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theabortionator
May, 2025

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Reviving an old jacket

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je_t.aime_canard
Posts: 602 - Karma: 7,309
i've been through a few more modern jackets recently, a rab and a couple arc'teryx ones, but their durability and look when worn just puts me off buying another new jacket. I have actually gone back to skiing my dad's old north face gear from the 90s and that shit is not only insanely durable, but looks even better when repaired. Aside from weight whilst touring, the only issue with the old gear is that the waterproofing isn't quite what it used to be, I've been looking at Nikwax but I also think that I may need to fix the seams as well. Would appreciate some advice on taking care of old gear, and i like the sustainability aspect of not buying gear that will be out of fashion and deteriorating within a couple years
6 months ago
12 1
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ParkingLotPiss
Posts: 375 - Karma: 2,461
My roommates has a set of north face pants and jacket from the early 2000s. he got them at a thrift store about 5 years ago, the durability of them is off the charts. Old north face could be the move
6 months ago
4 1
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verynormalguy
Posts: 499 - Karma: 8,141
here’s the best way to make old gear new again, step by step:

1. spot clean stains with dish soap and a toothbrush

2. Wash with Niki wax tech wash, rinse thoroughly

3. Wash with TX direct. Get the wash in stuff, the spray doesn’t work as well. Again, rinse thoroughly

4. Let it dry 100%, flip it inside out, and repair all the seams with seam grip. A little bit of pressure helps while drying- stack books or something heavy on all the spots you hit. It’s important you do this part last because old seam taping tends to come apart in the wash

That’s it. It’ll look way cleaner and hold up way better in the rain. Shouldn’t cost you more than 25 bucks.
6 months ago
2 1
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drifts
Posts: 621 - Karma: 4,508
on old stuff ususally the goretex membrane has failed (jacket will have flakes like dandruff or if its a lined shell youll hear/feel stuff in the lining) and the seam taping is falling apart, best you can do is nikwax it and make it somewhat water resistant which is good enough if you ski in a dry climate but if its wet leave that jacket at home.

you can go through and re tape the seams but really its not worth the effort on a jacket that old, old goretex just fails eventually.

I wear a 90s TNF mountain light shell sometimes and have nikwaxed it, still wets out eventually.
6 months ago
2 0
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je_t.aime_canard
Posts: 602 - Karma: 7,309
driftson old stuff ususally the goretex membrane has failed (jacket will have flakes like dandruff or if its a lined shell youll hear/feel stuff in the lining) and the seam taping is falling apart, best you can do is nikwax it and make it somewhat water resistant which is good enough if you ski in a dry climate but if its wet leave that jacket at home.

you can go through and re tape the seams but really its not worth the effort on a jacket that old, old goretex just fails eventually.

I wear a 90s TNF mountain light shell sometimes and have nikwaxed it, still wets out eventually.


yeah the gore-tex has been dead longer than i've been alive, but even in the rain it still takes a lot to get thoroughly soaked. I'll stick with just the nikwax wash and treatment then, taping might be overkill if there are other leakier spots not taken care of.

I think for ski tours I'll get another shell and use it exclusively for when being wet in the backcountry could be dangerous, for resort and park i'll stick to my 90s gear.
6 months ago
1 1
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snowfinder
Posts: 2939 - Karma: 34,906
Ebay is the best place to look for old gear.
6 months ago
1 0
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PartyBullshiit
Posts: 4718 - Karma: 20,096
Love my nikwax. I usually use the wash in as it’s a lot easier and works really well. I did have an older rain coat that didn’t seem to be holding the repellent as well with the wash in version. So I got a bottle of the spray stuff and soaked the fuck out of the jacket to really just penetrate it with the stuff. After I did that it worked great and seems to take the wash in better in repeated washes. I think the extreme soaking of just pure repellent helped to restore it first rather than the wash in. Wash in works great for regular upkeep after the fact.
6 months ago
1 1
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