How to care for your waterproof products
A waterproof garment can protect you from rain and storms for years, but it requires proper care to maintain its performance over time.
If it's been a while since your last outing, it's wise to check the waterproofing of your garments before embarking on your next adventure. For tips on how to test this at home, click here:
1. Lay your jacket flat on a table or other smooth surface.
2. Use a spray bottle to lightly mist the jacket with water.
3. If the water beads up and rolls off the fabric, your jacket's waterproofing is still effective and ready for use.
4. If the water soaks into the fabric, it’s time to reactivate or reproof the water-repellent finish.
If you’ve noticed that the outer surface of your garment becomes saturated with rain, it can make moisture escape less effectively or cause the cold fabric to stick to your skin, giving the impression that it’s leaking. In this case, it’s time to reactivate the waterproofing.
Washing instructions
- Empty the pockets, close all zippers, and fasten any loose flaps or straps.
- Wash the garment at 40oC, using a small amount of liquid detergent. If possible, use a detergent specifically designed for outdoor gear – this can be found at specialised outdoor stores.
- Don’t use powder detergents, fabric softeners, stain remover, or bleach.
- Don’t wash with other heavily soiled clothes.
- Rinse twice and minimize spinning.
Special note on Gore-tex Shakedry™ products:
These jackets are different to regular waterproof products as they have no textile outer layer – the outer layer is the Gore-Tex membrane itself and there is no need for DWR.
Machine wash on delicate cycle at 40oC. Don’t dry clean, tumble dry, iron or use bleach. Don’t apply a waterproofing treatment.
Drying instructions
- Tumble dry on a warm, gentle cycle.
- Once dry, tumble for a further 20 minutes to reactive the durable water repellent (DWR).
- If you are unable to tumble-dry the garment, line-dry it and once dry, iron the garment on low temperature, placing a towel between the iron and the garment.
- Do not use steam.
Over time, the water-repellent finish may lose its effectiveness, even after reactivation. When this happens, it’s time to reproof your garment.
How to reactivate or reproof a garment
- Prepare the garment: Empty all pockets, close zippers, and fasten any loose flaps or straps.
- Wash: Wash at 40°C with a small amount of liquid detergent. For best results, use a detergent designed for outdoor gear, available at specialized outdoor stores.
- Avoid certain products: Do not use powder detergents, fabric softeners, stain removers, or bleach. Avoid washing with heavily soiled clothing.
- Rinse:Rinse the garment twice and minimize spinning during the wash cycle.
- Dry and reactivate: Tumble dry on a warm, gentle cycle. Once dry, tumble for an additional 20 minutes to reactivate the durable water repellent (DWR).
- If tumble drying is not an option, line-dry the garment. Once dry, use a low-temperature iron to reactivate the DWR, placing a towel between the iron and the garment. Do not use steam.
How to patch a shell garment
Our waterproof products are built to be durable, but accidents can happen, and a hole in the fabric will allow water to seep through. This is how you patch a shell garment:
- First thing’s first. You’ll need to make sure you have some self-adhesive, pressure sensitive repair tape or patches with you; these can be found at most specialist outdoor stores. Some stores stock Gore-Tex repair kits with patches made from Gore-Tex fabric to match your jacket more closely.
- Check out the hole. Cut any loose threads from around the hole.
- Gently clean and dry the area to be repaired, remove any dirt or loose debris. Avoid machine washing to stop the hole getting bigger.
- Get your repair patch or tape ready. If it needs cut to size then on the backside of the patch, draw an oval (or any shape really but make sure it has round edges). Make sure it is big enough to leave around 1cm of margin all around the hole.
- Using scissors, cut out the shape ensuring any corners are well rounded.
- Peel the backing off the patch without touching the sticky side.
- Lay the patch on top of the hole, press it tightly against the fabric, and then use either your fingernail or for example a credit card (no sharp edges of course) to work out any air trapped between the patch and the fabric.
- Apply pressure for a little while longer, and you’re all done.
How to change a zip slider
Replace a broken or malfunctioning zip slider is simpler rhank you think. All you need is a pair of pliers and a new zip slider and stopper, which you can order from us by our Customer Service.
- Unzip the garment and lay it on a flat surface.
- Use the pliers to remove the stopper at the top of the zipper, and then remove the zip slider.
- Replace the zip slider making sure the narrow end points downwards.
- Zip up the zip slider to confirm it is working.
- Replace the stopper with the new one, fastening it with the pliers.
