Saving your gear

[geargrrl]

ok, here's mama geargrrl's tips for rescuing and preventing clothing blowouts etc.

Tears - no duct tape please! Yes, it works in a pinch but the goo is gross. You can get a great product that's peel and stick gortex repair tape for about $5 at REI, EMS and other good gear stores.

Zippers-
#1. Undo it all the way, don't try and squeeze out of your side zip pants with the zip undone part way. That's how you blow out the teeth. (racer kids are notorious for this)

#2 make sure it's threaded all the way into the slider before you zip it up. If you have to force it, it's probably not threaded all the way.

#3 on gear bags, overstuffing it can really blow out your zipper.

#4. If you lose the pull handle, a paper clip or safety pin threaded through the slider works in a pinch.

#5. If the zipper is not staying together when you zip it, it most likely means the slider is bent or worn out; most alteration shops can fix this.

#6. If the zipper starts separating on the hill, or the slide isn't staying put, a safety pin is the best quick fix until you get home or are done for the day.

#7 if you lose a top stop, take a double threaded needle and just go around and around until you have a blob of thread; that will keep the slider on.

that's all I can think of for now...

 

[Robyn]

Great tips! What about some tips on best washing procedures for tech gear? Do you have any of those?

 

[geargrrl]

Laundry tips

Sure, laundry.... I am positive I've posted most of this before. but here goes.

Best tip is to get someone else to do it.

Washing -
How often is up to you. It is my belief that laundering won't harm your gear IF you do it correctly. Most shell clothing has a two-part function: DWR ( durable water repellency) coating that has to be redone every so often, and a breathable membrane that can get gunked up with sweat, grime, etc. I do my black pants once mid season, once at the end of the season.

Products -use the right product. Nikwax, Grangers and Revive-x all make product specifically for shell clothing. It's usually a two step process: you wash it, then you renew the DWR with a partner product. Powdered detergent is sometimes recommended, soap is no longer recommended. Grangers and Nikwax also make products for down, fleece, waxed cotton, washing, waterproofing... read the label to make sure you are getting the right stuff.

Dryers: a trip through the dryer at a moderate temp will help to keep your DWR active. Not too hot thought, too hot will cause delamination, melting etc.

Professional Laundering - careful, the temps that they use are really, really hot. Also, dry cleaning is not recommended, if you must dry clean ask for a clear solvent rinse.

Hand washing - Woolite is a rip off. It's actually a harsh detergent with lots of conditioner added. Use baby shampoo, lots cheaper and much gentler.

Dryer sheets and fabric softener - these are no-nos with technical fabrics, base layers etc. The stuff on them gums up the wicking properties of fibers.

WIN Sports detergent. Another ripoff, it's regular detergent with Oxyclean added to it.

Stains, chair lift grease etc. The folks at Gore told me that Shout and things like that are ok. I've been know to go after stuff with a mild Simple Green solution, dabbed or spotted on, but YMMV.

Shell clothing's properties WILL wear out. I think five - 8 years is a reasonable life span to expect full performance- I've used things a lot longer but they do get to a point where you just can't revive the DWR no matter how much you paid for it.

uh, that's all I can think of for now.

 

[geargrrl]

oh wait, one more....

drum roll, the stinky gear recipe.

This is guaranteed to get the perma-stink out of just about anything.

Soak in "Biz" overnight, at least 12 hours. this is an enzyme
based presoak that goes after organic matter, not your regular presoak.
Then, rinse that out and then run through the wash with a laundry product
called Oxyclean, which is not an detergent it's an additive. You should be
able to get that at any supermarket.

 

[itri]

Great info, geargrrl! Robyn beat me to the punch...as I was reading your original post, I was thinking I should ask you about laundering.

One question, the products you mentioned...are they available in b&m stores like REI or is there anywhere online you could recommend? I think you mentioned on the other thread that Tide is really harsh, so I guess I should wait to wash until I get something else since that's what we use for everything else!

 

[geargrrl]

The places in my city that sell is are
REI
Mountain Gear
Alpen Haus ( independently owned ski shop)
and a few camping stores.

Best to just call around to places that you think might have it, or check the websites for dealer locators

 

[Gloria]

What do you recommend for repairing tears in softshell fabrics?

 

[geargrrl]

Ugh, those are the worst. There's no good way to do it. I will usually patch it. Due to my work I've got snips and snippets of every kind of fabric imaginable and I find some other softshell that is close.

Another option would be to put a stable fabric underneath the tear, and zig zag the edges down into the correct position.

 

[Jilly]

I was told by the Columbia rep not to use liquid detergent on any of their products. They only suggest powder. I like the idea of baby shampoo over wool-lite.

And for us Canadian Diva's - good ole Grime Eater - Laundry stain remover, for those grease stains.

https://www.grimeeater.com/page 16.htm

 

[whitewater girl]

any alternatives to baby shampoo? (oddly enough, the stuff makes me break out in a rash)...Thanks

 

[Gloria]

Adding a cup of vinegar in the fabric softener device breaks down detergent and soap residue. It should work for baby shampoo. DD is allergic to soap residues and since I have started doing with this with her clothes it's been smooth sailing.

 

[itri]

I use vinegar instead of fabric softener for all my workout clothes since most are tech/wicking materials. It doesn't do quite as good a job as fabric softener (and the static is driving me nuts right now), but it also doesn't kill off the wicking properties!

 

[geargrrl]

Vinegar, good idea! I always used it in diaper rinses.

Baby shampoo allergies, hmm. I wonder what additive it is? Maybe something from the natural foods store might be better?

 

[itri]

Ha, that's *exactly* what got me started with vinegar because we cloth diaper!

There was a little blurb in the outdoor section of the newspaper today touting Nikwax. Definitely need to check that out...

 

[SnowHot]

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added Video of Marmot's instruction for waterproof gear care.