2024-05-10
How to Wash a Rain Jacket (and Why You Need To)
You really only wear your waterproof gear when it’s actually raining, so you could be forgiven for thinking it’s not something you need to wash all the time. It’s practically getting a rinse every time you put it on, right? As it turns out, the more water your raincoat keeps off of you, the less it will work over time. As the outdoorsy know, this is called “wetting out”: If the exterior of your waterproof jacket is soaking up water in the rain rather than beading up (due to things like dirt, oil from your skin, sunscreen, and other contaminants), its breathable layer has stopped working and the water-repellant system is compromised. Your rain jacket needs a wash, and here’s how to correctly do it.