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The $60 rain jacket that took three trips to finally prove itself
Picked up a cheap shell at the surplus store in Portland last spring, figuring it was a gamble. First two downpours it wicked water right through, I was ready to toss it. Third storm I wore it with a hoodie underneath and that combo held up fine for a 40 minute dog walk. So was the jacket bad or was I just not layering it right, anyone else have gear that only works when you figure out its weird sweet spot?
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cole3564d ago
Rain jackets with taped seams usually need a wash or two before they work right. New shells come with a factory coating that can actually mess with the water repellency until it wears off a bit. Also the surplus store stuff might've been stored folded for years, which kills the outer DWR layer. Try washing it with tech wash and hitting it with a heat cycle in the dryer, that reactivates the waterproofing. The hoodie combo probably just gave the jacket a second chance to do its job once the inner layer soaked up the condensation. Most likely the jacket was fine all along, it just needed a reset.
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