How to Wash and Waterproof a Rain Jacket

 


Washing a Rain Jacket

If you're getting wet in your favorite rain jacket, it may be time to re-waterproof it.

Wait a second. Didn't the jacket tag say, "Guaranteed waterproof for life"?

Yes, but that is only when you have cleaned and retreated your rain shell properly. Much like any piece of technical equipment, it will take care of you when you take care of it.

Modern hardshell garments for backpacking, mountaineering, and hiking are manufactured from a variety of materials like Gore-tex, eVent, DryQ, Precip, Conduit, Hyvent, Torrentshell, and the whole host of waterproof breathables. Despite the disparity in names and technology, they all exist for one purpose: to make you more comfortable in the outdoors.

Anyone who has ever hiked in PVC rainwear, like the type with little duckies your mom made you wear, knows that it will keep you dry - on the outside. However, the sweat you're producing makes you soaked from the inside. When W.L. Gore invented Gore-tex in the '70s, it changed the way everyone thought about raingear. A selectively permeable membrane kept the raindrops out while letting sweat escape.

Since then, scores of hard shells with proprietary technology have flooded the market with hopes of keeping backpackers and hikers dry. Some work better than Gore-tex, and many perform much worse. The care, however, is generally the same for washing and waterproofing.

So don't throw that rain jacket away until you've tried the following techniques for cleaning and conditioning your coat.

Technical shells from Mountain Hardwear, Marmot, and Sierra Designs.
Technical shells from Mountain Hardwear, Marmot, and Sierra Designs. | Source

What Is Wetting Out?

Though wetting out is something you did on the Easter Bunny's lap one year, it also refers to the breakdown of the waterproof-breathable membrane. The outer layer of hardshell jackets is treated with a DWR (Durable Water Repellent) to shed droplets of rain and snow.

Over time this treatment wears off the garment, rain ceases to bead adequately on the jacket and the horrid process of wetting out begins. When a shell garment wets out, the outer shell becomes saturated, hence hampering the waterproofness and breathability of the jacket.

Cleaning products from Nikwax and ReviveX.
Cleaning products from Nikwax and ReviveX. | Source

How to Clean Your Rain Jacket

There are two reasons to clean your rain jacket.

  • Your camp mates insist on hiking downwind of you.
  • Your jacket isn't as waterproof or breathable as it should be.

Though building a patina on your jacket may be seen as a badge of honor, you are allowed and encouraged to wash it as often as needed. As with most modern materials, high-tech waterproof breathable garments only perform well when they are clean.

Often just cleaning your rain jacket properly will restore not only the breathability but the water-resistance as well.

Always follow your jacket manufacturer's washing recommendations; however, the following instructions are true for most garments.

Cleaning With ReviveX Synthetic Fabric Cleaner:

  • Wash, preferably in a front loading washer on a delicate cycle with warm water.
  • Close all tabs and zippers.
  • Apply ReviveX to soiled areas.
  • Add ReviveX to washer, load items, and wash.

Cleaning With Nikwax Tech Wash:

  • Shake the bottle well before using.
  • Place a maximum of 6 garments in the machine.
  • After the machine is filled, add 3 full caps for 1-3 garments and 5 caps for 4-6 garments.
  • Set cycle to heavy and warm.

Alternatives to Specialty Soaps:

Though specialty soaps like those from Nikwax or McNett are the best way to clean your technical rain jacket, there are alternatives in case you get in a pinch.

Look for a soap that is free of surfactants, perfumes, enzymes, or fabric softeners.

Some people have had great success using a white vinegar and water solution in lieu of soap for a solid cleaning.

ReviveX spray-on waterproofing.
ReviveX spray-on waterproofing. | Source

Rewaterproof the Jacket

If your jacket has been wetting out continuously, despite a proper cleaning, it is surely time to retreat the DWR.

After cleaning the jacket with a good non-residue soap, it is time to recondition the membrane that maintains the weather-resistant DWR layer.

From the Outdoor Gear Experts at Sierra Trading Post:

"Unfortunately, you can't fix a waterproof membrane if your jacket starts to leak after several years. However, the durable water repellent (DWR) finishes on all waterproof gear will fail long before the membrane wears out. You will notice the deterioration of the DWR coating when your garment appears to be absorbing moisture rather than repelling it."

Apply most re-waterproofing agents while the garments are still wet. There are two options: wash-in and topical treatments.

How to Use ReviveX Spray-on Water Repellent:

  • Machine wash with a technical wash.
  • Shake bottle well and spray garment while it is still wet.
  • Apply liberally to shoulders and cuffs.
  • Tumble dry on medium heat for a full 60 minutes. Do not air dry.

How to Use Nikwax TX.Direct Wash-in Waterproofing:

  • Place a clean item in the washing machine.
  • Add Nikwax wash-in waterproofing into the machine soap dispenser.
  • Wash on a regular cycle.
  • Dry on a low setting.

How to Dry a Rain Jacket

Why can't I just let it drip dry?

