In reply to CurlyStevo:
> Also I'd add my last jacket was a rab event jacket that I used for 6 years and only washed in pure soap, never had an issue.
That's one jacket. How many jackets do you think Event or Montane have seen in their testing...?
There are many reasons why instructions on a fabric manufacturer's website might be different from those of a clothing manufacturer. Especially if you're trying to compete with Gore, whose washing instructions have been notoriously poor 'any detergent at the market'.
The most likely reason is that clothing manufacturers have been given a more detailed explanation of fabric issues. This can be seen in a post by Julie Greengrass, formerly Montane's lead designer, on the discussion she'd had with Event, and the instructions Montane had been given. See the last post on this page:
http://www.outdoorsmagic.com/forum/gear/rab-jacket/9681.html
<quote>
Hi all, I see that some of you are having problems with eVENT. We've had a few jackets sent back to us (at Montane) with problems that you have described: wetting out, water coming through etc.
These problems in most cases are due to garments that have not been cleaned properly. We've spoken to eVENT UK and the guys in the lab in the states and they have recommended the following:
1. pre treat any really dirty areas with neat biological washing liquid (not with built in conditioner), if stained then use a very soft brush to gently scrub the stains off.
2. Close all fastenings and wash at 40 degrees C with liqid biological detergent. (
They have carried out extensive testing and found that pure soap or cleaners such as Nikwax Tech Wash do not clean out the pores in the fabric effectively enough to remove all dirt and grease.)
3. At the end of the cycle, give the garment an extra rinse to remove detergent residue.
If your garment is not overly dirty and you haven't had to scrub it then this may be all that you need to do...please goto step 6.
To reproof the garment:
4. wash in Tech Wash to remove all detergent residue,
5. wash in TX direct.
6. Let the garment drip dry
7. iron on 2dot setting to fully activate (or reactivate) the DWR.
</quote>
Which explains Montane's washing instructions.
However, all that said, I've always argued that anything with a DWR that you want to retain should only be washed in soap, but, if you do that and your Event jacket still appears to leak, then try the detergent wash, followed by a soap wash.