There is a university study quoted in the "WINTER BAG DECISION" thread that says DWR lasts only about "50 miles" with abrasion wearing it off.
I believe this study B/C my ski daypack shoulder straps seem to be the place where my BWP laminate parkas fail first.
I'm wondering if there is a way to DWR treat the Threads of a fabric with a permanent water resistant (PWR) BEFORE weaving (or knitting in the case of some soft shells). Maybe using something like a Teflon thread treatment for the shell would be feasible.
** But then a laminate may not adhere to a shell made with Teflon treated thread.**
It would also be nice if this treatment were not horribly expensive.
BACK TO THE PRESENT:
I've found that my GTX and eVent parkas and pants seem to keep their DWR longer in ski season when I run them through the drier at "Med." temperature a few hours after I treat them with REVIVEX spray-on DWR. The drier seems to "set" the DWR.
True, after washing my BWP garments with no soaps and then drying them the DWR is revived – to a somewhat lesser degree.
So, what are your strategies for keeping your garments' DWR treatment working?
