Wash your gear?

[doebedoe]

Blister is adamant about it: https://blisterreview.com/featured/h...r-down-jackets

Our resident badass gear maker MiCol disagrees: http://www.freeridesystems.com/washing-care-guide

What's your take?

[LeoK]

My personal opinion is:

you want breathability -> wash often

you want it watertight -> never wash

So I wash from time to time but not as often and I always use some gore-tex / membrane-clothing specific detergent wich I got told does help to make the dwr last a lot longer. Also I use impregnation spray (wash, dry a little, spray, put it in the tumble dryer).

[Meadow Skipper]

I don’t wash my w/b gear regularly, because what a PITA. But when water drops stop beading up and start wetting out the surface, I’ll wash and apply spray-on ‘waterproofing.’ I’ve used Nikwax and Graingers, but I’m currently using 303 brand which seems to last longer.

[El Chupacabra]

Slight threadjack: will tenacious tape stay adhered to a puffy jacket when washed? I have an old puffy I repaired with that tape a couple years ago, and it could really use a wash. If the tape comes off in the wash, the jacket is trash - it was a long slice (like 6").

[mall walker]

only when it's really stinky

[XXX-er]

I been washing gtex/neoshell/softshell/down for years with powdered detergent, wash it a second time with just water to get all the detergent out and retreat with DWR when still wet

IME from doing a shell half in grangers and half in revivex all water based spray-on DWR's are gona work the same

the solvent based DWR's are suposed to work better if you can find them and you spray while the piece is dry

still they are never as dry as a coated nylon coat but then you get wet by sweating

[hafjell]

Slight threadjack: will tenacious tape stay adhered to a puffy jacket when washed? I have an old puffy I repaired with that tape a couple years ago, and it could really use a wash. If the tape comes off in the wash, the jacket is trash - it was a long slice (like 6").

IME, the dryer is the enemy. If the puffy is synthetic then don't use the dryer, just air dry. If it's down, and you want to dry with tennis balls, be prepared for the edges to curl up. You could then replace the tape after. (The filler material doesn't matter, both will have patch tape curl in the dryer and heavy washes.)
We are in a heavy wash and dry cycle with small kids. All of their gear is taped. I try to air dry as much as possible.
TL/DR For one wash, you'll probably be fine in washer and dryer. Air dry if possible.

[AK47bp]

Is it true that drying your goretex on high heat helps tighten the fabric and assist with maintaining water resistance?

So many rules and different advice here and there on this shit.


There was a great how to video posted here a couple years back. Step by step with a guy washing his gear. Maybe from Arteryx or Patagonia?

[Judo Chop!]

There was a great how to video posted here a couple years back. Step by step with a guy washing his gear. Maybe from Arteryx or Patagonia?

I didn't watch this, but I think that's it.

I wash and re spray my goretex occationally. It's always better when I do.

[AK47bp]

That’s it. ^. Good find.

[LightRanger]

I generally use Sportwash and then Revivex wash-in or Nikwax or whatever I have on hand. Once a season or two, depending. I know spray-on DWR is supposed to be better and not clog the membrane on the inside or whatever, but I honestly can't be bothered to spend the time.

[XXX-er]

I generally use Sportwash and then Revivex wash-in or Nikwax or whatever I have on hand. Once a season or two, depending. I know spray-on DWR is supposed to be better and not clog the membrane on the inside or whatever, but I honestly can't be bothered to spend the time.

I use spray on cuz I'm more against buying a product using a bit and pouring the rest down the drain, its pretty easy to just spray it on while the garment is still wet from the rinse or for the solvent based DWR spray on after cleaning and drying the piece

be careful where you let the product drip, on a floor it will leave a super slick spot and on your sundeck it will leave a big waterproof splotch which will eventualy go away

yeah the hot dryer is suposed to be good to fix all the little voids or tears in the PTFE membrane in Gtex, if you ever used plumbers tape on pipe joints its the same shit

[El Chupacabra]

IME, the dryer is the enemy. If the puffy is synthetic then don't use the dryer, just air dry. If it's down, and you want to dry with tennis balls, be prepared for the edges to curl up. You could then replace the tape after. (The filler material doesn't matter, both will have patch tape curl in the dryer and heavy washes.)
We are in a heavy wash and dry cycle with small kids. All of their gear is taped. I try to air dry as much as possible.
TL/DR For one wash, you'll probably be fine in washer and dryer. Air dry if possible.

