new jacket

[tommy the cat]

Just got my self a bargain jacket £3 dpm meld or held(?) cant quite read it as it was issued and has writing over the label. I thought I would give it a litle bit of water repelency so bought some Nickwax wash and cotton proof. Now I have used NW stuff on boots and goretext is the cotton proof any good?
Also reading the jacket label I can just about read "to retain water repellency reproof with mvstolene" ??? Any way I didnt think this jacket was waterproof in the first place??? Dunno if you know what jacket I am talking about!!!
Dave
Ps I know its only gonna be shower proof

 

[capacious]

Yeh, the cottonproof is ace. Everytime it gets a soaking you're gona have to re-proof it.

Congrats on the bargain find!

Jake.

 

[tommy the cat]

Yea I own a stall in a market and the guy who has the army stall does me proud!
Light weight green trousers £3 as mentioned jacket....gonna do me a deal on a goretex bivi bag he's got some great boots £30 shame my ksb are still going strong!!! Oh and the german flat folding kip mat £5 which I use folded mainly as a seat.
Ta Dave

 

[Jedadiah]

Hi Tommy,

does this jacket have pockets? The reason i ask is you said it may say MELd or HELD, could it say MVP? If it's a standard DPM jacket, wash it with Tech wash, then, while it's still wet, wash it three times on the trot with Cotton proof. Then after that, when it needs washing, just use tech wash and reproof it straight after , once with cotton proof. You will then have a jacket that you will be surprised what it can put up with.

If it is MVP, use tech wash and TX direct.

Good price for a good jacket, nice one!

 

[tommy the cat]

Ta for that I have just done it with tech wash and now cotton proof only once though(?) Looks ok but I will have to try it in the wet first.
Seems like a good light jacket for my early excursions into the woods when no one is about. ( I'm not a massive fan of dpm)
Anyway ta for the tips I may still waterproof it again.
Tommmy

 

[Jedadiah]

The reason i wash mine three times is this. All the Nikwax does is build a layer on top of the material. If you look at a piece of material under a microscope, you will see a series of holes. These holes let moisture droplets in (rain) and moisture vapour (sweat) out. If you wash in Cotton proof, these holes are made smaller by layering the liquid wax onto the material and it clings to the edges of the holes.

If you do it three times, it gives it a good 'foothold' and when you subsequently wash it, you do not wash out/off the foothold.

Because the holes are now smaller, they are too small for Moisture droplets to pass through, making if shower proof, yet the moisture vapour particles are smaller so they can still escape, making it breatheable!

When you wash the jacket, the holes get larger, and when you proof it, the proof only replaces what you previously washed out. After a while, the cotton proof becomes part of the material, and THAT is why i proof my smock three times initially!