth.

I founded DetraPel^® because I wanted protective products that were safe enough to apply at home, without a mask, and could be used in the presence of babies and puppies.
David Zamarin, Founder of DetraPel.

Many common household products and other gear protectants contain harmful PFAS. DetraPel does not! They also do not contain any propellants or aerosols, they are just powered by air.

Do you know what PFAS are? Well, no worries if you don’t, I knew nothing about them before I started researching this product! Here is a little info about PFAS and why they are not so great.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of man-made chemicals that includes PFOA, PFOS, GenX, Teflon and many other chemicals… PFOA and PFOS have been the most extensively produced and studied of these chemicals. Both chemicals are bioaccumulative making them very persistent in the environment and in the human body – meaning they don’t break down and they can accumulate over time!
https://www.detrapel.com/pfas-chemicals/

What DetraPel is best for

Protecting your gear safely

No aerosols or propellants and no harmful chemicals. The product is simple to use and an easy way to add a protective barrier to your gear. No worries about risking your health, your family’s, or our planet’s. DetraPel also uses fully recyclable packaging.

Outdoor Gear Protector freshly applied to a backpack.

And your home, kids stuff, patio, etc.

Not only is DetraPel good for your outdoor gear, they make all sorts of products for around the house. Auto fabric, baby gear and fabric, carpet and rug, upholstery and more.

Whatever your need, DetraPel has you covered for household, gear, footwear, kid stuff, and auto. Check out their full line of products here. DetraPel is also available here on Amazon.

DetraPel’s non-toxic water & stain repellent treatments designed to protect your favorite belongings from spills and stains. DetraPel uses innovative nanotechnology to offer superhydrophobic sprays that are safer for you, your loved ones, and our planet.
Detrapel

Application

Before you use DetraPel, your items need to be clean and dry. If you are washing gear or outdoor clothing, I recommend using a gear or tech wash or some other “safe” wash. Common household detergents, like Tide, have lots of additives that can ruin the products native water repellency and breathability.

Once your product is clean and dry, you can use DetraPel. Most products have you spray a fine mist until the item is coated, but not saturated. Blot off any excess and let dry. Reapply a second coat in 30-60 minutes, blot excess and then let dry for 24 hours before use. The label does say the product may take up to 72 to reach full potency.

The label suggests reapplication in 4-6 months. I think that higher wear and use products (like kids shoes) may need a re-application sooner. It has only been a few months and my daughters shoes are ready to be done again.

The center portion was treated with the Outerwear Protector. The outside portions were not.

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Tested DetraPel products

High Performance Outerwear Protector: Applied to jackets (one above)
Outdoor Fabric Protector: applied to camp chairs, will apply to our patio umbrella in spring
Outdoor Gear Protector: applied to backpacks
Shoe and Sneaker Protector: applied to kids sneakers

What I love about the DetraPel products

No propellants

I love that these products don’t contain any harmful propellants. They gently spray a fine mist that is powered by air and feature a 360* spray, so you can even spray upside down!

These products emit zero harmful chemicals, CO2, and CFCs (Chlorofluorocarbons).

What they stand for

I love a company that is here to help families live their best lives while doing what they can for the environment. DetraPel utilizes sustainable packaging made from PET plastics, which is more sustainable than glass and other containers, and is also fully recyclable. (Learn more about PET plastics here.)

They also believe in finding the best ingredients for our health and our environment, and they do their best to source locally to reduce their carbon footprint. Another positive quality is that they aim to be very transparent, no hidden ingredients and if you have questions, ask!

DetraPel products are also made in the USA!

What could use some improvement

Quality control

Unfortunately I received two (out of four) canisters that didn’t work right. One barely sprayed and the other sprayed a stream instead of a fine mist. I contacted customer service and they replaced them right away and even provided me with a return shipping label to return the defective bottles so they could investigate the issue. My replacements arrived quickly are working just fine. However when two out of the four products didn’t work out of the box, initially I was a bit concerned.

You need to have a continuous fine mist to have even coverage on your product, and when I sprayed one of the defective bottles, it just spit out huge droplets. I tried to wipe most of the product off the bag with paper towel to avoid staining. Once I received my new bottles, I was able to apply without issue.

The bottle I sprayed here was lacking the continuous fine mist and was spitting out large droplets.

Can have some spotting

I recommend testing on a small area first. I did have some spotting on both jackets and the backpack I tested. Mostly just looked like dried water droplets on the jacket. They are not super noticeable unless you look closely. On the backpack, mostly due to the color and design of the bag, they are barely visible, the backpack just has a little darker hue than originally.

The problem may have been alleviated if I would have dabbed more off, but I’m not sure. I don’t believe the fabric stained forever, but we will see as time goes on. I do think the spots will wash off the next time I wash the jacket.

The Outwear Protector did leave some spotting on the applied area.

Slight filmy feeling initially

It does leave a little “filmy” feeling after the application has dried, but seems to rub off after a short amount of time. I think it is just excess product on the surface. After a few days, I don’t really notice it anymore.

Bottom Line

The DetraPel products are a good choice for applications where spraying would be best (i.e. backpacks, camp chairs, shoes).

The DetraPel sprays work to provide a barrier and I did get more beading of water on treated areas. They won’t make a non-waterproof item waterproof, but they will enhance the repellency.

I haven’t had these products long enough to really put them to the test for durability and longevity of the product application, but I will try to update as time goes on.

DetraPel Protectants are a great product for those looking for a SAFE and easy to use gear protector!

Find DetraPel on Amazon here.