DOMINATE YOUR DRYNESS
LAYERS-The importance of your clothing layers. How to properly utilize the Dragonflydry Survival Suit® and other Dragonflydry™ clothing products.
As in all weather conditions, dressing the part is important. There are three basic layers that should be utilized in dressing for the outdoors or extreme climates, particularly cold. The layers and thickness would vary based on the potential weather. Dressing in layers allows one to regulate the temperature of the body by removing or adding layers as needed (which essentially regulates the amount of body heat being trapped). This also allows one to regulate the vapor transfer and your windproof or waterproofness. Knowing how to stay warm is a skill no matter what the season.
Dragonflydry Survival Suit®: In addition to the Care Instructions (below) for your GORE-TEX® Suit, please make sure the entire suit is dry before storing in any storage bag to avoid any damage to your Dragonflydry Survival Suit®.
GORE-TEX® products are not only built to last, they're easy to take care of too. Routine care and maintenance will ensure the highest performance and extend their useful lifespan. Follow the manufacturer's recommended care instructions and your GORE-TEX® products will be ready to go when you are.
WASH - Machine-wash warm (104° F/40° C). Powder or liquid detergent. No fabric softener. Follow manufacturer's instructions.
DRY CLEAN - If professionally dry-cleaned, request clear distilled solvent rinse and spray repellent. Follow manufacturer's instructions.
IRON - Steam iron warm, placing a towel or cloth between the garment and the iron. No need to iron the garment until it is completely dry.
BLEACH - No chlorine bleach. It may damage your garment.
DRY - Tumble-dry warm. The heat from the dryer will help to reactivate the durable water repellent (DWR) treatment on your garment's outer fabric.
WATER REPELLENT TREATMENT - Gore recommends applying a topical water repellency restorative (DWR treatment) for outdoor fabrics, available at your local outdoor retailer. We do not recommend wash-in treatments as they can affect the garment's breathability.
STAIN REMOVAL - Use a pre-wash treatment such as Shout® or Spray 'n Wash® following its manufacturer's instructions. Rinse well.
RESTORING WATER REPELLANCY
“Wet out” can put a real damper on your day. That’s when liquid saturates your garment’s outer fabric, leaving you feeling damp and clammy as if your garment were leaking, even when it’s not.
To prevent wet out, all GORE-TEX® shell fabrics are treated with an ultra thin treatment called DWR, a durable water repellent polymer that is applied to the outermost fabric layer. DWR penetrates the fibers and lowers the surface tension of the fabric, causing water to bead up and roll off the outer layer of fabric, instead of being absorbed.
DWR is not permanent. Regular wear and tear, plus exposure to dirt, detergents, insect repellent and other impurities can shorten its lifespan. The good news is that restoring the water repellency of your GORE-TEX® shell is extremely easy.
How to Restore Water Repellency
GORE-TEX® outerwear:
Just wash it, rinse it and put it in the dryer; be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions. The washing removes contaminants and the heat from the dryer helps redistribute the DWR treatment on the fabric surface.
If water fails to bead up on the surface of your cleaned and tumble dried garment, its DWR treatment has reached the end of its useful life. But don’t worry; you can restore the garment’s water repellency by following the manufacturer’s instructions.
GORE-TEX® footwear:
Most spray on products designed for shoes can be used to improve the water repellency of GORE-TEX® footwear when the original finish has worn off or washed out due to heavy use. Always check the manufacturer’s care instructions on the label of your shoes first.
Repair Information
Go ahead, admit it. You tested the limits of your GORE-TEX® garment. Our products get that a lot, especially from us. Almost always, they pass with flying colors. But every once in a while, a small tear or puncture can occur.
Not to worry. Our easy to use GORE-TEX® Fabric Repair Kits allow you to make instant repairs to preserve the waterproof integrity of your outerwear even when you’re out in the field.
Repair Kits
About
Does your GORE-TEX® garment need a permanent repair? Head to the Repair Center nearest you.
LAYERS-The importance of your clothing layers. How to properly utilize the Dragonflydry Survival Suit® and other Dragonflydry™ clothing products.
As in all weather conditions, dressing the part is important. There are three basic layers that should be utilized in dressing for the outdoors or extreme climates, particularly cold. The layers and thickness would vary based on the potential weather. Dressing in layers allows one to regulate the temperature of the body by removing or adding layers as needed (which essentially regulates the amount of body heat being trapped). This also allows one to regulate the vapor transfer and your windproof or waterproofness. Knowing how to stay warm is a skill no matter what the season.
- BASE LAYER-The WICKING LAYER. The base layer is usually a Synthetic/"Wicking" material-this is important to ask for. This is the layer that goes against your skin. Most of these products are made of polyester/polypropylene or mixes of synthetics and wool, smart wool, or other substances. If no insulation on this level is needed then just a "wicking material" is important (such as silk). This base layer is crucial to "wick" any moisture off your skin as moisture against your skin gives the perception of temperature (cold or hot) or wet (usually from perspiration and not from exterior water-when utilizing GORE-TEX®).
- MIDDLE LAYER-INSULATION LAYER. This layer is necessary for insulation or not necessary if no insulation or heat retention is required. One of the best insulators right now is also of the synthetic variety-this would be the various forms of "Fleece". This MIDDLE LAYER keeps your body warm and prevents the temperature of the OUTSIDE LAYER (Dragonflydry Survival Suit®) affecting your body temperature. This could be multiple layers if extreme cold is in the picture. Keep in mind that it is not crucial to have multiple inches of insulation-see OUTSIDE LAYER. This insulation layer could be as simple as a long sleeve shirt or jeans in warmer, but wet climates.
