DWR
Also called durable water repellent
The surface treatment on a jacket that makes rain bead up and roll off. It wears out, and it can be renewed.
DWR is a coating applied to the outer face of a waterproof fabric. It is not what keeps water out, the membrane underneath does that. Its job is to stop the outer fabric absorbing water in the first place, which keeps the jacket light and lets the membrane keep breathing.
It wears off through abrasion, dirt, sunscreen and washing. When it goes, the face fabric soaks up water and the jacket wets out: it goes dark, heavy and clammy, and feels like it is leaking even though it is not.
Renewing it is a household job. Wash the garment in a technical cleaner, then either tumble dry it on low, which reactivates existing DWR, or apply a spray-on or wash-in treatment.
If rain stops beading on your jacket, wash it and tumble dry on low before buying anything. That alone brings most jackets back.
Common questions
How do you restore DWR on a rain jacket?
Wash it with a technical cleaner rather than detergent, then tumble dry on low heat. If water still soaks in, apply a spray-on or wash-in DWR product and heat set it.
Related terms
Where this comes up
The guides that use dwr and show it on real gear.
DWR is one of 206 terms in the glossary.
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