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.

We see gear care and cleaning as a symbiotic relationship: If you take care of it, it will take care of you. 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 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.

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

• Put your garment in the dryer on low/medium heat to remove moisture. *
• After your garment is fully dry, put it back into the dryer for 20 minutes on gentle heat to reactivate the waterproof coating. Heating the garment after drying will reactivate the DWR.
• * If you don’t have access to a dryer, no problem:
  • Air-dry your garment to remove all the moisture.
  • Place a clean towel or cloth over the garment and iron it on a gentle setting to reactivate the DWR (no steam).
• 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.

How (and when) to re-apply DWR:

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. We recommend Nu Durable Water Repellent Spray.

1. Ensure your garment is clean and close all zippers.
2. Hang or lay your garment on a flat surface. Shake the bottle well and spray evenly onto the face fabric.
3. Rub in with a clean sponge to cover the fabric evenly and avoid staining.
4. Allow garments to air dry for 12-24 hours.
5. Heat treatment may improve effectiveness. Put dried garments in the dryer for 20 minutes on gentle heat.*

• **If you do not have access to a dryer, place a clean towel or cloth over the garment and iron it on a gentle setting to reactivate the DWR (no steam).

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.

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 face up, so the padding in the belt and shoulder straps doesn’t get compressed.