Just received an e-mail notice from our Call Center Manager regarding Wednesday, August 27th. If you have a question that only our Patagonia staff can answer, please try to give us a call before noon that day. Any calls received after noon will be fielded by an outside call center. All orders, returns, exchanges will be the same; just take note of the abbreviated hours if you're in need of some direct attention from our Customer Service staff.

While many of us won’t be able to go [or aren’t invited :(  ] it brings a big smile to think of these guys and gals getting out there. They worked like crazy to take care of our customers during the Summer Sale and it’s their turn for a little fun . . . _________________________________________________________________________

From: ROB 
To: #ALL.CS
Subject: BBQ- Float trip

It's that time of year for the annual Mail Order BBQ. We are going to do something a little different this year.

We are shutting down the phones at 12:00 Wednesday August 27th. The plan is to float the Truckee [River] from Verdi back down to Patagonia and have a BBQ down at Mayberry Park (just down river from the service center). Hopefully the float will take a few hours, then we'll eat and be merry.

If you have tubes, water wings , kayaks, rafts, flippers what ever you want to get down the river, bring it. We'll provide the rest.

There will be a work group competition for the best decorated flotation device- whatever that is.

Everyone’s paid for 8 hours, and all shifts are as normal for the start of the day. If you do not want to float the river it would be greatly appreciated if you can help with BBQ set up. We would like everyone to attend. Please let us know if you are unable to make it, and get ready to party down at the river!

Our Customer Service Representatives (CSRs) are our front line of communication with Patagonia fanatics far and wide. The crew here at our Call Center in Reno, NV are at it seven days a week, taking orders, helping with returns, and most importantly, answering the astonishing range of questions our customers fire at us. Like flocks of swirling swallows or shimmering schools of tropical fish, our customers swoop in with mysteriously synchronized concerns and questions on a regular basis, prompting the need for ready answers. Times like these, nothing would be more handy than magically beaming knowledge out into the ether. Our very own Old School is here to do just that. He's stepped back from the front lines to answer some of these popular questions, straight from the trenches.
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One of the most common questions we get here is “How do I take care of my shell?” Normally, we get this question after a customer has worn their jacket in the rain and they find that it is getting soaked on the outside (in outdoor-speak, "wetting-out"). 

Modern waterproof/breathable shells most often used layered construction, consisting of an outer face fabric (what you see), a waterproof barrier stuck to (aka "laminated") inside of it, and a coating or fabric lining on the inside. On the surface of all this is a chemical treatment called "Durable Water Repellent" or more commonly, DWR. This is the stuff that makes water bead up and roll right off your shell. Keeping the water beading off your shell is not just cosmetic, it also keeps your shell breathing at its optimum level. We receive a number of returns from folks who claim their jackets are leaking. Most often, the outer fabric of the jacket is wetting-out and perspiration is condensing on the interior of their shell instead of passing through the membrane like it would if the DWR was working properly.

Unfortunately DWR doesn't last forever so it does need care and maintenance to keep it working properly. 

There is a common misconception that washing your shell ruins the DWR when, more often than not, the real culprit is not washing it. Whenever someone calls about their jacket wetting out, my first question is always “When was the last time you washed it?” The answer almost always: “Never.”

For a more detailed look at some of the history and technology of Waterproof/Breathable fabrics see my previous post here. Keep reading to learn more about proper shell care and maintenance.

Care

DWR is easily contaminated by dirt, body oils, sunscreens or smoke. There are many good reasons to not wear your $400 shell while sitting in front of a campfire but one of the best (besides the flying embers) is that wood smoke can contaminate your DWR and cause your shell to wet out prematurely. Smoke particles clinging to your shell are extremely hydrophilic (water loving), and your DWR is hydrophobic. It doesn’t take much smoke to overcome your DWR; even a night in a smoky bar can be hazardous to its health. Plain old dirt is the other leading culprit in your DWR’s demise, especially in high abrasion areas like under pack straps where dirt gets ground into the fabric.

The good news is that contamination isn’t fatal for your DWR and it can be nursed back to health simply by washing your shell. This leads to the next question, “What do I wash it with?”

Our fabric lab test-washes all our fabrics with the country's most popular detergent, regular Tide® (no bleach!). If you want to wash your shell right now, go ahead and use any mild powdered detergent and it will come out fine. Be aware that commercial detergents contain lots of additives designed to whiten and brighten your laundry, but these don’t do anything positive for your shell. More importantly, since they don’t rinse out completely they leave a residue that can contaminate your DWR.

Like Mick Jagger, I’m not too concerned about “how white my shirt can be” so I always wash my shells in a product like Nikwax® Tech Wash or Atsko’s Sport Wash®. Both of these products are designed to rinse out residue-free, leaving your shell (and your DWR) squeaky clean and ready to go. Well almost ready to go.

Many folks are reluctant to machine dry their shells, fearing they’ll return to find an expensive mass of melted plastic tumbling around in their dryer. While commercial dryers can reach temperatures dangerous for shells, most home dryers are safe at the medium (permanent press) setting. Drying your shell on medium heat for at least a half hour is an essential part of reactivating the water repellent properties of your DWR and will make your shell perform like new. [*Ed Note: It is important to test your dryer's individual temperature settings first, as it could be unsuitable for this use. Test-drying an insignificant synthetic (polyester or nylon) item first is a good way to do this.]

Ironing with a warm iron is another method to rejuvenate your DWR. Most every iron is capable of getting hot enough to melt your jacket so be really careful if you choose this method. Medium heat should be OK but be conservative. I haven't ironed anything but skis in years so it will come as no surprise to anyone who knows me that I have yet to try this particular method.

