How to Care for Your Hiking and Outdoor Gear

Taking care of your outdoor gear is one way of making the most of every day spent on steep ascents, ropes, and the trail. Well-maintained gear is gear that performs well, and gear that performs well allows you to focus on what really matters out there.

At Arc’teryx, we’re committed to making high-quality outdoor gear that you can rely on for your biggest days out there — and every day in between. Why? You deserve gear you can trust for years, and keeping that gear in play lessens your impact on the planet. The average person in the U.S. throws away more than 80 pounds of clothing, including outdoor gear, per year, according to Earth.org. By investing a little extra time to take care of your gear after use, you can help keep unnecessary waste out of landfills and protect the places we love.

Implementing a few practical, easy-enough steps can keep your gear performing at its best so you can rely on it for seasons to come.

General Maintenance Principles

We see gear care and cleaning as a symbiotic relationship: If you take care of it, it will take care of you when you’re out there. Maintaining everything from GORE-TEX outerwear to backpacks and boots shouldn’t take much time, either.

As the old cooking adage says, if you “clean as you go,” you won’t get overwhelmed with repairs or cleaning at the end of one season or the beginning of the next. Make it a habit to have a look over your gear before you put it away after a day out to check for minor issues and to make sure it’s not getting too funky. When sweat, dirt, and grime build up, it can make DWR (durable water repellent) coatings ineffective and cause materials — like taped seams — to delaminate.

Here are some things to look for after each use:

• Check for fabric wear in high-friction areas, like the inner legs of pants and shorts or the places where hip belts, shoulder straps, and harnesses rub against your jackets and midlayers.
• Check the stitching in the crotch area of touring shell pants and climbing pants to make sure it’s intact — lots of kick turns and big moves can do a number on these seams.
• Look over insulated layers for holes — they’re much easier to patch when they’re small.
• Wipe off any dirt or debris that’s gotten into your zippers, buckles, or on any metal components of boots and packs.
• If there’s any mud or dirt on your GORE-TEX shoes or shells, gently wipe it off with a damp cloth. This can help protect the waterproof membrane and other technical aspects of a fabric (like its breathability) from buildup that impacts its performance.

When you spot a loose seam, hole, sticky zipper, or some grime, taking care of the repair or cleanup right away is not only usually cheaper and more time-efficient, but it also prevents long-term issues. Reinforcing a stitch, lubricating a zipper, putting a shell through the wash, or patching a hole (an even easier repair with the new Alpha SV Insert Patch tech through the ReBird Service Centers) doesn’t cost much time or money and keeps your gear in play.

Cleaning Your Outdoor Gear

Outerwear & Apparel

Whenever you notice a buildup of stink or grease on your technical clothes, especially outerwear and shells, it’s time for a wash. We recommend washing shells between every five to 20 days of wear, depending on if your specific use is heavy or light.

First thing’s first: How you clean technical clothes and outerwear depends on the fabric and the type of garment you’re cleaning. Sounds obvious, but always check the tag or online product care guides (like the Arc’teryx Product Care page) for specific cleaning do’s and don'ts for each item. Base layers and everyday garments without waterproofing treatments that are made of wool, cotton, nylon, jersey, and polyester will need the most frequent washing. Just turn these garments inside out to protect the fabric from pilling, and machine wash and dry on a gentle cycle.

Fortunately, (nearly) all technical gear — even GORE-TEX and insulated garments — is just fine being tossed into the washing machine, and any regular clothing detergent will work to get it clean. If you prefer to use a technical detergent that is made specifically for DWR coatings, shells, and technical fabrics, that’s even better. In fact, we recommend using Nu Technical Detergent. But know that most gentle detergents will get the job done.

When adding detergent, be sure to do so with a light hand. Outdoor gear doesn’t require as much detergent as your everyday laundry load, and over-soaping the fabric can clog the fabric’s waterproofing and breathability just as much as grime buildup.

