that IS good advice  - call the mfgr.
last year tried nik wax tech wash
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and dryer
this year the atsko silicone water guard (the can does state that it allows leather and fabric to breathe but yeah that doesn't necessarily mean goretex/dwr)
i noticed on some forum a couple people called marmot and said the garment was no longer waterproof. marmot had them send it in and replaced it with new. one guy said he couldn't see any damage even though marmot said the coat was "de-laminated".

That was some good advice M_M_ 

I don't have Marmot gear, but I'm sure the recommendations for DWR care goes across the board.

They have an informative video about cleaning DWR garments and I learned something
about the proper detergent to use.

I didn’t see anything about products like the silicone waterproofing ruining the breathability of DWR, but IF liquid detergent is bad for them, I have to think that silicone would destroy the breathability which would basically make your DWR garment just like a coated nylon one.

Click on the video, it’s pretty funny.

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trouble with using waterproofing on DWR is that you can plug up the pores that allow the jacket to breathe, so you just get a lot of condensation inside and get wet anyway

I'd check the Marmot website and see what they recommend - I'll bet there's an answer in the FAQs, but if not, send them an e-mail and ask what they recommend for thier product - might be a safer way to go.

I've never treated any of my rain jackets, just eventually replace with new ones

After purchasing this stuff online, later discovered they stock it at the local Walmart (camping section) where it was not only it cheaper, the spray can was extra sized.
I like this stuff. Not bulletproof but water and dirt don't stick to packs and equipment nearly as easily.
I've no doubt rain gear is helped by this but: the only heavy rain we saw this year was during strenuous portage and there was no way to know how rainproof it was with all that perspiration.

Quote:


I never tried it for waterproofing garments, but I used it for other chemicals and don't see why it wouldn't work for waterproofing.

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Spray cans are always a poor economic choice for what you get out of the can. I have numerous spray paint cans that I tossed because they had run out of propellant but still had plenty of paint. I use a electric paint sprayer now.

i have issues with all of the aerosol water proofers running out of propellant before the liquid is gone. i sprayed both tents and rainflys yesterday. i was hoping to have enough between the two cans to do my rain coat, but ran outta air. oh well. my coat still beads well, its 4 years old, but i only use it for canada. it packs down so the size of 2 slices of bread and fits nicely in the pocket of my lifejacket.

i used the atsko silicone this year and last year and in previous years and it always seemed to work well. other years ive used the kiwi brand stuff and i didnt like it as much. i spray a whole can on each tent every year.

the last 2 years i did the atsko silicone. when i applied it yesterday, the spray actually pooled on top of the fabric a little in certain spots. in years after the kiwi brand, the atsko has soaked into the fabric nearly everywhere.

zski wrote on May 6^th, 2015 at 2:52pm:


If you put this on a canoe will it just skim on top of the water?

THIS is the stuff to watch out for: 
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That is good to know.  Looks like it would be easier to apply then the nikwax product.  When I get my nikwax product used up I will be checking out the spray on products.

ok :  got this stuff on the jacket
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and water is beads off better than ever. the test was rather short so not sure about a soaking rain.
spray on, let dry, activate in the dryer. they say the coating is supposed to last 25 washes.

also used similar product by the same company on some packs and such
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product seems to work well, the only downside is the propellant ran out before the product. this on both cans

third product to consider:
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beading is nothing, how about rain bouncing off !