What to do to make membrane clothing last as long as possible

You’ve probably heard the following: For your jacket to last as long as possible, you need to wash it as little as possible. Thus, this statement, which is still generally rooted in the subconscious of people, certainly does not work like this and it is the main cause of losing the product functionality too early and of your disappointment.

What exactly is the membrane?

The membrane is a thin layer of functional film laminated on the top fabric. Its task is to withstand two completely opposite parameters, namely, to release as much water vapor produced by our body as possible and, on the other hand, not to release a drop of water and not to blow through. Does it seem impossible? Today it is already possible and what was unthinkable a few years ago is quite common today.
Today’s modern laminates can "breathe out" even quite high physical activity while maintaining waterproofness. This is achieved mainly by thinning the membrane, which today is only 7 microns thick. Depending on whether the membrane is still connected to the lining or not, we distinguish whether it is a three-layer or two-layer laminate.

What harms the membrane the most?

As we have written above, one of the main tasks of the membrane is to transfer the water vapor produced by our body during sweating to the external environment. The problem is that sweat is not only water, but also contains salt and fats, which settle in the membrane, gradually contaminate the membrane and, if not washed away by regular maintenance, slowly degrade the membrane.
This will happen sooner or later to all of our functional clothes, each of us has a different production and composition of sweat. For this reason, the first symptoms always occur in the neck and lower part of the hood, where contact with the skin is most intense.

Then it can easily happen that we take the jacket we haven’t washed from our wardrobe 6 months later and we suddenly realize it has started to let water through, which will definitely not please us thinking of those considerable costs and we wonder how it is possible with such an expensive product.

What to watch out for:

• Beware of mechanical damage when going through bushes, throwing the jacket on the ground or using the jacket as a pad for sitting on a stone, for example.
• When washing, it is necessary to close all velcro, they can cause miniature cracks when rolling in the washing machine and do not wring the product

What to do to enjoy my clothes as long as possible:

• Look after the jacket or pants regularly and correctly
• Maintain a functional water-repellent finish of the upper fabric
• Beware of mechanical damage
• Use waterproof clothing for activities it is intended for, if it is not necessary, replace it with a softshell jacket, for example. It is definitely recommended and more comfortable for you.
• Before storing in the closet after the season, wash the clothes according to the instructions.

Detailed instructions how to wash membrane clothing properly

It seems my jacket is leaking, what should I do?

Keep calm, nothing is lost yet. Thanks to our own production, we can solve most problems.

Do a small analysis of what actually happened to you, here are the most common situations:

• When it rains, the water soaks into the top fabric (the jacket appears damp and cold, but you don’t have wet stains under the jacket). In this case, the membrane is fine and only the water-repellent layer has worn out, which can be easily restored by impregnation.
  
  You have a wet stain under your jacket. It can be a local damage, caused for example by a puncture, or in the extreme case, the membrane could be destroyed for the above reasons. In this case, send us your jacket or pants, briefly describe the problem, and mark the place where you think the product has leaked through. We can accurately identify the place on a special device. If it is a local damage (hole), we will use a patch to repair your piece of clothing for free. In case of major damage, we can replace the entire part. In any case, we will test the product, contact you and suggest a solution.

Did you know?

The final parameters of the laminate are not only affected by the membrane, but it is mainly the top fabric.
So, the parameters of the laminates can be very different in the end, even if the same membrane is used everywhere.

In conclusion:

Over time, every membrane and its special features will expire. However, the jacket or pants do not need to be thrown away. You can still wear them for normal everyday use or skis.
Of course, if you are planning a more demanding hike, where you need 100% protection against rain, be sure to look for a new product.