- OUTER LAYER-CRITICAL SHELL LAYER. This layer is the most important and where the Dragonflydry Survival Suit® comes into play. What happens at this layer affects the rest of the body. If it is extreme cold on this level this Temperature WILL transfer to the MIDDLE/INSULATION layer. This layer DOES NOT keep you warm by way of insulation. The Dragonflydry Survival Suit® utilizes GORE-TEX® which keeps you dry and prevents the wind from penetrating the outside layer of clothing. The wind and water are the things that affect your core temperature. This Dragonflydry Survival Suit® SHELL will keep the elements out--wind, rain, sleet or snow. If GORE™ Windstopper® is the outer shell it DOES NOT keep water out, only the wind, and is only mildly water resistant. The Windstopper® DOES keep the wind out which is the mechanism for dropping your body temperature. The other CRITICAL part on this level is the GORE-TEX® or Windstopper® materials/fabric which allows perspiration by way of vapor to escape. There is one caveat here; if you are experiencing heavy aerobic activity and generating tremendous perspiration/vapor, there may be a chance your body is generating more perspiration/vapor than can escape the suit at any given time depending on the outside ambient temperature. This is the reason for the critical "Wicking Layer" to keep moisture off your skin. (Remember the GORE™ membrane is 700 times larger than a water vapor-sweat- molecule, so there is room there for a lot of internal water vapor to escape.)
Dragonflydry Survival Suit®: In addition to the Care Instructions (below) for your GORE-TEX® Suit, please make sure the entire suit is dry before storing in any storage bag to avoid any damage to your Dragonflydry Survival Suit®.
GORE-TEX® products are not only built to last, they're easy to take care of too. Routine care and maintenance will ensure the highest performance and extend their useful lifespan. Follow the manufacturer's recommended care instructions and your GORE-TEX® products will be ready to go when you are.
WASH - Machine-wash warm (104° F/40° C). Powder or liquid detergent. No fabric softener. Follow manufacturer's instructions.
DRY CLEAN - If professionally dry-cleaned, request clear distilled solvent rinse and spray repellent. Follow manufacturer's instructions.
IRON - Steam iron warm, placing a towel or cloth between the garment and the iron. No need to iron the garment until it is completely dry. BLEACH - No chlorine bleach. It may damage your garment.
DRY - Tumble-dry warm. The heat from the dryer will help to reactivate the durable water repellent (DWR) treatment on your garment's outer fabric. WATER REPELLENT TREATMENT - Gore recommends applying a topical water repellency restorative (DWR treatment) for outdoor fabrics, available at your local outdoor retailer. We do not recommend wash-in treatments as they can affect the garment's breathability.
STAIN REMOVAL - Use a pre-wash treatment such as Shout® or Spray 'n Wash® following its manufacturer's instructions. Rinse well. RESTORING WATER REPELLANCY
“Wet out” can put a real damper on your day. That’s when liquid saturates your garment’s outer fabric, leaving you feeling damp and clammy as if your garment were leaking, even when it’s not.
To prevent wet out, all GORE-TEX® shell fabrics are treated with an ultra thin treatment called DWR, a durable water repellent polymer that is applied to the outermost fabric layer. DWR penetrates the fibers and lowers the surface tension of the fabric, causing water to bead up and roll off the outer layer of fabric, instead of being absorbed.
DWR is not permanent. Regular wear and tear, plus exposure to dirt, detergents, insect repellent and other impurities can shorten its lifespan. The good news is that restoring the water repellency of your GORE-TEX® shell is extremely easy.
How to Restore Water Repellency
GORE-TEX® outerwear:
Just wash it, rinse it and put it in the dryer; be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions. The washing removes contaminants and the heat from the dryer helps redistribute the DWR treatment on the fabric surface.
If water fails to bead up on the surface of your cleaned and tumble dried garment, its DWR treatment has reached the end of its useful life. But don’t worry; you can restore the garment’s water repellency by following the manufacturer’s instructions.
GORE-TEX® footwear:
Most spray on products designed for shoes can be used to improve the water repellency of GORE-TEX® footwear when the original finish has worn off or washed out due to heavy use. Always check the manufacturer’s care instructions on the label of your shoes first.
Repair Information
Go ahead, admit it. You tested the limits of your GORE-TEX® garment. Our products get that a lot, especially from us. Almost always, they pass with flying colors. But every once in a while, a small tear or puncture can occur.
Not to worry. Our easy to use GORE-TEX® Fabric Repair Kits allow you to make instant repairs to preserve the waterproof integrity of your outerwear even when you’re out in the field.
Repair Kits
About
- Each repair kit contains four press-on adhesive patches, pre-cut to standard shapes that usually don’t require trimming.
- Patches come in a variety of fabric types and weights to ensure a good match to your garment.
- Special internal patches are available for GORE-TEX® waders.
- Use the right repair kit for your fabric and carefully follow the instructions and procedures for your type of garment.
- If you apply a patch while out in the field, iron it after returning home to significantly increase its bond strength and wear life.
- Tests show that the patches hold up after five home launderings and can be easily removed when permanent repairs are made.
- Patches are not recommended for permanent repairs.
- Kits can be purchased from authorized distributors and retailers around the country or from our website.
- For more information on where to find Repair Kits and how to use them, contact us.
Does your GORE-TEX® garment need a permanent repair? Head to the Repair Center nearest you.