How to wash your GORE-TEX and other technical fabrics:

• Zip up all the zippers and release the tension of the drawcords on your garments.
• Check the pockets to ensure they’re empty. (Of course…but how many times have you forgotten?)
• Set your wash cycle to gentle, using either cold (the lower-energy choice) or warm water, depending on the instructions found on the tag.
• Add one additional rinse to the cycle settings. This will ensure all the soap residue is washed from the fabric — an important step since soap and detergents will clog the waterproof membrane.
• Add a small amount of liquid detergent to the load. You can use a technical detergent like Nu.
• Pro Tip: If there’s one rule to remember for washing all outdoor gear, let it be this: Never use bleach, powder detergent, or fabric softener. We don’t recommend using laundry sheets, either, as they often contain fabric softener and are not as easily measured as liquid detergent.

How to dry your GORE-TEX and other technical fabrics:

• After washing, line dry or tumble dry on medium heat, following the instructions on the tag. If you do line dry, make sure you give your gear just a few minutes in the dryer. Tumble drying reactivates the DWR treatment.- Pro Tip: Anytime you notice your waterproof gear isn’t repelling water as well as it once did, you can toss it into your dryer for a gentle tumble-dry cycle on medium heat, even without a wash. This will give the DWR treatment a boost.

Whenever a proper wash and dry doesn’t do the trick to restore your gear’s water repellency, you can reapply a DWR treatment spray or wash-in product.

For shells that use ePE Membrane technology (expanded polyethylene, a waterproof material that is free of PFAS, aka ‘forever chemicals’), cleaning and care looks a little different than traditional GORE-TEX. Because each square inch of ePE fabric contains 9 billion pores, it’s crucial to keep these tiny holes clean and functioning so your shells stay waterproof and breathable. For ePE material, we recommend washing only with Nu Technical Detergent and treating the fabric with Nu Durable Water Repellent. Always be sure to give ePE fabrics an extra rinse during the wash cycle to protect those pores.

Footwear

Unlike garments, footwear can’t be tossed into the washing machine. Boots, approach shoes, and even trail runners are “surface clean only.” Even a gentle cycle could damage the materials and structure of a shoe. Here’s best practice for cleaning your footwear:

- Use a gentle detergent or mild dish soap and a damp cloth to clean the outsole, midsole, and upper of the shoe. For especially stubborn dirt or hard-to-reach cracks, using an old toothbrush to scrub the shoe can work wonders.

- If the shoe’s laces are dirty, you can remove the laces and wash them in the washing machine or by hand.

- Remove the insoles and hand-wash them in warm water with gentle detergent or mild dish soap. Air-dry the insoles separately after washing.

- If your boots are leather, spot-clean and wipe down the leather with a wet cloth and allow them to air dry. When they are dry, use a reconditioning oil or treatment to rehydrate the leather. (This goes for leather gloves and mittens, too.)

- Make sure you air-dry your shoes in a warm, low-humidity area. Lots of moisture in the air can cause mold. Bonus if you can set them out in the sun while or after they dry — UV kills bacteria that can cause that stinky-shoe smell.

Backpacks & Bags

For backpacks and bags, less is more. You don’t want to put backpacks in the washer or dryer. Machines can damage protective coatings, and your bag, hip belt, shoulder straps, and frame have a high chance of coming out misshapen, making all that work for a nice fit for nothing. To clean your packs and bags, simply:

- Use a gentle detergent or mild dish soap and a damp cloth or sponge to wipe the inside and the outside of the pack clean after each trip.

- If your pack needs a more substantial clean, put it in the shower or tub and rinse it completely with cold water.

- Don’t scrub your pack with abrasive brushes or sponges — this can compromise the durability of the fabric and any DWR treatment the pack has.

- After washing, open all of the compartments and zippers on the pack and air dry completely to prevent mold. It’s best to avoid direct sunlight or heat for drying, as the sun’s UV rays can weaken and break down the textiles your pack is made of.

Storing Your Gear

A general rule of thumb for storing gear is this: Keep your gear in a cool, dry, dark place.

Most fabrics degrade when exposed to extreme temperatures or direct sunlight for long periods of time, and moisture can easily cause mildew and mold to form. There are some specifics for each type of gear to remember for ideal storage, however.

