DWR Reactivation? NikWax?

[cornfedkiller]

What do you guys use for DWR reactivation for your hunting clothing?

There are a few different brands I am looking at, and it seems like NikWax gets great reviews, but I don't know anyone that has actually used it.

They also have a bunch of different products, so can anyone suggest which ones they use? Softshell spray-on? Wash-in?

Anyone use the Softshell DuoPack to clean their stuff?

How about any of their other products? Tent and Gear SolarProof? Their boot products?

 

[LostArra]

I used ReviveX on a precip jacket and it worked well. Follow directions.

https://www.mcnett.com/gearaid/durable-waterproofing#36230

 

[KMT]

I have used NikWax on a few hard shells. I am very underwhelmed.

 

[tttoadman]

I sprayed down a C4E torrent jacket with nikwax, and I think it did some good. It seemed as though I had a couple weep holes in it. I didn't like how far I got with the nikwax spray bottle for the money you pay for it.

 

[Hillbilly]

KMT, how so? I recently bought their tech wash, and was planning on using the wash in DWR treatment when I got to that point. I have heard that it will never be as good as original. Just wondering if it's worth it or if there is a better mouse trap.

 

[Dos Perros]

For Goretex rain jackets I've used the Revivex and it works great. For hunting applications though, I'm unsure of UV and any scents it may contain.

 

[KMT]

KMT, how so? I recently bought their tech wash, and was planning on using the wash in DWR treatment when I got to that point. I have heard that it will never be as good as original. Just wondering if it's worth it or if there is a better mouse trap.

I could see no noticeable difference in water repellancy after using the NikWax.

 

[LostArra]

For Goretex rain jackets I've used the Revivex and it works great. For hunting applications though, I'm unsure of UV and any scents it may contain.

McNett makes a number of various products for repair or restoration and they all work well

 

[Poser]

I've used the Nikwax wash in applications. They aren't near as good as the factory DWR treatments, though,To compensate for this shortfall, I try not to wash shells very often -only when they need it and when I do wash, I use generous servings of the Nikwax application. You can always send your shells into Nikwax (and presumably other services as well) who will treat the fabrics for you.

You can also obtain the treatments to apply DWR at home and even under pressure similar to how hey are done at the factory. Someone on here spent some time in the hospital after they inhaled the application and it coated their lungs, so you probably need industrial grade breathing protection in addition to a pressurized sprayer to do this safely and effectively. If you were to invest in this equipment, night even be a potential small business model: professional DWR treatments for technical clothing, especially if you were based somewhere in the Northwest.

 

[bivouaclarry]

http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/rainwear-dwr.html

From the article: "Key point: DWRs diminish in performance due to a number of factors—dirt, body oils, abrasion and repeated launderings.

Often they can be revived by a washing and a few minutes of tumbling in a clothes dryer set on low or medium heat.
With heavily used garments, DWRs eventually need to be reapplied by a spray-on or wash-in product."

 

[jlh42581]

The first step is prevention, you never wash a DWR item with soaps available in the grocery store or most hunting soaps for that matter. Atsko being an exception, woollite would probably be ok too. You probably already know this but its by far the number one killer of DWR.

Nikwax definitely does something with wash in. I did it by hand in the sink as it uses less product. My hands were waterproof for days lol.

 

[airlocksniffer]

Nikwax and other dwr treatments seem to work for a short time but not even close to factory dwr. My old Marmot Precip would start to wet out in steady rain about maybe an hour later retreated vs not retreated.

 

[DaveC]

Late response, but odds are you don't need to retreat your clothing, just clean and reactivate the DWR.

DWR works because the coating forms little peaks/spikes which break up water surface tension, thus causing it to bead up and run off. Dirt and abrasion knock the peaks down, which is why bushwacking kills DWR so fast.

Wash your gear. Companies recommend special soap but I always use a small amount of normal detergent, and lots of water. Run an extra rinse cycle to get all the soap out, then machine dry the clothing and get it warm. I've seen different estimates, but it needs to be pretty darn hot. If you have a burly drier you might be able to melt and/or cause your waterproof stuff to start delaminating, so be careful.

I have Goretex stuff which is four years old and has thousands of miles on it, and I've had to retreat it two or three times. If you got stuff with a crappy factory DWR you'll need to do it sooner. Nikwax retreat stuff works well, as does Grangers.

 

[JPC]

What he said ^^

I used to run a ski shop back in the day and have talked to a lot of product reps. They all said wash it good and dry it on high heat. They never mentioned that you have to get it REALLY hot, but machine drying on high heat setting after a good washing will do the trick. I have heard this from Marmot, Patagonia, ArcTeryx and many more "high end" gear reps. I have also tried it and works great for me.

If you are in doubt, just call the customer service number for your manufacturer and ask they what they recommend.

 

[SHTF]

Just be careful how you use this stuff and wear a mask. The stuff put me in the hospital for a week back in 2013. You can read about it here.

http://www.rokslide.com/forums/show...Post-about-my-Christmas-and-a-product-warning