Hey guys,

Just wondering on waterproofing gear.

I've got a foursquare jacket that I'm looking to do but there is no info on any of the tags on which stuff to use (spray/wash through). I'm assuming that Nikwax tech wash should be fine to use on this? Jacket is 15,000mm Waterproofing / 10,000g Breathability

I've also got some Volcom pants which say to only use spray water repellant only but having used this already with little to no improvement (gear still came very close to soaking through (items in pockets were wet/damp after last time I wore them but it was dumping with snow here so it's pretty wet/heavy compared to overseas and pants are only 10,000mm Waterproofing / 10,000g Breathability ) I'm tempted to use the wash through nikwax stuff aswell but I'm wondering if I should avoid this given the warning on the tag?

Cheers,
Mike.

Tech wash will be fine for your jacket. Is it insulated at all or just a shell? Probably not a bad idea to use Nikwax TX Direct spray after you wash them, for both jacket and pants.

http://www.nikwax.com/en-gb/products/productdetail.php?productid=16

I don't think Tech Wash could hurt your pants. Tech Wash doesn't have any detergent in it; it's pretty gentle. How else are you meant to wash them?

That said, you can't fully 'waterproof' your pants. They are 10,000 and that's all they will ever be, no matter what wash/spray you use on them. Did you put them in the dryer after the last time you sprayed them? Most technical fabrics say to put the outerwear through a warm cycle in your clothes dryer to revive the DWR coating (water repellency) and the breathability of the fabric.

Pants say to machine wash cold with powder detergent but spray for waterproofing - the TX direct spray on was what I used previously and just allowed the pants to air dry. I figured being only 10,000 they'd do an alright job, the never had this sort of issue when I wore them in whistler so I was quite surprised that they came so close to soaking through recently, but then again our snow here is heavier and wetter than whistler.

Jacket is just a softshell so not exactly insulated as such.

If it says to use powder detergent, then Tech Wash will be fine; it's much more gentle than detergent.

10,000 isn't very waterproof, especially in wet weather conditions. 10,000 will soak through when it's really wet. You need 20K or Gore-tex if you want to stay dry in wet weather conditions, ideally Gore-tex. I know it's expensive but well worth the money if you ride a lot.

Cheers for the quick replies jeremy, can make sure all the gear is done by thursday night when i leave for perisher now

Yeah I've already decided my next pants will be gore-tex, figure the extra investment will be well worth it. Just want to get a bit more life out of these pants and save them as a 2nd pair for the NoHe season.

If you buy Gore-tex pants you won't need a second pair.

touche haha

same time it never hurts to have a backup

Sweet thanks for the info! I was wanting to know about this too

Just a quick question. My jacket and pants are burton and they say their dryride.. Is that gore-tex or is it just a gimick that burton has?

Also so i should machine wash my pants and jacket then spray it or use this tech wash stuff?

This is my jacket : http://www.burton.com/mens-jackets-the-white-collection-puffaluffagus-jacket/232407,default,pd.html?start=2&cgid=mens-jackets&prefn1=filterCollection&prefv1=The White Collection
(P.S you may have to copy and paste the link into your address bar seeming it doesnt highlight all the link code )

This is my pants : http://www.trails.com/gear/p/burton/mens-ronin-cargo-pant/

Your pants and jacket are rated at 10,0000 (according to the websites you provided)

They are NOT goretex.

When I wash my jacket and pants (have 2 sets and both set are goretex/goretex XCR), I only use Nikwax Tech Wash. I do not use standard detergent at all. From the literature I have read (who knos how true it is so standard disclaimers apply here) normal washing detergent accelerates the deterioration of the waterproof membrane on ski gear. No idea if its true but what I can say with certainty is that I have had my gear for a couple of seasons now (had 80+ days of riding in them) and washed them in Nikwax Tech Wash only 3-4 times. My jacket and pants still keep me dry like they were brand new. It pays to invest to good gear if you want to stay dry....

FYI...
a link to my pants http://www.burton.com/mens-pants-ak-3l-hover-pant/232473,default,pd.html?start=21&cgid=mens-pants (slightly different to latest model)
a link to my jacket http://www.arcteryx.com/product.aspx?EN/Sidewinder-SV-Jacket (different colour to latest model)

where can you buy this nikwax tech wash?

Most ski/snowboard shops should stock it....You can also get from outdoor stores (eg. Kathmandu, etc)

http://www.kathmandu.com.au/Footwear/Accessories/60109/Nikwax_Loft_Tech_Wash.html

More info on NikWax http://www.nikwax.com/en-gb/products/productdetail.php?productid=4

RJH - 24 August 2010 11:14 PM

where can you buy this nikwax tech wash?

Any good snowboard store should have it.

kort - 24 August 2010 11:23 PM

Most ski/snowboard shops should stock it....You can also get from outdoor stores (eg. Kathmandu, etc)

http://www.kathmandu.com.au/Footwear/Accessories/60109/Nikwax_Loft_Tech_Wash.html

More info on NikWax http://www.nikwax.com/en-gb/products/productdetail.php?productid=4

Other than the Nixwax tech wash, do you need anything else to maximize water proofing on pants, jacket and gloves?

You can use the Nikwax TX Direct spray after you wash them with Tech Wash.

http://www.nikwax.com/en-gb/products/productdetail.php?productid=16

Also just as a reference RJH the sticker price from where I got mine from was $19 for the tech wash and the spray was $29

cheers guys !