2021.05.13

イッシー&ウキコの
教えて!山のワンダー
レインウェアのメンテナンス方法and wander journal #25

第8回
レインウェア、ケアしてますか?

kaikai

Hm, we’re having more and more rainy days lately. The rainy season is right around the corner.

tateishitateishi

What’s going on, Ukiko? You look happy today.

kaikai

Yeah, rainy season means that I get to wear my favorite rain jacket more often. Following your advice, I wash it with a special laundry detergent every time I use it.

tateishitateishi

That’s it?

kaikai

What?

tateishitateishi

All you do is just wash?

kaikai

Well, yeah. Is that bad? Oh, I also dry it in the sun!

tateishitateishi

Okay… who doesn’t?

kaikai

You’re the one who gave me the advice, don’t you remember? You said that a film with tiny holes is spread across the inner surface of the rain jacket, and if these holes get clogged with dirt or other debris, it will lead to less breathability.

tateishitateishi

That solves the problem of the INNER surface. What about the outer surface?

kaikai

I’m washing the whole jacket, so the outer side will also be nice and clean.

tateishitateishi

I’m not talking about whether it’s clean or dirty. I’m talking about restoring water repellency. In order to do that, you need proper heat treatment.

kaikai

I didn’t see that coming. Heat treatment?

tateishitateishi

If you look at the fabric at the micro level, you can see that the strands of the nylon fiber are standing up. But after you use the jacket, it will lay flat from all the dirt and debris. Basically, heat treatment allows these strands to stand straight up again. By doing so, it will prevent the water droplets from penetrating through the surface and will also improve breathability.

kaikai

Micro level… That sounds so much like you.

tateishitateishi

Really? I can do this all day. Breathability is about diffusion caused by the difference in pressure between outside and inside of the garment, but, if the entire surface of the fabric is wet, only a small pressure difference will be created, meaning less breathability.

kaikai

I see (Zzzzz). Putting the technical talks aside, your point is, it’s necessary for me to do the heat treatment process, right?

tateishitateishi

Yes. You can put your jacket in a washing bag and pop it in the tumble dryer or use your hair dryer. Another option is to use an iron at low heat. If you choose to try this option, make sure you set your iron at about 100℃ (212℉) and use a protective ironing cloth.

kaikai

So it needs to be beautiful inside and out, just like health and beauty care.

tateishitateishi

Ukiko’s trying to sound smart!

商品はこちらから

Isshi イッシー

Plays the teacher role in this program. A 15-year experienced hiker who heads out to the mountains under the pretext of a “field test” every time he buys a new outdoor gear. A mid-career staff at and wander, who realized that he gained much more weight himself than the weight he succeeded to save over the past 10 years by lightening the gears.

Ukiko ウキコ

Plays the student role in this program. Although she is interested in backpacking trips, she is a new recruit at and wander and still has a lot to learn. Fluent speaker of English and well-versed in fashion but tends to get panicked when she hears too many technical outdoor terms.

text Takashi Sakurai
illustration Mizumaru Kawahara
translation Masumi Tokugawa