Take care of your shell clothes

Does the shell jacket not hold tight anymore? Do the shell pants feel trapped? In order for your shell jacket and shell pants to last a long time and retain their function, they need to be washed and impregnated regularly. A clear sign that the garments need some love is when the garments do not hold tight or when the breathability is perceived as impaired. In this guide, we go through how to wash your shell garments, reactivate the membrane, impregnate your shell clothes and give tips on how to repair the garments if an accident should occur.

Wash your shell clothes

You don't have to be afraid that your shell garments will wear when you wash them. Instead, imagine that a wash takes care of your clothes and makes them last longer. When you wash shell garments, the pores are rinsed clean of dirt, sweat and smoke, which means that the garment gets back its breathability. We recommend that you wash your shell clothes after you have worn them properly on about six occasions and that you use a liquid detergent adapted for shell garments. Follow the washing instructions in the garment and avoid fabric softener, bleach and fabric softener.

Reactivate the membrane

After you have washed your shell clothes, you need to reactivate the membrane. This you will do with the help of heat. It is the membrane that makes the garment resist moisture while releasing moisture. After washing the garment, it needs to dry - hang drying, tumble drying or drying cabinet is fine. When the garment is completely dry, it needs heat, run it in the dryer or drying cabinet for about 20 minutes. It is also possible to use an iron at a low temperature, but then put a towel between the garment and the iron. Now you have reactivated the membrane after washing and can use your shell garment as usual again!

Impregnate shell clothing

All shell garments are impregnated when you buy them, but after a period of use, you need to re-impregnate your shell garments. A clear sign that they need new impregnation is when small water droplets no longer form on the surface layer and that the surface absorbs water.

Before impregnating, always wash the garment. When the garment is clean, you can choose whether you want to impregnate by spray or by washing. Here at Outnorth you will find both variants. Impregnation spray goes fast; Just spray on the garment and let it dry. Detergent is also convenient as you let the washing machine do the work. After impregnation, you need to activate the membrane again, this you do with heat in the same way as we mentioned above. Either by running the garment in a dryer or drying cabinet for 20 minutes, or using an iron on low heat. Do not forget to place a towel between the garment and the iron if you use an iron. 

Repair your shell garments

If your shell garments are broken, you can usually repair them, instead of buying new garments directly. For example, if you get a tear in your jacket or your pants out on the adventure, it should be repaired quickly so that the hole does not get bigger. If you are on the road and do not have access to the right equipment, duct tape works just fine as a temporary solution. But when you're back at home, you should repair it properly – use a repair patch on both the inside and outside.

A broken zipper can be fixed in different ways. If it's just the runner that has broken, you can try a new runner from Zlideon, a patented Swedish innovation that makes it easy to fix the zipper. But if the entire zipper is broken, you need to scratch off and sew in a new zipper. If you are handy, you can do this yourself, otherwise we recommend that you hand in the garment to a professional tailor.