Waterproof/Breathable

Review your garment's care label for any special care instructions.

Washing

Most fabric manufacturers state in their washing instructions that outdoor garments can be machine-washed in powdered detergent, and in principle this is true. However, detergent residue in technical fabrics degrades the durable water repellant (DWR) finish, and will negatively affect the performance of laminates (which includes most waterproof-breathable and windproof fabrics) to the point where their waterproof/watershedding performance is seriously impaired.

• Therefore, if you intend to wash a shell garment in common household powdered detergent, it is essential that the garment be rinsed extremely thoroughly. Top-loader washing machines not only rinse poorly, they also contain significant amounts of detergent residue internally. At the very least, run several rinse cycles if you machine wash one of these garments.
• Another alternative is to use a special cleansing product such as Nikwax Tech Wash or McNett Xtreme Wash. These products will not leave any performance-degrading residue in the fabric, and they will not adversely affect the DWR finish.
• NEVER use a fabric softener of any kind on shell garments.

Drying

Most fabric manufacturers state that technical garments can be tumble-dried, and in principle, this is also true. It can even lead to an improvement in the performance of a DWR finish as the chemical compound is released out of the fibers of the face fabric by the heat.

• However, excessive heat will damage laminates and may lead to delamination of the seam tape.
• If you are uncertain of how accurate your tumble dryer heat control is, play it safe by air-drying your garment.
• Polyesters are inherently hydrophobic and will typically air-dry overnight.

Restoring DWR Finish

DWR must be periodically restored to ensure water resistance.The DWR finish can be degraded by normal wear and tear, as well as exposure to contaminants such as oil, dirt and detergent residue. (Detergents strip the DWR finish by leaving water-attractive molecules in the face fabric.) When a DWR finish is degraded, the garment will not shed water as effectively – it will no longer cause water to “bead” – therefore wetting-out faster, making it feel cold and clammy.

• Using after-market treatments such as Nikwax Softshell Proof, Nikwax TX.Direct, or McNett Thunder Guard can restore water-repellency.
• These are wash-in treatments and can be applied in a washing machine once the detergent residue has been rinsed out.
• In the case of fabrics with wicking or insulating liners (like polyester or fleece), it is better to use a spray-on DWR finish such as Gore-Revivex or Nikwax TX.Direct Spray On, which you should use only on the outer face fabric.
• If the wicking or insulating layer is also treated, its wicking performance will be reduced.
• The above water repellent treatments can be applied to other GoLite windshells to increase their water-shedding performance significantly.

Self Repairs

• Small tears in waterproof-breathable laminates can be easily repaired with a self-adhesive McNett Gore-Tex Patch. Follow the instructions provided.
• Alternatively, you can do it with McNett Seam Grip.
• First clean both the inside and the outside of the laminate with isopropyl alcohol.
• Then stick Scotch tape on the outside of laminate, along the line of the tear (this is only a temporary measure while the Seam Grip dries).
• Apply Seam Grip to the tear on the inside of the laminate – please follow the manufacturers' instructions carefully.
• Leave the garment to dry for at least twelve hours, then peel off the Scotch tape: the tear will be durably, almost invisibly repaired.
• Tears in wind shells and soft shells are best repaired with a sewing machine.
• With both straight and non-straight tears, ideally you can patch it with a similar piece of fabric.
• Straight tears can also be repaired by overlapping the sides and sewing over the double-width of fabric.