Tramping Research Project

Most detergents have whiteners and softeners added These are left behind to make clothes look smell and feel better but when you are dealing with a fabric that relies on holes so small they cant be seen with a regular microscope to do its job properly then problems are going to happen. The gortex clones do suffer the most but even gortex and event are not immune.

event is one of the most problematic, gore tex is like event with a protective layer to keep the debris out of the pores... thats why event comes with big signs on it often saying "wash me often" events more prone to deterioration and had more delimination issues although gore tex had a lot of those problems in the early days .

Its important to understand that Gore tex does not make the face fabrics its used, with unlike Event, and just makes the actual membrane. I believe it is still the only membrane that is Olio-phobic therefore making it suitable for long periods of use as it doesn't clog up with oil from perspiration. This is why the military use it. The standard instructions for washing are still: "Machine wash on a warm permanent press cycle (105º F/40º C) using a small amount of liquid detergent. Rinse twice, minimize spinning to reduce creasing." It is a very easy to care for product over all. And your right about fabric softeners and whiteners too Geeves, not good for anything really but thats another story :)

In my experience the only DWR that seems to be at all durable is the one Montbell use and call 'Polkatex". I have one of their jackets which has been used and muchly abused for about five years now and it still beads off well enough. Nothing else I've ever owned comes close. This thread is a useful read: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=6627

Thanks, PhilipW. Good to read about the Polkatex as I have just bought 2 jackets coated in the stuff. Earth Sea Sky told me the water-based treatments aren't effective and my experience with the 2 usual brands - Grangers and Nikwax - were that they were a waste of time so I bought the ESS solvent-based Gecko Guard. At 25 dollars a bottle, it wasn't cheap but worked so much better. I handwashed my GoLite goretex jacket in a bucket, not the machine as the machine has detergent residues, using Sportswash. I rinsed it very thoroughly and put the Gecko Guard on as per instructions, paying particular attention to the upper surface of the arms, shoulders, and where the pack drips onto the back of the jacket and of course dried the jacket in the clothes drier. I gave away any remaining Nikwax and Grangers. The Gecko Guard did me for 2 or 3 treatments but then again, it's a helluva lot cheaper than buying a new jacket and not a waste of time. ESS says NZ isn't allowed to import solvent-based DWR (which is what is actually applied in the factory at point of manufacturing) so they got the Gecko Guard made here to get around that issue. Wood smoke will also trash the DWR treatment. I wear my DriDucks over the jacket if I'm hanging around a smoky fire. I painted that awesome electrician's tape where the pack straps sit on the DriDucks and at the bottom of the sleeves. This also strengthened the frail fabric big time.