Looking after your outdoor gear has numerous benefits
Written by Rachel Tooley
Kit care enhances the lifespan of a product, meaning you can do your bit for the environment because you won’t need to throw so much away. This will also, of course, save you from forking out on a replacement! Well-cared-for kit also performs better, making your adventures even more enjoyable.
After working in the outdoor industry for over four years, and being a keen ‘earth girl’ since a young age, I’ve put together a few of my top tips to help your outdoor gear withstand the test of time.
Learn how to clean your kit correctly
Knowing how to clean your clothing, footwear, and equipment properly is incredibly important. This can help maintain the performance and longevity of outdoor products, and prevent them from further damage. It’s worth learning what your product is made from, and reading the manufacturers care guidelines thoroughly before it comes to washing or cleaning anything.
It’s also worth noting that there are certain products and materials that need cleaning with specific cleaning products, and under strict instruction. There are different variables that can actually cause damage to outdoor clothing during a cleaning process, like washers/dryers on too high heat, or chemical-laden cleaners not suitable for your item.
A good example to use is down-insulated jackets.
Down-insulated jackets must not be cleaned with regular detergent and fabric conditioner, as this can damage the down insulation, causing it to clump into a sticky mess. It can also cause detergent/conditioner build-up within the materials, which will not only leave it looking and feeling
greasy, but will impact the level of warmth you’re getting from the jacket, too.
Down jackets often use nylon-based outer fabrics, which are synthetic (plastic, essentially). These materials can literally be melted if washed or dried on too high heat. I have seen this first-hand whilst working in repairs, and it’s impossible to fix!
Other examples can include leather hiking boots, which often need cleaning in a different manner to synthetic boots, or pure merino wool layers, which barely need cleaning at all!
Most brands and retailers now offer comprehensive online guidelines for washing and cleaning specific products, so it’s worth doing your research. Brands such as Rab and Mountain Equipment also offer cleaning services, if you would rather get your items cleaned professionally. Most technical outdoor clothing would not be suitable for dry cleaning at a regular dry cleaners, due to the chemical-heavy processes that they can often use.
Nikwax is water-based and free of harmful solvents or persistent PFCs
Regular cleaning and maintenance
With industry-wide changes being introduced in recent years, especially in the world of waterproof clothing, regular cleaning and maintenance of kit is vital for maintaining performance. This is especially applicable to newer items.
Recently, brands and manufacturers have taken a step back from using harmful ’forever chemicals’ in their products, which has changed the chemical make-up of a lot of their waterproof and DWR (durable water repellent) technologies. This has especially impacted the waterproof clothing sector, with leading brands such as Gore-Tex at the forefront of the change.
This change means we need to wash and reproof our waterproofs much more regularly to prevent them from wetting out. This doesn’t necessarily mean that they perform and worse or are less durable, but it requires us to change our habits when it comes to washing them. Again, do your research and check out the necessary brand and retailer websites for further information on caring for your specific product.
Wearing your kit for the right conditions and types of adventures
Tailoring your clothing and footwear to your adventures is incredibly important. It not only impacts the quality of your experience out on the hill, but will once again help to maintain the performance and longevity of your equipment.
For example, opting for a shell jacket on a dry spring day may look stylish, but this can actually impact the performance of your waterproof in the long term. This almost ties into the previous point regarding regular maintenance.
If you wear a waterproof in dry conditions, you’re going to wear down the DWR (durable water repellent) unnecessarily. It’ll wear much quicker than if you just, quite literally, saved it for a rainy day. Wearing down the DWR will result in the material wetting out quicker, often making it feel
damp inside, due to the build up of sweat and condensation. Why does this happen? The DWR is what encourages water to bead on top of the material, essentially keeping the material and membrane dry, instead of allowing it to wet out.
By keeping the materials dry, the sweat and condensation are able to pass through the membrane and out of the garment. When the material wets out, the water that has soaked into the material essentially blocks the extra moisture inside from escaping. As a result, you will have to wash and reproof the item more often.
Know what you’re buying in the first place
Specific outdoor garments and footwear are designed for specific purposes, which is why it’s so important to purchase the product that actually suits your needs. Sometimes, buying the lightest weight jacket or softest pair of trail shoes might seem like the smart or most comfy option; but if you’re buying an ultra lightweight, tech-savvy piece of kit for every day use, it’s likely that those super lightweight materials won’t be as durable, because that’s not what they’re designed for. Before making a purchase, ask yourself ‘lightweight, or rightweight?’.
Another example is buying a heavyweight insulated jacket because you think you need maximum warmth, or maybe it looks cool. This hefty jacket is likely built for static activities like belaying, so if you end up wearing it for hill-walking with the dog, you’re probably going to find yourself overly sweaty when you get reach the trig point!
Get it repaired
A huge array of brands and independent businesses now offer repair services, from stitched patches to replacing the entire sole of a boot. By repairing an item, we’re keeping things in the loop instead of sending them to landfill, and probably saving money instead of buying replacements, too. Repairs are available in a range of sectors including clothing, footwear, and equipment like sleeping bags and tents.
There’s also plenty of options for DIY at-home repairs, such as stick-on patches, ‘gear glue’, and tape, which can be purchased online or from most outdoor retailers.
So, as you can see, looking after your kit can be pretty cost-savvy, environmentally responsible, and can help your adventures to be more enjoyable overall.
If you have any tips and tricks you’d like to share in keeping your kit well maintained, and helping it last for longer, we’d love to know!
‘Repair don’t replace’ with Repairhaus from Berghaus.
Rachel Tooley – Copywriter
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