Wapsi Spanflex

[flytire 0]

I have/had some old Wapsi Spanflex in my tying inventory that just disintegrated when trying to use it and was very sticky to the touch

I admit it was probably over 5 years old but it was kept in its original packaging and stored in a sterilite plastic shoe box. 4 packages of different colors in the trash

If you have any, you may want to check your inventory

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

For what it’s worth,  more than a few nice synthetics don’t have a great shelf life.  That’s something I had to learn the hard way.

[jcozzz 0]

the squirmy worm material stays ok in the package.In a small compartment box with other flies it breaks down BADLY and messy like plastic worms etc used to before "worm proof" boxes came along.Some modern plastics of the same type material melt if stored with other plastic worms senkos etc.Makes me wonder at times what we are handling and using.

[Jaydub 0]

I bought a bunch of materials from FTD at a show right before the pandemic. Among the stuff I bought was some scud back material ( I think they call it bug back). Most of it sat in a closed drawer for a couple of years. When I tried to use it, it wasn't usable. It would break with even the slightest stretch. I guess we need to be careful about what we stock up on. 

[flytire 0]

thats whay the spanflex did. just broke into tiny sticky pieces

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

Any rubber or elastic based items, “furry foam” and other similar products have been problematic unless used the year they were purchased in my experience ( and I can only guess at the life span of the flies I sent to shops using those items…).  
I’ve only rarely encountered longevity problems with natural materials by comparison…