My hunting jacket is water resistant (not water proof). It needs to be cleaned. Should I wash it or dry clean it (so as to ret

[deldlaw]

My hunting jacket is water resistant (not water proof). It needs to be cleaned. Should I wash it or dry clean it (so as to retain the water resistance)? Del Law, 47 Chenango Ave., Sherburne, NY 13460

[PAShooter]

Well Del, I just washed my "dry clean only" small game hunting jacket of 8 yaers. Put it in a front loading machine with unscented detergent and on gentle cycle. I air dried on the clothes line and retreated it with a silicon based spray. It came out fine. I wouldn't have tried if it was a new jacket.

[bigjake]

follow the proper washing instructions printed on the tag near the collar

[Johnnie]

I would wash it. Dry cleaners use chemicals in the cleaning process and that could leave unwanted scent on your hunting jacket. You can boost your water resistant to water repellent or waterproof with Cabela's waterproof treatment - forgot what it is called - or KIWI waterproof sprays.
There are three water repelling levels: water resistance, water repellent, and waterproof. The first is the lowest form of water repelling. Water resistant will not soak in at first, but any length of time in the wet, whether it be a short or long time, that garment will get soaked. The second, water repellent, will like its name repel water better than the water resistance, but will get soaked after a longer time in a wet environment. Waterproof will not soak in any wet at all and repel all wet as in rain and snow. Very few things I have used are truly waterproof though they say they are waterproof. The only thing that is truly waterproof is rubber or PVC.

[Treestand]

Hay~New York, Im an EX NYer form Afton in Chenango Ct. You can wash your garment then air dry it,buy a can of CAMP~DRY spray it on ,let dry it will make it 100% water proof they sell it a W~Mart