Well, actually there are a few garments like Sierra Designs windwear which recommends drip-drying but most prefer tumble drying in a clothes dryer. In many cases, drying the garment will reactivate the DWR.

For some materials, ironing a waterproof jacket on low heat will also reset the DWR.

Always read the care labels on your rain jackets. This one is from a Mountain Hardwear DryQ. Elite jacket.
Always read the care labels on your rain jackets. This one is from a Mountain Hardwear DryQ. Elite jacket. | Source
Beading water is a beautiful thing. Here a Mountain Hardwear cohesion jacket is resisting the rain easily.
Beading water is a beautiful thing. Here a Mountain Hardwear cohesion jacket is resisting the rain easily. | Source

Sample Washing Instructions for North Face, Marmot, and Mountain Hardwear Rainwear

Whether you are cleaning Hyvent from The North Face or Torrentshell from Patagonia, your washing instructions may differ. The following lists the instructions for washing and reconditioning my personal rainwear garments.

  • Machine wash cold gentle.
  • Wash separately, do not bleach.
  • Tumble dry low.
  • Do not use fabric softener, do not dry clean.
  • Marmot Minimalist Jacket: Gore-Tex
  • Machine wash warm separately.
  • Rinse thoroughly.
  • Tumble dry warm.
  • Do not use bleach or fabric softener
  • Marmot Precip Jacket: Precip
  • Machine wash warm with powdered detergent.
  • Close all fasteners and tumble dry warm.
  • Do not use fabric softeners or bleach.
  • Do not dry clean or iron.
  • Mountain Hardwear Stretch Cohesion Jacket: Conduit DT
  • Machine wash cold on gentle, separately.
  • Tumble dry low, remove promptly.
  • Do not bleach, do not use fabric softener, do not dry clean.
  • Columbia Titanium Jacket: Omni-Tech
  • Machine wash cold.
  • Tumble dry low.
  • Do not dry clean or bleach.
  • Sierra Designs Microlight Jacket:
  • Machine wash cold on gentle cycle with like colors.
  • Use mild soap not detergent.
  • Hang dry away from direct heat.
  • Do not bleach, do not dry clean.
  • The North Face Verto Summit Series Jacket
  • Hand or machine wash separately on a delicate cycle in warm water.
  • Zip up all zippers while washing.
  • Tumble dry on a low heat, do not iron or dry clean.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Snakes in the Niagara Gorge

Image
Who would have thought that the largest snake I ever saw in New York would be in the Niagara Gorge.   Yesterday I went hiking with a friend from the SAR team down into the Gorge.  Yes, we hiked under the guise of "physical conditioning" and getting ready for the work-capacity test, but in a place that is wild and unique as the Gorge - it is the best design I've even seen for a gym.   After descending the ailing Whirlpool stairs and making the rounds by the Flats we headed down the trail toward the old Great Gorge Railway stop in the rapids.  As an old hand in the area, I was leading the way and then something large moved on the ground just ahead of my feet. I stopped dead, then turned to Jamie, saying "look, it's a snake!"  We both stared at the slithering snake sunning itself on a patch of open ground.  Its unblinking reptilian eyes stared back at the two hikers, probably wondering if they were going to hurt it.  It curled itself in...
Read more

Initial Review of the OKC Ranger Little Bird Knife

Image
Though my gear reviews are tediously long and comprehensive in their tests, this is my initial impression of the Ontario Little Bird knife.  Before lashing out at my general lack of cohesiveness and use of hardcore testing methods which snap blades in half, please remember that this is an initial review only.   First of all - I have a lot of knives - a lot of them.  That said, I am extremely picky about the ones I carry.  Unfortunately, most of my knives sit unused and under-appreciated in boxes in my basement.    There is something, when you first hold a knife in your hand, when you can tell it is meant for you.  Or perhaps you are meant for it.  Who knows what ancient chemistry awakens when we touch a fine blade?  Perhaps this is the "riddle of steel" after all.   OKC Little Bird Specifications:  Manufacturer: Ontario Knives OKC (Ranger) Model: Little Bird II Overall Length: 4.25 inches Blade Length: 1.8 inche...
Read more

The SAR 24-Hour Pack in Winter

Image
The air is getting a little chillier, and hunting season is coming: it's the busy season for Search and Rescue teams.  Thinking back to November in prior years, this is the time when resources are stretched looking for lost hikers, missing hunters, and those who have wandered away in the night. Search and Rescue in Winter I also recall heading out to searches where searchers were vastly unprepared to deal with the weather, terrain, and other issues of conducting SAR in a winter environment.  I've seen people show up for searches in snow wearing sneakers and jeans - of course, they aren't carrying any water or basic survival supplies either. Yes, though it is hard to control what the myriad of volunteers bring with them, as SAR team members - we must do our best to be prepared for all conditions. Though clothing and footwear is a huge component for venturing out into the woods, what I think we should talk about first is the 24-hour pack.  Yes, we could load all...
Read more