Here’s what Showers Pass, a well-regarded cycling clothing manufacturer, says about their waterproof/breathable garments:
Wash your jacket: Regular washing is essential to the proper maintenance of your jacket. With regular use, sweat and grime wear into the waterproof breathable membrane. This clogs the microscopic pores that allow moisture vapor to escape and compromises the breathability of the garment. Maintain breathability by routinely machine washing cold on a gentle cycle. Line dry.
Reapply DWR: All our waterproof fabrics are coated with a Durable Water Repellent (DWR) finish that causes water droplets to bead up and roll off. Over time, as the DWR wears off and water begins to saturate the outer material, the wet garment can feel heavy and the wet fabric can decrease the breathability of the garment. If water droplets don’t roll easily off the outer fabric, it is time for a fresh coating. Look for a spray-on or wash-in treatment made for waterproof-breathable fabrics, like NikWax TX Direct, and follow the directions on the bottle.
Reading through the 13 pages of comments, I notice that some folks found that the waterproofing DOES work while others noticed that from the beginning waterproofing DOES NOT work from day one! It seems it may be an issue in the manufacturing process, since there is such a disparity of experiences on this jacket. To the best of my memory, this jacket never was good for wet or damp weather, but the omniheat feature did help keep me warm with less bulk than I’d normally need.
For $200 I would also hope for more than 7 years worth of use from a jacket.
Particularly since the jacket description says “Waterproof. Breathable. Guaranteed.” and comes with a lifetime warranty. Good luck with it - I’m curious to hear how this turns out.
It seems we all have different expectations about what “lifetime warranty” and “waterproof” mean. This jacket is nice and warm but I do wish it were more water resistant or better yet, waterproof as claimed. I have gotten soaked while wearing it several times from shortly after acquiring it but it seems much worse now than ever before. Since we live in HI, I really don’t want a huge wardrobe of jackets and gear for cold weather, but just one multi-purpose jacket.
Will salt water break down Gore-Tex and other waterproof-breathable fabrics? (I’ve heard tales of salt spray drying in the fabric and grinding away at it from the inside like tiny saws.) Is there a better choice in outerwear for kayaking and sailing on the Maine coast? Stephanie South Thomaston, Maine
A:
When Gore-Tex first came out, salt from seawater had a tendency to get into the tiny pores in the material. The idea that the salt grinds away at the material is an interesting one, although not really the main problem gear makers were up against. Instead, the salt blocked the pores and eliminated the stuff’s ability to vent moisture from near the wearer’s body. W.L. Gore did some things with Gore-Tex’s microscopic-level design, and the problem was eliminated, although at the loss of some breathability.
So today it’s perfectly OK to use Gore-Tex in marine environments. Companies such as Kokatat use the same Gore-Tex you find in an REI store to make their paddling gear, such as the Kokatat Wave Drytop, a paddling/water-sport jacket that sells for $339 (www.kokatat.com). But Gore also makes what it calls “Ocean Technology” Gore-Tex, which uses a sturdier lamination formula and heavier face fabrics. It’s not designed for hiking around in, but for a wearer who’s constantly being doused with cold seawater. It’s also expensiveGill’s Ocean Jacket goes for $725 (www.gillmarine.com).
So there you go. No worries about using Gore-Tex around salt water; it works well and features in many seaworthy jacket designs.
“Limited Lifetime Warranty” is so vague, isn’t it? What does that actually mean? I notice they don’t really describe it.
Considering it was $200ish and you rarely use it, I don’t blame you for wanting to follow up. I’d definitely ship it back and see what they say. My guess is companies make customers jump through a few hurdles because they know many just won’t and it lets them off the hook. I’m really curious as to how Columbia is going to handle this so just to satisfy CC curiosity, do follow up and report back.
Because I’m curious, I looked up waterproofness (yes, according to Sierra Trading Post, it is a word). Columbia Omni-Tech adult gear is rated at 10,000 waterproofness (mm/24 hours) and 10,000g/m/2/24 hours breathability. There are a few brands like rated higher but of course some rated lower.
I’m pretty sure Columbia will honor their warranty and send me a gift card to buy something. I’ve been impressed with their customer service when I last contacted them about a jacket I had before that was literally shedding like snow and totally lost it’s waterproof protection where they had me mail it back and let me choose this jacket as a replacement.
Gore-Tex and DEET are not compatible, so careful with the bug sprays. My Gore-Tex jacket and rain pants from Campmor are still going strong after 26 years, just need a little care now and then. I wash it probably every 5 years.
Bugs fortunately don’t like me, so I don’t use or need bug sprays.
I tend not to spend much time in the rain, but would like SOME protection if we are caught in a drizzle or light rain (otherwise I use an umbrella). This jacket really doesn’t provide me with moisture protection and what little protection it ever provided has long since stopped. It DOES keep me warm, so I’m grateful for that.
I may try laundering with some of the special soap we bought for waterproof garments and see if it helps before sending it back to Columbia. Today is a very wet day and makes me think I’d be happy if the garment is more waterproof or at least resistant when I travel with it than it is currently.
I believe I paid over $300 for the predecessor jacket to this one. It also wasn’t as waterproof as promised and desired.
I did just hand wash and dry the garment as per the instructions, using special formulation made for “waterproof” technical gear made by the Nixwax folks. It still doesn’t bead up when water is sprinkled on it. :(. It tries to bead and then soaks right in.
