We’re not talking 400 quid mountaineering quality i admit, but I purchased a north face waterproof (£120 ish) at the end of July, mainly for dog walking and Sunday morning football duties. At first it was great and water would bead off it, now it just seems to soak up and after 90 mins of exposure yesterday I was wet across the shoulders and back. Its never been washed as it hasnt had that much use.

https://www.thenorthface.com/help/product-care.html

MY SHELL JACKET WILL NOT STAY DRY ANYMORE. WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT IT?

All of The North Face Outerwear shell fabrics are treated with a Durable Water Repellent finish (DWR). This finish helps the shell fabric resist wetting by causing the water to bead-up so it easily falls off before being absorbed into the fabric. Additionally, some of our performance fabrics have a waterproof back finish (such as GORE-TEX® fabrics and HydroSeal®) that prevents penetration of the water through the fabric. As a garment is worn and used over time, accumulation of soils from external sources as well as from your own body can lessen the performance of these finishes.

In order to revive the DWR, follow the cleaning instructions on a tag inside the garment. In most jackets, you will find the tag stitched in the seam at the waist. When cleaning your garment, attach all Velcro® closures and zip all zippers. It is recommended to put the product through two rinse cycles to ensure that there is no detergent residue. The entire outside of the garment can also be touched up with a warm iron on the steam setting after laundering to aid in restoring the DWR properties.

This process should revive the DWR. For even better performance, treat your product with a coating of a DWR spray such as Tectron®. This maintenance program is only required when water stops beading up on the outer surface of the fabric.

+1

If it’s GoreTex then you’ve got a 5 year guarantee. But it will be sent off and tested.

Make sure you clean your washing machine to ensure there is no detergent left before putting your coat in. Get the tray out and give the tray and tray slot a good clean before washing some tea towels on a couple of rinse cycles.

I could only recommend following the instructions on the garment but it has always felt wrong ironing a waterproof so in the past I’ve done a short tumble dry.

but I purchased a north face waterproof

You sure its meant to be waterproof?

As above, DWR re-activation is your first action, then some re-proofer like Nik Wax if that doesn’t help

I’d agree with charliew, but take it a few stages further

Leading up to the re-proofing, I’d have a load of towels and bedding ready to go through the boil wash until there’s no soap or foamy residue at the end of the wash cycle.

You can speed up the cleaning of the washing machine by adding some clear vinegar to the rinse cycle (not the brown coloured stuff that you put on your chips!)

Best of luck!

In fact, if you’re doing it right, there should be an absence of foamy suds during the wash cycle of your towels/ bedding…a sign that you’ve washed out any soapy residue.

Getting rid of the soapy residue from your washing machine is essential, as it would otherwise inhibit the re-proofing process.

If you were genuinely wet across the shoulders and it is a waterproof then it’s clearly letting water in at some point. DWR re-activation if it is properly leaking won’t solve a thing, as DWR doesn’t stop the rain coming in, it just helps the rain run off.

I’d be wary of sucking it up if the jacket’s never been washed, could taste a bit minging.

I could only recommend following the instructions on the garment but it has always felt wrong ironing a waterproof so in the past I’ve done a short tumble dry.

I’d be wary of tumble-drying. You have limited control over the temperature and it’s also quite abrasive – note all the fluff that tumble driers generate. Ironing is fine if you follow the manufacturer’s instructions and avoid ironing on reflective trim and plastic components. It has the advantage that you’re be more aware of excessive heat. Most aftermarket treatments these days don’t need heat-treating anyway.

If it’s leaking, take it back to the retailer.

If you were genuinely wet across the shoulders and it is a waterproof then it’s clearly letting water in at some point.

Not necessarily.

A wetted out jacket doesn’t breathe, so the moisture condensing on the inside of the jacket can’t get out of the fabric like it should do and then just sits there. Plus a wet jacket will be colder so that increases condensation and the cold feeling that makes us think we’re wetter than we are.

The DWR on conventional waterproofs can wear off quickly, but <6 months sounds a bit poor (but not uncommon), unless it’s had a hard life (doesn’t sound like it has been used with a pack?). Rain still shouldn’t get through the waterproof membrane in normal conditions. Are you completely sure it’s not getting wet from the inside (breathability will be compromised if it is wetting out)? If the DWR needs care, give it a try yourself, if the waterproof membrane has failed it should go back. At £120 it probably will be sub-goretex (hyvent?).

I’ve been told by outdoor shop employees that jackets can hang around for quite a while in the supply chain folded in boxes or hanging on racks being jostled around in transport or being moved etc, and this can start rubbing off DWR quite effectively. She said they’d had to reproof ‘new’ jackets almost straight away.

Top tip for reproofing – use the spray. It’s messier, but you don’t end up coating the inside of the jacket which with most fabrics stops it breathing completely for a few goes until it starts wearing off the inside.

Is it actually sold as being waterproof (rather than water resistant etc)? Has it got taped seams?