Caring for gore tex

[mike rousseau]

So...

 

I was wondering how to clean gore tex rainsuits properly...

 

And

 

I was also wondering if there is any treatment/spray that should be applied...?

 

It's for cabelas guidewear....

 

 

Thanks

[kickingfrog]

The Cabela's site might give you some direction for the product(s) to use. I bought some stuff at mountain equipment co-op that I used on my waterproof breathables. The products will have the instructions listed on the bottle.

[mike rousseau]

cabelas sells this kit....

 

 

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Nikwax-Tech-WashTXDirect-Wash-In-Fabric-Care-Twin-Pack/1096193.uts?WTz_l=RI%3BIK-983053

 

just looking for personal experience

[mercman]

http://www.mcnett.com/ReviveX-Spray-On-Water-Repellent-P135.aspx

[kickingfrog]

My experience was that the treatment improved the rain-proffness of my jacket but is was not as good as when it was new. It was 9-10 years old by the time I decided it needed treatment.

 

It's way cheaper to treat a jacket then to replace a high-end one.

It will likely improve the jacket's current state.

It won't be as good as new, or won't last as long as the original.

[UglyBug]

http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/rainwear-dwr.html

[backbay]

I have a ten year ols North Face parka that I wore when bike commuting in Toronto, twelve months a year for five years. It would get pretty grimy in the traffic, used to wash it with Woolite, and treat it with Nickwax in the dryer on low setting. It worked for number of years really well.

 

These days, I wash it any way I want, and give it a good coating of silicone tent waterproofer. The parka owes me nothing, and staying dry is more important to me now than breathability.

[whiskywizard]

Check the care label Use a liquid detergent and wash on a warm setting in your washer

Don't use chlorine or softener.

Run the rinse cycle a second time.

Tumble dry on warm.

Wash in or spray on a DWR. Some DWRs are applied in the drier.

 

The breathable fabrics work because they have very small "micro-pores" that are too small to let water in but large enough to let water vapour out. The key to washing them is to really clean them thoroughly to unclog the fabric, rinse them twice, then treat the surface with a durable water repellant to ensure water beads up and runs off so the pores stay open for breathing.

[4x4bassin]

I use the Nikwax as well , good stuff ! I wouldn't recomend using a waterproof spray on gore tex , it will work in keeping the rain off you but it will also ruin the breathability of gore tex and that is what you are paying for . You might as well put a big garbage bag over you !

This also applies to boots , never put a waterproof spray on them , use stuff designed for gore tex .

O ya when using the Nikwax I have had the best results by drying the jacket/pants in a drier on low heat as well.

Good luck

[4x4bassin]

Check the care label Use a liquid detergent and wash on a warm setting in your washer

Don't use chlorine or softener.

Run the rinse cycle a second time.

Tumble dry on warm.

Wash in or spray on a DWR. Some DWRs are applied in the drier.

 

The breathable fabrics work because they have very small "micro-pores" that are too small to let water in but large enough to let water vapour out. The key to washing them is to really clean them thoroughly to unclog the fabric, rinse them twice, then treat the surface with a durable water repellant to ensure water beads up and runs off so the pores stay open for breathing.

 

Agree 100 %

[FrankTheRabbit]

Nikwax is good and so is Grangers. The tech wash is good to cleaning out the dirt that clogs the pours. I wouldn't recommend the TX-direct wash-in treatment. What was mentioned above, the wash-in treatment would affect breath-ability of the inside. The DWR spray would be the way to go.

 

Some manufacturers recommend you wash your jacket one per month if you are a heavy user. The DWR spray could be applied every other wash cycle or you feel that it no longer beads water anymore. Most of the time, you can wash your garment, dry it on low, and the DWR coating will reactivate again.

 

I'm a huge believer in Goretex shells/jackets as long as you take care of them. I have a Goretex jacket that's 15 years old and it still beads nicely.

[RangerGuy]

Be very careful when treating outer wear that has gortex.. alot of the these kinds of treatments seal the

pores of the fabric. While this improves weather proofness it also prevents the gortex from doing what it

was designed to do , breath moisture created by your body so it can excape and keep you dry.

 

I never treated my remingtion waterfowl parka or bibs and they were waterproof for over 10 years.

 

What ultimately caused my to leak was carrying heavy decoy bags on my shoulders stretched the gortex membrane and eventually it leaked.

 

I wish remington never stopped making thier waterfowl clothes, they were awesome!

 

I would be soaked with sweat walking in carrying gear, and in 2 hours I was dry on the inside even if it was raining out, I was always amazed how it worked.

Edited September 12, 2012 by RangerGuy

[FrankTheRabbit]

From what I've read, DWR sprays do not inhibit breathability. They actually bond to the textile's fibers and do not fill in the spaces between the fibers.

 

Paraphrased from:

http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/rainwear-dwr.html

 

Possibly might be different between different brands of DWRs.

[mike rousseau]

Thanx for all the help... Between you guys and google I think I got it now...

 

Just want my cabelas guidewear to last as long as possible under the abuse I put it through...

[NAC]

My advice is to just wear it and let the rain do its thing. Unless you can't bear the smell or are more worried about how you look than how you fish.

I have one from 2001 that is as waterproof as the day it was bought. Friends complain about theirs leaking after washing with mild soap.