Thanks. It's a down puffy, so I'll need to run it in the dryer with tennis balls to keep it from clumping.

Maybe I'll let it go and get a little more gross before washing it...

[XXX-er]

IME black puffies never get dirty

[hopelesslyadolescent]

I wash all my outerwear at least once at season's end and sometimes once during the season. I've got a lot of outerwear from different companies and I've never had a problem with delamination. I'm always happy when snow comes around again and my outerwear sheds moisture like it's supposed to.

[hafjell]

Thanks. It's a down puffy, so I'll need to run it in the dryer with tennis balls to keep it from clumping.

Maybe I'll let it go and get a little more gross before washing it...

Do you mind retaping? As I read your concern, it's from the patch peeling off in the washer or dryer, correct? If that's it, I bet the patch will hold as long as there's a decent margin around the cut. If there is, I think you'd find only some peeling, not an explosion. You could always wash and dry until it starts to peel, and then pull the tape and replace.
Easy for me to recommend risking it with somebody else's gear, but we wash and dry some pieces twice a week every week in the winter (our day care sends items home with a note, if they're too dirty or wet) and have never had anything explode in the machine. I'd go for it and monitor.

[El Chupacabra]

I can retape. If it peels off in the washer or dryer, the jacket is going to dump out a lot of its down and is probably trash then.

[SumJongGuy]

Skiing in the rain FTW!

[Micol]

tl/dr

Disclaimer: i want to be proven wrong...if you can re-apply dwr to factory level, I will give you $250.00* (see below)

I have access to bulk solvent dwr that not many if any people can get.....along with water based all of you can get...... I have not found a single one that works imo (beads up with consistency on the whole garment) in a retreatment scenario from a completely lost dwr garment. Furthermore, I have found negligible to zero results on wpb jackets and pants from scotch guards and and the like....don't work in my book on pants and jackets...boots? yeah?not really...sno seal? yes!

*Do you have proof it does? Post it up here and I will dub you king dwr and you can field future inquiries.....but i would want to see video proof with no editing.....also I would send you a jacket to retreat.... and if you can duplicate factory results or even close I will give you a check for $250.00 yep two hundred hundred fifty dollars (award offer only given once to first person who can do it), and i want to see unedited video with a visible physical clock ticking in the video before I send you the jacket to retreat, not a clock on the screen, but in the video, any ole big ben with a second hand will do...

From blister sheenan article (Doe none of this is meant to be negative directed your way) this is purely about the article:

I. dirt on dwr.... Where does that come from in snow? in decades of skiing i have yet to be hit once with "grease from lift tower" have you? congrats you are essentially a lottery winner. i worked lifts at vail back in the day , never hit.....i have won a scratch off tho... note i didnt say "serviced" lifts, but most here are riding lifts....

II. oil from skin (inside jacket), sweat on jacket (inside jacket), ................dwr is on the outside of the jacket

III. btw tree bark, regular dirt etc does not make it to the membrane, it first hits dwr coating, if this is penetrated it will adhere to the outside facing yarns of the griege (face fabric in a laminate fabric...i.e. 2L, 2.5L, 3L) if it makes it to the membrane it will be limited to one area of contact. like an arm that brushed a tree trunk....stay away from tree trunks....tree wells are no joke.....

IV. the guy that wrote this sounds like he skis next to a wood chipper and or heavy road equipment in dusty environs....oh yeah, dont do that...dont ski next to wood chippers throwing clouds of fine particles into the air and resting in the holes of your membrane underneath the greige and dwr.....

