Hi!
Over the years my kit wardrobe has filled up somewhat.
As you might expect, a lot of it is in the lightweight waterproof category.
But I have a confession.
I am a little lazy in my wet-weather-gear-maintenance.
It gets used, dried, put away, used, dried, put away.
Until recently, if it wasn't absolutely covered in mud it never got washed.
But that's changed.
Because of this man.
Actually, also because of this man.
Rupert, Clive and I had been out riding in the rain.
Rupert and Clive were wearing the same Aqua Pac Jacket.
They had been riding for exactly the same amount of time in the rain (about 4 hours at this point).
Clive's Aqua Pac was about 3 years older than Rupert's.
But it looked brand new.
Like 'water beading off the surface' new.
It really took me by surprise.
At lunchtime as we dried off in a cafe I mentioned it to Clive.
"Oh that would be the Tech Wash."
It turns out Clive is RELIGIOUS about his wet-weather-gear-maintenance.
Not only does he regularly wash his gear with Tech Wash, he also re-proofs it using TX Direct (or similar reproofing product).
This combo is designed to help clean and restore water repellency to tech waterproof clothing like Gore-Tex.
Now, the Aqua Pac jacket is constructed from a 3-layer breathable and highly waterproof PU fabric, it works slightly differently to PTFE materials like Gore-Tex, but that's an email for another day.
The point is, using a wash / reproofing product regularly will have a MASSIVE impact on the performance of your wet weather gear.
Riding in the rain with Rupert and Clive has turned me into a believer.
My tent is being re-proofed in the washing machine as I type.
☔️
Greg Villalobos
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