How to maintain and winterize your fishing clothes?

Many of you ask us the following question "how to care for your waders and rain jacket"? ? And rightly so. To ensure their longevity, it's imperative to take care of them and maintain them regularly.

During your fishing season, rinse your waders regularly; even every time you go into salt water. Your waders or fishing jacket should be cleaned 1 or 2 times a year, depending on use. When your waders or rain jacket feel damp, it's time to re-waterproof them. Here's how 👇

Step 1: Wash your waders or rain jacket:

First of all, you need to clean your products to remove the dirt that clogs the pores of the breathable membranes before waterproofing your items.

You can either use a non-aggressive liquid detergent and do a quick wash on the "delicate cycle". Mut we strongly recommend using Nikwax Tech Wash (300 ml). It's a detergent-free, biodegradable liquid soap. It removes dirt and detergent residues while preserving the products' breathability and waterproofing properties.

1. Put your Waders or rain fishing jacket in the washing machine.
2. Pour Nikwax Tech Wash into the detergent dispenser.
3. Select a low-temperature wash cycle for the machine.
4. Drain and dry.

Nikwax Tech Wash can also be washed by hand. But the application will be more effective on a machine

Once again, it is imperative to wash these garments or outdoor items thoroughly so that the next step is effective and the water-repellent product from the Nikwax will work properly.

Step 2: Re-permeabilize and restore water repellency

For machine washing:

1. Remove all traces of detergent from the detergent compartment.
2. Place clean garment(s) in the washing machine (2 garments maximum).
3. Use 100 ml of waterproofing per garment.
4. Choose a 30° synthetic cycle with a slow spin.

For hand-washing in lukewarm water:

1. Use gloves (to avoid waterproofing your hands!)
2. Soak 1 clean garment in 6L of lukewarm water in a basin or sink.
3. Add 50ml of waterproofing.
4. Stir and leave for 5-10 minutes, then stir again.
5. Rinse thoroughly with cold water.

We recommend usingUse Nikwax's Tx direct waterproofing product to maintain your waders and rain jacket..

This product is a technical waterproofing agent for waterproof and breathable outdoor clothing and equipment. It waterproofs completely, treating every fiber of the fabric. It seals microscopic permeable cracks with waterproof-breathable elastic polymers. Ideal for waterproof-breathable garments (Gore-tex®, Sympa Tex®, Permatex®, eVENT®). And easy to use by hand or machine wash.

NoteThe products shown below and above are ideal for all types of technical outdoor clothing. They may also be suitable for hunting garments, but are not suitable for use on leather.

Wintering

Taking care of your equipment also means storing it properly for long periods when you're not using it. To keep your waders in the best condition for as long as possible, we recommend, in order :

1. Wash your waders or jacket with the product Nikwax Tech Wash as detailed above, then dry them
2. Re-waterproof if necessary (so as not to forget next season) as described above.
3. Place products vertically on a hanger. The aim is for the product to make as few folds as possible when stored. This will prevent them from taking on an unpleasant shape.
4. Store waders or rain jacket away from moisture and sunlight.

The same goes for your fishing shoes. All you need to know to care for them is here.