A pricey shell jacket is soaking through on the chairlift. The membrane isn’t broken.
Sounds strange, right?
Most skiers curse the jacket, then begin their search for a new jacket they don’t need. Nine times out of ten though, that jacket is good. The invisible outer finish has just worn off.
The good news is… it can be resurrected in about 1 hr.
What you’ll pick up:
- Why “waterproof” jackets suddenly stop working
- How often technical outerwear should really be washed
- The DWR refresh method that actually works
- When to reproof and when to repair
Start With Gear That’s Worth Maintaining
Maintenance is only worthwhile if you bought the right shell in the first place. It’s the most compelling reason to buy ski gear in person rather than betting on a size chart at midnight. Jackets need to be tried over a mid-layer, not a tee shirt. The hood needs to accommodate a helmet. Cuffs, powder skirts and vent zips all feel vastly different slipping them on in a dressing room than they do on a product page. That’s why roughly 52% of consumers say trying things on is the primary reason they visit a store.
Then there’s the advice. Walk into one of the Sun & Ski shop locations and you’ll quickly jump from colour choices to discussion of fabric weight, membrane type and even how to wash the garment at home. That last detail is what most online checkouts don’t mention. Customers who purchase ski clothing face to face tend to walk out with a really good understanding of what their jacket is actually made of, and that knowledge is what makes it waterproof five years down the road.
What DWR Actually Does
Every technical shell has two waterproofing systems working together. Not one.
The membrane is on the inside. This is the Gore-Tex (or equivalent) layer that physically prevents water reaching your body, but allows sweat vapour to pass through.
The DWR is on the exterior. DWR is short for Durable Water Repellent. It’s a treatment applied at the factory that coats the face fabric with a super-tiny layer of water repellent. It helps water bead up and roll off before the outer fabric absorbs it.
Why does that matter so much?
If the outer material becomes wet, the membrane ceases to breath. Sweat vapour has no place to escape to, so it condenses on the inside. You become clammy, chilly and certain the jacket is no good. It’s not.
This is called wetting out, and it’s the single most misdiagnosed problem in outerwear.
Why DWR Wears Off
DWR is called “durable” but it was never meant to be permanent.
Three things kill it:
- Dirt and body oils clog the treated fibres and stop them shedding water
- Abrasion from backpack straps, chairlift seats and ski edges physically scrubs it away
- Repeated washing with the wrong detergent strips the finish
Nearly all performance ratings will indicate that a fabric remained approximately 80% dry after ten washes. Ten washes. High end shells can get you further, but even the best treatments will diminish with actual wear.
The simple test: Spray water on the shoulders and forearms. If the water beads up into little balls and rolls off, all is good. If the material darkens and water flattens out, the DWR is gone.
How Often Should Technical Outerwear Be Washed?
This is where most people get it badly wrong.
They clean the jacket once per season, maybe. Makes sense. Washing degrades DWR. Correct?
Wrong.
Dirty cloth does not absorb water nearly as well as dry cloth. Sunscreen, sweat, and chairlift grease all coat those fibers and attract water molecules directly inward. A dirty jacket equals a wet jacket.
A sensible washing cycle looks like this:
- Every 10 to 12 days of hard use during the season
- Immediately after any trip involving heavy sweat, mud or sunscreen
- Once at the end of the season, before storage
- Once before the first trip of the new season
Weekend ski jackets generally require three or four washes per year. Hardly rocket science.
The Washing Method That Won’t Wreck Your Jacket
Normal laundry detergent is your worst enemy. It causes residue that attracts water, which you don’t want on a shell.
Follow these steps:
- Close all zips, fasten the storm flaps and loosen the hood drawcords
- Empty every pocket and rinse the detergent drawer out first
- Wash using a technical wash. Never detergent, never fabric softener.
- Run a gentle cycle at around 30°C with an extra rinse
- Skip the fabric softener and skip the bleach entirely
Then comes the part almost everyone forgets.
Heat Is What Reactivates DWR
DWR doesn’t just wash off. It also lies down flat.
Dry clean treated fibers are suspended upright when functioning correctly. Heat is what reactivates them. Tumble dry on low for approximately 20 minutes after washing. You can also place a towel between the fabric and a low setting iron if you do not have a dryer.
A huge number of “dead” jackets come back to life at this exact step.
Still wetting out? Now it’s time to reproof.
Reproofing: Spray-On vs Wash-In
When heat has failed the factory finish is permanently lost and must be replaced. There are two options.
Spray-on treatments are applied to the wet outer face only. These solutions are great to use on shells that have a taped membrane. Interior of the shell remains untouched allowing the membrane to breathe. They also allow you to double layer on high wear areas.
Wash-in treatments pass through the machine and uniformly treat entire garments. They are quicker and work better on soft shells, fleece and insulated items.
Spray-on is generally the safer option with ski jackets/bibs. Spray evenly, wipe away any drips on the lining, then re-dry with heat to set.
Getting More Seasons Out of Every Piece
Care isn’t only about repellency. Storage matters just as much.
Hang your shells on broad hangers in a dry closet. Never store them stuffed in a compression sack for months. Permanent wrinkles are permanent weak spots. Small repairs are worth it as well. Waxing sticky zips and covering pinholes with repair tape only takes minutes and stops the damage that can shorten a garment’s life.
Plus, your reward is greater than one jacket. According to WRAP research, extending the life of clothing by nine months reduces its carbon, water and waste footprint by up to 20%.
Tying It All Off
Waterproof gear doesn’t die. It gets neglected.
A quality shell’s membrane will often live longer than the wearer. What wears out is the finish on the outside, and the finish can be renewed.
The routine in short:
- Wash every 10 to 12 days of use with a technical cleaner
- Tumble dry low for 20 minutes to reactivate the DWR
- Reproof with a spray-on treatment when heat no longer works
- Hang it loose and dry between trips
- Fix small damage before it becomes big damage
Buy quality gear and maintain it well and one jacket will last you ten winters.
