Nikwax Softshell Proof, Wash-In

This stuff works very well. Although it does not renew the full strength of the original DWR coating, it does restore it to 70-80%. DWR fades over time, it's just a property of the technology.What I really like about the Soft Shell Proof is that it cleans the jacket very well. I took my 2013 Arc'teryx Hyllus Hoody for a 9 month overseas trip, part of which involved 750 miles of hiking. By the end the jacket soaked up water and was filthy. After using this Nikwax, the jacket looked nearly brand new -- except for the pilling that occurred in the pits due to abrasion from wearing a pack for so long (considering turning to Arc'teryx to replace my jacket for this problem).But that said, the fleece lining on the inside was clean and soft, the black Soft Shell exterior was smooth and clean, and it was fairly waterproof, although as I said the DWR was not quite like new. I now use this product every 4-6 months, depending on use of my jacket. It sheds a fair amount of water in light rain, but doesn't compare to a Hard Shell for heavy rain conditions.To use it with my top loading washer I just run the washer on the smallest water volume setting, and wait for the water to fill up (heat depending on the jacket's washing directions), and then dump in the whole bottle once the washer is full. Afterwards I hang it to dry (some people recommend drying to lock in the DWR coating but I've never done that for fear of shrinking the jacket although it may work).

I purchased Nikwax Soft Shell Proof to reestablish the DWR on a couple of soft shell jackets. Using the bucket method, I washed two soft shell jackets with Nikwax Tech Wash following the directions and measured product volumes. After thoroughly rinsing, I used the Nikwax Proof according to directions. After a couple of bucket rinses, I tossed the wet garments into a front loading washing machine for a final rinse and fast spin, then air dried. The soft shell jackets now shed water as if new!Wanting to try something different, I also washed a number of fleece based items (including a Polartec Power Dry fleece) using exactly the same method. Initially, one of those garments had zero remaining DWR remaining. Water would just be absorbed into the fleece. The Nikwax Soft Shell Proof may not say directly that it will work on traditional fleece, but it certainly worked for me! The treated fleece jackets bead up and let water run off... making them more functional for short wet jaunts than they were otherwise.

Good product

We have been going skiing the past three years regularly and thought I needed new winter clothing every few years. Well I recently found out about this Nikwax from a lady at Eastern Mountain Sports and purchased a set. I decided to try it out so I purchased a kit (wash/wax) on my jackets and gloves. It really does the job of repelling anything that resembles moisture. It does not completely block out water, rather it repells; in other words, water or moisture behaves like water rolling off your car's paint when it freshly waxed. If you used detergent on your cloths that originally came with water repellent coating, it wears off after just few washes. Use this during washing (just add a couple of cap full) and it will do its magic. If you touch the water during washing, you can feel the wax on your hand -- this stuff really works.Manufacturer recommends that you use their washing agent instead of detergent that has been treated with Nikwax. I've been doing that with my ski jackets and pants. So far, no complaints, good stuff.

Working as expected

I use this instead of Polar Proof, because it's much easier to use a nd works great on all my fleece jackets!

The 1 star is for packing. The Nikwax is an excellent product. I use it for all of my hunting clothes. Great product. Amazon sent the bottle in bubble envelope. In no way shape or form will a bubble envelope will protect the contents.

I finally figured out how to use this s*** , at least on neoshell. After the washing machine filled with water , I put it a half bottle , then the garment, I put gloves on and made sure the stuff was mixed well and then I unplugged the washer to shut the timer off. Wait 1 hour. then plug in and let the cycle continue. After trying this about every possible way and having it not work, this finally worked. It beads and there is no penetration after the bead runs off. no wet out. The problem I had was it partially worked. it would bead but still get wet... not it beads and stays dry.