V. for smell....if you smell so bad that your outerwear jacket stinks you are doing something wrong...you should have layers that will catch any B.O. long before it embeds in the shell....hey...maybe you ski nakid.... pants, different, you can piss in pants, dribble in pants, shat in pants, this stuff stinks....maybe wash your pants....but dont expect dwr to magically come back with that genie in the bottle....

VI. Do you lean up against a road worn driven car to put gear on roof? If yes, that is grime, chemicals, dirt, exhuast mutated snow that is now on your jacket. Did you need to put skis in the rocket box while wearing your $400 dwr neoshell , when a sweatshirt , old beater jacket etc would have worked if you had taken 10 seconds to put it on first? do you toss your $400 jacket into a pile of crap in your car with dog hair , tobacco residue, pet dander, beer, puke, and who knows what else? why? this is hardly caring for your gear that wants to do nothing but serve you well. would it take more than 45 seconds to remove a jacket and fold and put in a backpack , a trashbag, a treasure chest?

VII. campfire, cig , doob smoke? thats not skiing, wear a flannel and try vaping....

VIII. grease from snowmobile? ski jackets are not mechanics wear, put on a fart bag jumper suit and get to work....dont do it in your $400 ski jacket....stuck in the back country? broken sled belt, buried the sled, need to dig her out? extended stay.... wearing a pack i hope in back country...take off that $400 jacket, put on another layer....do your work....then put your jacket back on....or shouldnt you be in a brappp jacket anywayz....

p.s. science talk , protons, neutrons, charged particles really get me giddy.....yee hi
i also liked all the click thru shopping affiliate marketing links for chems and treatments after the article

CONCLUSION: do what ever you want, but jackets cost me the least of about anyone and I dont wash and I dont lean over my vehicle , snowmobile, etc etc to stow gear in a parking lot....and if i am throwing my jacket around in my car , i secretly crave a new jacket and just want to try to destroy my current one....

common sense goes a long way

Dryers
Dryer heat goes a long way to loosen up seam tape inside your jacket....loosen it real good....so there's that.....
want loose seam tape, throw it in the dryer with some of that genie dwr treatment....and heat on high...heat is what we use to put the seam tape on, it is also what we use to take it off to replace a zipper or something...slow down and think about that for a minute....

but dont be sending me your jackets under warranty for replacement, because I know what all of this stuff looks like from limp fabric (washed) to blistered fabric (washed) YKK two way zippers that dont work anymore mysteriously...(trying to zip without both sliders pushed all the way down to stop before zipping) ...etc.... remember i have used the same stuff i make and sell for almost a decade...

tl/dr

[Meadow Skipper]

Tell us how you really feel.

[doebedoe]

And here I was playing with the idea of giving my Antero II Plus a little love prior to Euro trip as its DWR has gotten a bit off since I'm fucking lazy dude who has thrown it in the van and fallen down in the dirt one too many times.

NOTE: I'm not slagging off MiCols advice at all. Its 100% in line with my experience. I've tried home DWR a bunch of times in a bunch of ways and its always pretty shitty. I wish I wasn't so lazy sometimes. I've gotten more taco bell on my pants than i care to admit. Not to mention the beer and coffee.

[AK47bp]

Christ. These are fucking ski jackets not Gucci purses.

[Micol]

Christ. These are fucking ski jackets not Gucci purses.

exactly....lol....everyone beat up and buy more....however,....my websites are currently down cause the new fulfillment place already quit....so there's that! lol columbia lookin good, tons of $100 flylow out there this time of year too....

ps AK, i think hermes are the ones the upscale gals are after....

[Micol]

Tell us how you really feel.

lol, always....thats why i say buy more and let em serf like evon ....

[doebedoe]

exactly....lol....everyone beat up and buy more....however,....my websites are currently down cause the new fulfillment place already quit....

Well that fuckin' blows.

tons of $100 flylow out there this time of year too.......

Good -- I need me some fresh pants since you wont make any.