wife washed my gor-tex pants, good or bad?

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Now you tell me?

I just washed my NF Goretex pants using Nixwax Tech Wash (a liquid detergent) followed by Nixwax wash in waterproofer.

I think the garmet's care label said not to use powdered detergent.

Is this all a plot to make me sweat?

cb
 
Hey ChrisB,

I just bought the same stuff last night at EMS, was that you in Carle place buying the same stuff? Going to wash my pants and jacket tonight...thx for the help everyone!
 
coldfeet said:
Hey ChrisB,

... was that you in Carle place buying the same stuff?!

Coldfeet,

I wish I was that close by last night. We could have had another Gathering!

I've got just the opposite problem from you. My wife looks at sweaty hiking gear as toxic waste and prefers not to wash it with our "normal" laundry. Not sure why, but I think it has something to do with the smell of sweat-saturated polypro tops and bottoms!

We'll see how the Nixwax works this weekend. I am heading into Baxter for five days and I will be wearing those NF pants every day. I hope they maintain their breathability post washing and waterproofing.

How's life in kindergarden? Kids still fascinated by your adventures?

cb
 
ChrisB,

Washing my stuff now with the same stuff you mentioned.

Lots of Baxter action, maybe next year i can go with a group. Have fun, SherpaK's pictures made me dream.

I went nuts in school after the gathering and had the little kids try on my daughters plastic snowshoes and flop around the classroom on the carpet, also let them take turns twisting on my sons plastic snowboard, got the asst. principal to twist on it. Most schools would have kicked me out for doing that but these are city kids who never get to do anything. wish i could get a grant and buy cheap snowshoes just to let them walk around the playground, but if i can't back it up with literacy then it's a "waste of time". I'll get in trouble one day for fighting the system.
Take care..ps.. what type of shape or prereqs do i need to try a Baxter trip?
 
coldfeet, you should look into AMC's Youth Opportunity Program. I don't know if they do winter activities but it might be a chance for some of your students to get involved in a formal outdoor program.

Also, Mike P., who posts here occasionally, has experience taking middle school students on hiking trips. His wife was a teacher at the time. They created some controversy when they brought 32 kids to Galehead Hut but their hearts are in the right place. I'd suggest some correspondence with him about his experiences. Maybe you can organize a trip with some additional volunteers but be sure that one of the leaders has real guiding experience and first aid certification.

An organization worth looking into is Outdoor Exlorations . They conduct trips for people with disabilities and for youth. Maybe you can set something up through them; they'll need funding but maybe they can help you get it.

Be careful what you wish for!
 
Thx Stan,

Great to hear about teachers going out to help kids without asking for xtra $. I say that because I took 4th/5th graders to Taconic Outdoor education center (3 day trip) for a few years as part of a nyc program. Some teachers wanted xtra $ because it was a 3 day trip. I'm sure their school was not invited back. Since then i've been demoted down to the little kids (k-2), BUT our 5th graders continue to go with a teacher who I took many years ago and i get to chaperone.
Check this out, the city also has a program to camp out in Brooklyn! I did it for 2 years with 4th graders. We searched for owl pellets and watched the planes flying our JFK airport. That was a 1 nighter, that's what the kids remember years later, not their book reports.


I also took kids on Pete Segers "Clearwater" sail boat for a day trip and they learned about keeping the Hudson clean.

I don't want to bad mouth the school system but i think they are overtesting and pushing to hard on the little ones. BUT parents have to work harder helping their kids and not treating the school system like a day care. I have to be careful saying things because you know who might be viewing this post. I told one 5th grade class to get involved in their jr. high school nature clubs and join boy/girl scouts and go places. What i should do is get the parents involved. Sorry about this speech, i'm venting, but same story every year, kids with $ go places, other kids get zip and the system stinks!

I'll look up the info you talked about and tell people, maybe 1 kid will benefit from it and start the ball rolling.

Thx..David
 
Stan said:
Also, Mike P., who posts here occasionally, has experience taking middle school students on hiking trips. His wife was a teacher at the time. They created some controversy when they brought 32 kids to Galehead Hut but their hearts are in the right place.

You got me curious, what was the controversy? With the statistics on overweight Nintendo playing kids these days, getting out on a trail sounds like a good idea. I'd say their hearts were definitely in the right place.

I'm guessing the controversy was the large group size. It's called a field trip, we used to have them all the time in school when I was a kid.

*Just read about Galehead and that it is very remote and rugged, so perhaps it was too aggressive for middle schoolers? *


-Shayne
 
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Mike's ears will start burning soon so I expect he'll chime in but I recall that there were also some members of the board (I think the discussion was on the AMC BB) and the kids made a lot of noise and it was tough getting them to bunk down. Thus, the experience was less than ideal for those not in the group. I can relate to that but I also appreciate what a great deed it was to get these kids out ... besides, they were from my alma mater ... many many years in the past but my hometown nonetheless.
 
coldfeet said:
"If it's on the floor it's getting washed!", that's what i heard this morning.

What's the deal with cleaning them?

They weren't dirty because i wore them on winter hikes and if i fell (plenty) i landed on the snow and a few rocks or sticks.

She told me she only washed them once, typical liquid cleaner and fabric softener. Thx and i'm sure I'll get a few jokes on this one, that's ok!


gortex clothing needs to be washed...i use a mild soap and no fabric softner. the pants should also go into the dryer. the gore material will not work properly (allow moisture to escape and keep the water out if the fabric is dirty) if the fabric is durty or not treated.
you should either call the manufactures '800'number or go to good outdoor store and they will sell you what you need to get your pants back to the pre-wife state
 
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