UKC

ive used techwash which is good
tx direct wash in which is meh
tx spray on which is fairly good
nubuck/suede, and fabric/leather proof which are good

what are down proof and fleece/polar proofing like?

are there better alternatives for Gtx/event, fleece, down etc?

In reply to owena:

You can proof fleece?

In reply to owena:

confused.com...
Surely Tech Wash is a detergent, and not a proofer?

It might improve the performance of some waterproof fabrics by getting them clean, but you'd then use TX Direct as a proofer to get better surface beading, etc?

Anyhow, the combination works OK for me. You do need to make sure your machine doesn't have lots of old detergent hanging around in it if you TX Direct to work.

In reply to Carolyn:

i just included it as its part of the recommended proofing process but is also good for regular cleaning

In reply to owena:
> nubuck/suede, and fabric/leather proof which are good

Dubbin is better, though more work to apply. There's Grangers G-wax, which I've used and rate highly. Or Nikwax do this:

http://www.nikwax.com/en-gb/products/productdetail.php?productid=499&itemid...

which is probably similar.

In reply to R_Blackburn:

i agree rub on waxes are better for boots etc but some footwear is a mix of leather and fabric and you wouldnt use it on them, which is why the nikwax is handy.
Having said that, I believe the Scarpa manta reversed sherpa / crosta leathers suggest using nikwax. But I dont want to divert from the main point of this thread.

More reviews please!

In reply to owena:
Never really had much success with any of them, despite cleaning out the washing machine and then tumble drying afterwards (in one case, I held off using a brand new machine until I'd done some jackets) - water beads a bit better, but not for very long.

Although that's about par for ANY product I've tried, not just Nikwax - they've generally been disappointing.

Tried doing some TNF down jackets with DownProof, but not really tested that yet - fabric held up to a bit of light drizzle, but hardly conclusive.

Trying a new one at the moment called Storm, which local outdoor shop thought was better than Nikwax, but too early to tell.

In reply to Carolyn:

pure soap liquid is much cheaper and just as effective as TX Direct

In reply to CurlyStevo:


Where do you buy that from? I looked in large Tesco and Asda stores and couldn't find it. Am I being blind or is it a niche product?

I ended up buying soap flakes from Amazon instead, which seem to do the job.

In reply to R_Blackburn:

You certainly used to be able to buy it in supermarkets (in with all the washing powders), but I use so little I haven't tried for a few years.

In reply to R_Blackburn:

Waitrose sell it but I have in the past bought it from Tesco's too. Soap flakes are not quite as good as the flakes take quite a while to dissolve properly and are a bit harder to judge the right amount.

In reply to Carolyn:

I use it for washing all my wool socks and my better softshel stuff too.

In reply to Tall Clare: you can use the "polar proof" on fleece. I got a free sample from the nikwax website, I haven't got round to testing it yet.

In reply to Chris Ridgers:

I think it's more that I'm baffled as to why anyone would *want* to proof fleece...

In reply to LastBoyScout:

Has anyone else tried waterproofing a regular down jacket or a fleece?

In reply to Carolyn: I got a box recently from Boots. Less than a fiver. Add the flakes to hot water to dissolve them, then pour it into the drum with whatever it is that you're washing. Easy!

In reply to NottsRich:

even easier to use pure soap liquid and still very cheap

In reply to Tall Clare: I can't see it being of much use in the hills but if it works it would be ideal for my work fleece! I work outdoors in all weather and its not alway possible to where waterproofs.

In reply to owena:

My friend who knows quite a bit about outdoor gear recently did an article on washing/proofing breathable/waterproof gear

http://gearandmountains.wordpress.com/2013/10/11/how-to-reproof-waterproof-...

Seems using Nikwax or Granger depends on your jackets washing instructions or your environmental feelings.

In reply to Tall Clare:


To make it water repellent...?

Which can mean that you don't need to wear a shell layer in mist or light drizzle (DWR'd Ultrafleece/K2/Karisma works quite well like this, as do microfibre fleeces). Or mean that it takes longer for the fleece to saturate, and quicker to dry when it does.

The only garment I wouldn't consider applying a DWR treatment to are wicking base layers. In an ideal layering system, a wicking base layer spreads sweat over its surface, and allows it to evaporate, and the resulting water vapour passes through the open structure of a fleece, and out through a breathable shell. Ideally, we don't want the fleece to wick and absorb lots of water, as that would be heavy, reduce the dead air space, and provide a reservoir of water that will chill you when you stop moving.

In reply to owena:

To get back to the original query, my experience of Nikwax TX10 wash-in was pretty poor until I did a thorough clean of my machine; 'soap' dispenser, water path, drum, etc. using elbow grease and a service wash*. A soap wash of something before I do a proofing wash clears the minor detergent residues from the liquid detergent in-load ball dispenser I now use; my soap tray and water path remain pristine.

* A recent major repair of my washing machine had me crack open the drum housing, and chip away unidentified accumulated residue. Hopefully, it's still pristine... Oddly, the outer faces of the drum had a waxy residue on them that could only be shifted with white spirit and more elbow grease. I thought it might be TX10 residue, but a query to Nikwax gave a prompt reply saying they'd found the same in their washing machine that is never used for proofing, and the thought that it might be a residue from washing products (conditioners, perhaps?).