Re-waterproofing BD Stormline Jacket

My Stormline Jacket keeps "wetting out." I was wondering if anyone else has had success re-waterproofing their jacket and with what product.

Thanks, 

Best thing you may be able to do is try Techwash, then TX Direct Wash-In. But its never going to be as good as the factory-applied DWR. Jackets like these just have a life-span. Best to keep them as clean as possible, and wash them rarely, if ever.

Long Ranger wrote: Best to keep them as clean as possible, and wash them rarely, if ever.

NO. The Long Ranger is wrong

Every single manufacture of membranes and waterproof jackets tell you to wash them for a reason. If you have dirt and oil on the jacket you are reducing the DWR's ability, you are reducing the breathability, and reducing the lifespan of the jacket.

Wash you damn waterproof jackets people. And put them in the dryer as well, the heat helps to refresh the DWR. Arcteryx has a good few vids on it. 

Nikwax and the other brand that has all black bottles are both good products for refreshing DWR.

You missed, "Best to keep them as clean as possible". Washing a DWR jacket often with regular detergent will take off the DWR coating. Using Techwash/TX Direct is expensive - it'd be cheaper to just buy a new jacket if you wash it religiously. Dirty jackets clog up the pores that make up the inner membrane of a waterproof jacket and yes you should keep them clean, as performance will drop if they become clogged with oil.

The OP was asking specifically about a jacket that keeps wetting out. That's the DWR needing reapplication. Water should be collecting on the surface of the jacket in droplets - that's the DWR's job. The membrane is for breathability.

Long Ranger wrote: You missed, "Best to keep them as clean as possible". Washing a DWR jacket often with regular detergent will take off the DWR coating. Using Techwash/TX Direct is expensive - it'd be cheaper to just buy a new jacket if you wash it religiously. Dirty jackets clog up the pores that make up the inner membrane of a waterproof jacket and yes you should keep them clean, as performance will drop if they become clogged with oil.

The OP was asking specifically about a jacket that keeps wetting out. That's the DWR needing reapplication. Water should be collecting on the surface of the jacket in droplets - that's the DWR's job. The membrane is for breathability.

You missed that it's an outdoor jacket. That's like saying, you should keep your running shoes as clean as possible.   

"it'd be cheaper to just buy a new jacket if you wash it religiously"
1. You must be bad at math. Only takes 2oz of Techwash to hand wash a garment, 34oz cost $20.
2. Do not put words in my mouth. Wash it as it gets dirty, no reason to OCD wash it.

The reason I mention membranes as well is that in my profession I've worked with some of the biggest players in the waterproof breathable space, Goretex included. All of those companies have invested decades of research and development into how to make and maintain waterproof breathable garments. Never had one say that you shouldn't wash it as it gets dirty. I've also specifically asked about washing versus longevity of DWR. All of them say as long as you are NOT using harsh detergents you won't be degrading the DWR. Most DWR lost comes from abrasion and oil fouling. 

Forthright honestly, I think we're agreeing more than we are disagreeing.

I wash my Goretex stuff about once a year - the jacket wears out before it wetting out. When not in use, I stow it away and it stays ready.

I think problems that products like GoreTex try to solve are a difficult and the tech. isn't perfect. Or... why so much time/money devoted to R&D? DWR performance has degraded, as the OG best DWR is now a banned chemical. Maybe fundamentally, Goretex... is a flawed product.

Long Ranger wrote: why so much time/money devoted to R&D? DWR performance has degraded, as the OG best DWR is now a banned chemical. Maybe fundamentally, Goretex... is a flawed product.

i just did a little research on this and it is very surprising to learn about. i mean, its obvious dwr is pretty bad, but i didn't really know about the banned pfcs. i'm really curious about what new R&D is happening now. thanks for the tip!

Long Ranger wrote: Maybe fundamentally, Goretex... is a flawed product.

In a way, it is. It hasn't fundamentally changed since its invention whereas membrane technology/material use has. That's not to say it doesn't do as advertised. My main problem with GTX is not so much its performance, which is decent enough. It's more in the way it is constructed and therefore the way it needs to be maintained. Essentially, GTX is still a very fragile layer of stretched PTFE sandwiched between protective layers. 1) this makes for tricky maintenance hence the necessity of expensive technical detergents; 2) it makes for tricky recycling as it's never a mono-material; 3) it's still a microporous membrane, limiting its breathability. 

If you look at a lot of the competition and especially at the higher end of the spectrum, they are working with polyester mono-materials which are hydrophilic, meaning they are easier to wash and recycle, and they are more actively breathable.

Anyway, none of this helps TS. Wash your jacket, reapply a DWR as per manufacturer's instructions (beware the wash-ins, they don't work well on hydrophilic membranes as they need a spray-on) and put it in the dryer. But do accept that it will never be as good as the factory layer...

chris b wrote:

https://greenthemetek.com/

This has been hitting the market in the last ~2 years with select brands.  As of right now, this is where we are headed.  

chris b wrote:

i just did a little research on this and it is very surprising to learn about. i mean, its obvious dwr is pretty bad, but i didn't really know about the banned pfcs. i'm really curious about what new R&D is happening now. thanks for the tip!

The industry is shifting towards non carbon based DWR coatings. You might have heard or seen the phrase C0 DWR. This is also happening in the ski wax world, getting rid of hydrocarbons, in their race waxes since the FIS has ban on hydrocarbon waxes coming up.

Also the reason your renewed DWR will never be as good as a factory DWR is a few reasons

1. The process for applying it at home has to be reasonably easy and take into account things/ processes that are easily done at home. When those "gloves" are off you can do more permanent processes
2. Your jacket has already had abrasion, dirt, and oils foul it. All of those give more places for the water to grab hold of, even when you're putting on a hydrophobic coating.