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Does anyone here know a way to make the coveralls a little more softer and not so itchy. They sound like a big bag of chips when your walking, drives me nuts. What can ya wash them with. Any ideas would greatly appreciated.

cave with them for a little while and eventually they will get worn-in and much softer, and alot less noise.

Leedy's right....cave, cave, cave and then cave some more in them....wearin' and washin' 'em is the fix yer lookin' for!

Of course, the softer they are, the faster they will wear out. Stiff=durable. Soft=all ate up.

from what i understand, new coveralls always sound like that, regardless of brand. my Meander suit sounded like it was made of sandpaper for a couple of trips.

I sent a pair of LC coveralls back to the store 6 years ago because of the same stiffness issues. I thought to myself, *so this is what a body bag must feel like*. Last year I tried one more time, and like everyone says, they soften up a tad and develop a memory of your flex points. Now I just wear a short sleeve polyester shirt and lightweight capilene longjohns underneath. I know some who don't wear anything underneath except skivvys; not for me though...
If you just ignore the stiffness you'll forget about it by the time the trip is over with.

oh man, it would be SERIOUSLY uncomfortable to not wear something under a cave suit. most people i know just wear a tight synthetic material, like underarmour or bike shorts... polyester, lycra-spandex, and polypro are all fine.

what feels comfortable to your skin and what will survive the abrasion of a cave couldn't be further apart.

Cave suits without some kind of synthetic long johns feel
very cold and clammy. I tried it that way just after I got
my first suit. It only took once to convince me that polypropalene
underneath was the way to go. Especially true in colder,
damp caves. Long johns underneath is so much better.
The crinkle sound just takes time, wear and
washing to make it go away.

I've had the best luck washing mine with Sportwash. You can find it in the hunting section of Wally World or most hunting, camping stores. And as a plus, the deer won't smell you walking to caves.

Scott McCrea wrote:Of course, the softer they are, the faster they will wear out. Stiff=durable. Soft=all ate up.

Not necessarily. Some cavers tell me they're pretty happy with Chilliheads Cordura Leggings - soft and durable!

To "soften" a regular caving suit, what about using a fabric softener? Not sure if it would damage the suit, but I wouldn't imagine so.

NZcaver wrote:Not necessarily. Some cavers tell me they're pretty happy with Chilliheads Cordura Leggings - soft and durable

Yep. I have used a pair of Chilliheads cord's for over a year now for about 1/2 the cave trips I've been on (when I don't use a coverall) and I have yet to tear or break a seam. They are the best alternative to a coverall. Some people wear nylon shorts on top or just go pantless like me .
I've never seen a fabric so stretchable be so resistant to abrasion, but it is.

Mud is the answer. If you're down belly crawling in mud, the coveralls won't make any noise.