Re-water proofing a rain jacket
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Every time I have tried to do this it has been a miserable failure.
Supposedly, the only thing that works is the actual Nikwax brand wash. Expensive stuff though.
I just re-coated a pair of ski pants with great results.
Get Nixwax TX-Direct spray on and follow the directions. I hung the pants in the shower, sprayed them liberally and let them dry about 90%, then threw them in a warm (not hot) dryer for maybe 10 minutes. The heat helps set up the product, but too much heat and any taped seams you might have could fail.
The spray on bottle I got was $15 and enough to do 2 large items.
Once finished, only wash in the Nixwax wash which won't break down the water repellent. Detergent is the culprit, and since the material is all super-treated before cutting and manufacturing once it's washed out you'll never get it quite as good as new, but likely more than good enough.
Get Nixwax TX-Direct spray on and follow the directions. I hung the pants in the shower, sprayed them liberally and let them dry about 90%, then threw them in a warm (not hot) dryer for maybe 10 minutes. The heat helps set up the product, but too much heat and any taped seams you might have could fail.
The spray on bottle I got was $15 and enough to do 2 large items.
Once finished, only wash in the Nixwax wash which won't break down the water repellent. Detergent is the culprit, and since the material is all super-treated before cutting and manufacturing once it's washed out you'll never get it quite as good as new, but likely more than good enough.
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Have you tried washing it? for real, check the labels on the coat for what temps to wash/dry it, could help.
https://www.gore-tex.com/remote/Satellite/content/care-center/washing-instructions
https://www.gore-tex.com/remote/Satellite/content/care-center/washing-instructions
In Canada we rub seal blubber on everything. works well. But that's how you get ants.
*Baby* seal blubber?
Club sandwiches, not seals.
Babies render easier then yearlings. Much easier to snare also. You can't sneak up on em with your Doo like in the old days....
simple......Iron it, I iron ever piece of gore every year
How old is your 'tex? My jacket is about 7 years old.
I'm guessing a low iron/temp setting?
and you iron the outside or the 'tex?
Does ironing only work for gore-tex ?
yes, lay that jacket flat and put a cotton sheet over the top, high heat and smash it. works like a charm
no steam and must be laundered clean before ironing
I actually learned something useful on the monkey...big plane disappears...Rand Paul might be the GOP Presidential candidate...
I'm starting to get worried.
I'm starting to get worried.
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I would like the scientific proof that "ironing" Gore-Tex is legit. Pretty certain that all one is doing is literally heat shrinking the material and ruining the scientific "design" of the material.
From everything I've ever read, you're just melting it and it's a temporary fix that is melting the membrane. Yes, it does resist water again, but not in the manner the membrane was meant to. It just becomes a gob of warped synthetics under a microscope.
From everything I've ever read, you're just melting it and it's a temporary fix that is melting the membrane. Yes, it does resist water again, but not in the manner the membrane was meant to. It just becomes a gob of warped synthetics under a microscope.
If you read the documentation on the gortex site, it says using a low setting in the dryer will 'reset' the water proofing. I'm guessing it's doing the same thing, shrinking the membrane?
My jacket went from working pretty good (it's old) to being worthless, recently. I'm thinking I'll be using a product of some sort (probably the one mentioned above).
My jacket went from working pretty good (it's old) to being worthless, recently. I'm thinking I'll be using a product of some sort (probably the one mentioned above).
Doesn't the spray on stuff just stop them from breathing? The lining is the bit that stops the water coming through not the shell(from what I thought anyway).
Backwards.
You want the DWR on the outside, not the lining. There could be several layers in a good shell, the inner layers allow heat/moisture to escape, the repellent on the outside discourages water from penetrating the fabric. That's why it's never as good as new or before you had some beers and washed it in detergent.
(all this from a rep at Flylow Gear, a ski clothing company, just explained to me a couple of weeks ago) YMMV.
I just read the label on my jacket that uses Event Fabric and it said iron on low heat and a bunch of steam.
I wonder if there is a trick to make the stupid rubberised zippers waterproof? Stupid city hikers that want everything pretty have ruined jackets, couldn't find any good ones with the traditional angled pocket with a fabric flap over it. Rubber zips open up as the jackets move around when trail building and let sneaky water in that drowns your phone
I want a new version of the jacket I bought in 2001, it was perfect.
I wonder if there is a trick to make the stupid rubberised zippers waterproof? Stupid city hikers that want everything pretty have ruined jackets, couldn't find any good ones with the traditional angled pocket with a fabric flap over it. Rubber zips open up as the jackets move around when trail building and let sneaky water in that drowns your phone
I want a new version of the jacket I bought in 2001, it was perfect.
First part, nope. Second part yep.
Basically, and once the outer shell takes on water, it "feels" heavier b/c it's retaining water between the shell fabric and waterproof membrane. Membrane then feels clammy and can't let vapor escape b/c the shell is clogged with water.
This is a great straight forward read from REI's site that explains it better. It also specifically mentions that you should not use powdered detergents, which I'd be interested to know why.
The other thing that is unclear is that it mentions using a steam iron to remove stains. Not sure how that happens.
http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/washing-goretex-outerwear.html
Kill it with fire.
pee on it
That only works for Athletes foot....
Lots of people think the water-repellent coating is what makes it "waterproof". It's not, and it may look "soaked" from the outside, especially when that coating has worn off. It's one of those physiological things though, people can't stand to not have it beading up like new. Water-phobic materials on the horizon may finally solve that issue.
Yeah that's what I thought too, my newest jacket started doing it after a month or so on the panels that flexed a lot. I'm still dry inside but I would imagine as others have said it would breathe better if the outer layer wasn't waterlogged.
I got told not to use a sealer on some Gore Tex lined shoes I had, the salesperson said it just makes them slow to dry out.
And if you've had the coat long enough the DWR coating isnt as effective your coat is probably dirty, and the membrane will no longer allow the water vapor to move on out.
My coat is 6-7 years old. I don't wear it year round and it doesn't get much use.
It has been washed from time to time (thanks to the girlfriend, I'd never wash it myself).
My reasoning for thinking that it's no longer 'working' as a water proof item is because when I took it off, the three layers of clothes I had on under it, were soaking wet...
It's a Patagonia and it was a gift. You think they'd take it back? it's in awesome shape/condition (clean, no rips/tears/etc).
it just gets me all wet, inside...
It has been washed from time to time (thanks to the girlfriend, I'd never wash it myself).
My reasoning for thinking that it's no longer 'working' as a water proof item is because when I took it off, the three layers of clothes I had on under it, were soaking wet...
It's a Patagonia and it was a gift. You think they'd take it back? it's in awesome shape/condition (clean, no rips/tears/etc).
it just gets me all wet, inside...