Just bought a used but mint Gore Phantom.
It was washed prior to me buying it but I want to reproof it by spraying it with Nikwax Softshell Proofer.
Do I HAVE TO wash it first then spray it wet, or can I just spray it dry as it is?

I would like the answer to be the latter 😀

If you don’t know what it was washed in/with then it would be best to wash it again with a technical cleaner (e.g. Grangers/Nikwax) as any detergent residue will affect the water repellency.

What do the instructions say?

It says the former, but I was wondering if anyone had done it the other way and it worked…I know I’ll have to wash it again though which is a bit of an a*se. Cheers

Wash with soap flakes – that should do the trick should it not?

wash it with a tech-wash first – otherwise you’ll be keeping all the crap (sweat, oil, pollutants etc) in the fabric.

If you spray reproofer on when it’s dry most of it runs straight off so best to do it when it’s still damp (unless you want to proof your carpet).

is there a cheaper alternative to techwash? its good but its expensive, and in this weather, im washing shite loads of stuff every week, even a litre bottle is hardly going anywhere over 3-4 weeks 🙁

i know about soapflakes but you cant use them in a washing machine?

I didn’t know the Phantom needed proofing? I just wash mine in normal wash and I cannot say I’ve ever noticed any degradation in performance.

You can get liquid soap flakes from Tescos (if thats not an oxymoron?)