Keep your soft shells in prime condition

At the start of your climbing season, (for some of us it’s never really over) it’s time to rejuvenate those soft shell jackets and pants.  Here’s some tips, directly from the Mountain Hardware website:

“For best performance, it is a good idea to keep your waterproof/breathable Gore-Tex® or Conduit™ shell clean and its DWR (durable water repellent) finish freshly charged. This means keeping oil and grease away from the garment, washing it when it gets dirty and reapplying its DWR finish.

Shells can be machine-washed in warm (not hot) water using regular powdered laundry detergent. Wash in a front-loading washing machine only. Do not use Woolite, other cleaners with lanolin (or any other oil), or fabric softener. Put the garment through at least two rinse cycles, as the detergent can interact with the DWR finish and needs to be totally rinsed out of the material.

After the shell has been washed, reapply the DWR finish while the garment is still damp.  These spray on treatments are available from most nay local outdoors shop.  The heat of the dryer will help set the DWR finish into the fabric. Tumble dry on medium heat.”