Long-Term Durability of Polartec NeoShell?

[Philip Tschersich]

I may have perhaps washed it once (not sure if even that many times). I usually let the rain do the washing. The Neoshell is supposedly less susceptible to the pores getting plugged with dirt and oils, so I never felt the need. I also never applied any treatment to it since it had an awesome DWR until relatively recently.

I got it from REI pre-warranty change, so I may just return it. Looking back over my receipts, I got it in February of 2013, so less than 2 years old.

[Stephen M]

I would definitley return it.

[Greg Mihalik]

"I got it from REI pre-warranty change, so I may just return it."

I just returned an air mat with a blown baffle to REI that is about 3 years old. The CS rep said
1) it is "grandfathered in" as it was purchased before the change,
2) "manufacturer defects" are covered "indefinitely",
and "not to worry".

We'll see how it goes when the rubber hits the road.

[Christoph Blank]

Might be worth an update: I noticed that Rab discontinued all Neoshell jackets, so I asked why.

The said that while Polartec Neoshell performed very well at that time, their chosen fabrics are Pertex and Event for hardshells as it has some performance advantages like durability due to less stretch.

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