pup_on_the_mountain Posted January 12, 2007 Share Posted January 12, 2007 I have a TNF 3-layer Gore-Tex XCR jacket and a Mountain Hardwear Conduit bib (pants). The jacket is more than four years old, and the pants are more than two years old. They seem to have lost most of their waterproofing. I tried spraying them last summer with the waterproofing spray, but it seems to have worn off by now. I did not wash them before spraying last time though. What do you people do to keep your shells waterproof? Does washing them with some special detergent (before spraying, or just washing alone) help? Is there a specific brand of waterproofing spray that you like? TIA for any suggestions. PS: I tried searching for similar threads, and couldn't spot one. May be I did not use the right words to search. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aya Posted January 12, 2007 Share Posted January 12, 2007 Wash. Rinse. Rinse again. Then spray. Nikwax makes a special detergent for gore-tex clothing. Personally I prefer the spray. Why would you wash water repellency onto the inside of your jacket, where you presumably want it to be hydrophilic? If you haven't washed in 4 years, it's quite possible that sweat, oils and dirt have broken down the gore-tex membrane in your jacket and no amount of washing and DWRing will restore waterproofness. In which case - get a new jacket! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannible Posted January 12, 2007 Share Posted January 12, 2007 Like she said. Some people say that washing is bad for gore-tex, but really sweat and dirt getting ground in are worse. Do it a few times a year and let it air dry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aya Posted January 12, 2007 Share Posted January 12, 2007 she. she. I'm a she. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genepires Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 does oils, sweat and dirt break down the gore tex or just block the pores? I could see dirt grinding the little holes bigger (isn't the holes way too small for dirt to enlarge?), but don't see why sweat and oil would mess with the membrane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BirdDog Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 I have an old Marmot 3 layer gore-tex jacket that I have washed/treated with Nikwax wash and spray several times- it works very well. Use the Nikwax wash. Just be sure to wash and rinse, rinse, rinse. After the spray dries, stick the jacket in the dryer on low/med. for 10 min. - no fabric softner. Just warm it, don't let it get hot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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