Prepping Your Outdoor Gear for Autumn and Winter – a Complete Checklist

Why prep in autumn – and not mid-season

Gear that sat in storage all summer loses performance: the DWR has laid flat, membranes may be clogged with last season's sweat and dirt if the garments were stored unclean, and zips and drawcords stiffen. It is far better to discover a jacket that soaks up water on a dry autumn evening than on the first cold trip in the mountains. Think of the prep as a fixed four-step routine: inspect, clean, re-proof and repair. That way you start the season with kit you can trust, instead of finding the weak points when you need them least.

The shell: wash, re-proof and drop-test

The shell jacket and shell trousers are your weather barrier, and they deserve the most attention. Wash them with a technical cleaner made for shell garments, never with fabric softener, which clogs breathability. Re-proof only if the drop test fails – sprinkle water on the shoulders and thighs and see whether it beads or soaks in. Activate the DWR with gentle heat per the care label. Shell trousers wear hardest at the seat and knees, so check those zones especially, and look over the taped seams for signs of lifting.

Insulation and mid-layers: down, fleece and softshell

The layers inside the shell need different treatment – don't proof everything indiscriminately:

• Down jackets: wash to restore loft and warmth. Compressed, soiled down insulates poorly; tumble with a few dryer balls so the down fluffs back up.
• Fleece: wash and remove any pilling. Fleece does not need proofing.
• Softshell: wash gently, and give a light coat of spray-on DWR only if water no longer beads – but take care to keep the breathability.

The small items that are easy to forget

It is often the smallest garments that fail first on a cold trip. Gloves and mittens should be re-proofed, and you should check the seams and fingertips where wear is greatest – textile gloves get DWR, leather gloves need leather wax. The base layers deserve a round too: wash them and clear out sweat odour, since bacteria build up through the season, so you don't start winter with a layer that smells. Hat, buff and wool socks can go in the same wash. These details often decide whether a trip is good or cold.

Check the hardware before the snow arrives

Even a waterproof, proofed garment fails if the mechanics don't work. Go over everything that moves:

• Zips: run them up and down, clear out dirt and lubricate stiff ones. A zip that fails mid-mountain is a real problem.
• Drawcords and toggles: check they still hold tight, so the hood and hem seal against the weather.
• Hook-and-loop fastenings: clear out lint and hair so they grip properly again.
• Seams and small holes: find them now, while they are small, before they grow with use.

When should you send the gear to a professional?

If the batch is large or technical, if the down needs its loft restored, if a membrane is still clammy after washing, or if the run-through turns up repairs – a failing zip, an opened seam, a tear – you can send the kit in together. We clean and re-proof by garment and care label, and can handle the repairs the autumn check turns up in the same round. Then the whole wardrobe is ready for the first snowfall. You order online from anywhere in Norway, and you see the price before you order.

Frequently asked questions