Outerwear & Apparel

Outerwear, like shells and insulated jackets, do best when hung up in a closet, protected from direct sunlight and moisture. Hanging your outerwear up (instead of folding it and stashing it in drawers or bins) also protects it from compression, which can compromise the performance of the fabric and the overall fit. Apparel, like baselayers and softshells, will also last the longest if hung up in a dark, dry area, like a closet. The most important aspect of storage is to keep your technical clothing out of the sun (remember that fact about the UV rays?) and protected from moisture, which can break down materials and cause mildew and mold.

Footwear

One important tip to remember when storing footwear is to always store shoes (boots, trail runners, approach shoes, etc.) in a way that maintains their shape. That means no giant piles of shoes thrown together or drawers and bins stuffed with smashed shoes. Keeping your shoes stored upright (soles on the ground to prevent warping on the uppers) ensures that they can maintain their shape and you can avoid blisters that could be caused by folds and creases that can appear on misshapen uppers.

Backpacks & Bags

One thing to remember about backpacks? They don’t like the ground. The ground is where most moisture in any given environment collects, and packs do not like moisture. When storing, protect your backpack’s shape and material by either hanging it in a closet or on a gear hook, or stashing it on a shelf. In a pinch for long-term storage, backpacks can be placed in storage containers — just be sure to lay them with the hip belt faceup, so the padding in the belt and shoulder straps doesn’t get compressed.

Repairing Your Gear

When you use your gear to its fullest potential, you’re bound to run into some snags here and there — literally. That’s why believe in product repair as the first line of defense, offering extensive repair options for your gear through our Warranty & Repairs program, and even an option to buy repaired and recirculated gear through ReBird.

If you are looking to make a quick fix to get your gear in back in action, here are a few quick tips for DIY repairs:

• To patch a hole in a puffy or a shell, purchase patches specifically made for insulated and waterproof gear. There are lots out there to choose from, and some even have fun illustrations or prints to add a little something new to your gear. To apply the patch, clean the fabric around the hole with rubbing alcohol. This will help the patch adhere optimally to the fabric. You can cut the patch to the right size for your needs, but make sure the patch overlaps onto the fabric around the hole before sticking it on.
• To free up a zipper that keeps sticking, clean out the zipper teeth with a dry toothbrush. After, lubricate the zipper with petroleum jelly, zipper lubricant (there are specialty brands out there), or even just a classic graphite pencil (that’s the old-school trick!). It’s best not to use heavy-duty lubricants like WD-40, as getting that substance onto the technical fabric around the zipper can degrade it.
• To replace a stretch cord on a hood (for helmet compatibility) or anywhere your gear has a bungee to customize the fit, buy some new bungee cord by matching the diameter and color of the cord you are replacing. Make sure to overestimate the length you need so you have enough to work with. Cut the cord and use a lighter to melt and splice the new cord to one end of the old one and pull it through the hem of your garment. After the new cord is all the way through, cut the old one off and use the same trick to splice the new cord together and thread it through the bungee tightener.
• Reattaching the soles of your boots or shoes to the midsole and upper is easy with a little shoe glue or shoe cement.

Even if you’re not confident in your own repair skills, you can revive your favourite tried-and-true gear with the help of professionals or by submitting a product service request with our team. Cobblers can help repair zippers, backpacks, and boots, tailors can help reinforce loose seams, and plenty of brands offer repair and refurbishing options for their gear. At Arc’teryx, we’re continuing to innovate gear circularity and longevity with our ReBird Services, including the new Alpha SV Insert Patch, which can patch a hole in your outerwear in about a minute.

Prolonging the Life of Your Gear

From small habits like keeping your gear clean and dry between wears to learning how to revive your DWR treatment with a little time in the tumble dryer, simply caring for your gear ensures it can care for you on all the trips, trails, routes, and runs to come.

A little bit of maintenance can help your gear go a long way. Literally.

You can learn more about Arc’teryx gear, care, maintenance, and services like ReBird here and here.