Feeding

Patagonia’s DWRs are designed to be at least 80% effective after 20 washings. For most of us that’s at least a couple years’ worth of washings. But just like you need to change the oil in your car, at some point you’ll need to reapply DWR to your jacket. There are a number of good DWR treatments on the market, with NikWax® being among the most popular. I’ve also had good results from Grangers® and have heard good things about ReviveX® as well. Generally these products come in two forms, wash-in or spray-on. Both work well with the wash-in being the easiest. If your jacket is insulated or has a hanging mesh liner you'll probably want to go with the spray-on. Wash-in treatments will wash into your jacket's liner and prevent it from being able to absorb any moisture, so it won't be able to wick.

Spray-on treatments are more of a pain to apply, but this does allow you to put the product just where you want it, and keep it away from where you don’t. Both treatments work best if applied to the garment(s) right after washing. If you’re using a wash-in treatment, just leave it in the washer and start the load. Follow the instructions on the bottle and don’t try to treat too many garments at once, two is generally best.

If you’re using the spray-on, apply carefully while the garment is still wet. Blot up anything that doesn’t soak in, as it can leave little white spots that are near impossible to remove once dry. After either treatment, toss your shell in the dryer for at least a half an hour on medium heat. Your shell will be as close to good-as-new as you can get. If you're not treating a Patagonia product you might want to check with the manufacturer to make sure these recommendations go along with what they advise; in general these treatments should work with any high quality shell.

Extended Care . . . Keeping it Healthy

Back in the early days of waterproof/breathable shells, when even factory-applied DWR meant “Doesn’t Work Really,” I used what I called the Two-Jacket System. I always had two jackets; one, a used and abused jacket which I wore most days, and a newer jacket that I saved for those infamously wet Tahoe snow days.

After working here for over 10 years I have amassed quite a collection of shells. With the new DWRs lasting much longer than they did 20 years ago it might surprise folks that I still employ a variation of this two-jacket system. Now the “two” represents something different. One jacket is a newish hard shell for those “white rain” days when nothing but a waterproof jacket will keep you dry. But now I do most of my skiing (and everything else outside) in a variety of soft shells. These are so much more breathable and comfortable on most every other kind of day. Patagonia soft shells do not have a waterproof barrier, allowing them to be highly breathable while the DWR and fabric construction itself provides water resistance. For example I generally ski resorts in a Stash Jacket from a couple years ago, and in the backcountry, I will most often opt for a Ready Mix jacket (the new Ascensionist Jacket is its replacement).

Whatever jacket or jackets you choose to use though, just like changing your oil, a little bit of shell maintenance goes a long way in protecting your investment. The best way to preserve and extend the life of your DWR, and your jacket, is to keep it clean and keep it away from contaminants. Shell care really is easy and fun. Well OK, not so fun, but it does pay big dividends in outdoor comfort and performance. And it’s way easier than changing your oil.

We test our gear on a variety of levels. Our athletes and ambassadors are responsible for putting the latest designs and fabrics through the paces before we'll add a new product to our lineup. But just because something reaches our shelves doesn't mean testing is over. Once a new item shows up in our catalogs, our Customer Service staff gets busy ground-truthing the latest offerings. They know the questions our customers will be asking, and turn that attention to our gear.
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Product Report  -  Short-sleeved rash guard (white), Long-sleeved Rash Guard (white), Minimalist II Board Short, Bathing Suits - Obi Paries Bottoms, Obi Makeba Top, Obi Bayonne Bottoms
Activity - Surfing in Costa Rica
Tested by - Tammy Funk, Patagonia Pro Sales Program
Stoke Factor - Full on

Ok, so, I have never surfed in my entire life being born and raised in the mountains of Colorado. Some friends of ours started talking about a surf trip two years ago and we finally booked the tickets and flew away from Reno bound for Costa Rica. To prepare, we talked with friends and workmates, watched surfing “how to” videos and other classics, rode the long board, “ripstick” and indo board a lot, did many push-ups, and then winged it from there.

I packed everything I needed into a Lightweight Travel Pack and carried it on. No need for massive gear - everything I needed was on my back except for the surf boards I was renting when I got there. The Patagonia gear I opted to bring was:

* S/S Rash Guard (white)

* L/S Rash Guard (white)

* Minimalist II Board Short (mineral springs)

* Bathing Suits - Obi Paries Bottoms, Obi Makeba Top (x2), Obi Bayonne Bottoms (x2).

We arrived in San Jose, Costa Rica then took a puddle jumper plane out to Playa Nosara, on the Nicoya Pennisula, or the “Pacific Ocean” side of Costa Rica. The flight only took an hour and then we found ourselves in the middle of a rain forest--very lush, green, and humid. You could hear tropical birds singing and echoing in the distance. Quite possibly one of the best sounds I have ever heard besides the ocean waves crashing on the beach.

We met up with our friends who rented a house on the beach. They had the opportunity to stay for a month and we got to stay for 8 days. We rented surf boards from a little store that allowed you to come back and exchange them for different sizes. We managed to keep up enough energy for two surf sessions per day. Our days consisted of waking up around 9am, eating breakfast/coffee, surfing in high tide from 10-2pm, eating and yoga from 2-4pm, back in the surf for low tide from 4-6pm. Sundown was at 6pm – super beautiful sunsets we watched from our boards. Nighttime consisted of drinking beer, eating lots of food, playing cards, and/or going to the bar for musical entertainment, then, falling into bed and sleeping hard. Eight days of this and then it was time to come home and rest. We were sad to leave, it went really quickly.

The bathing suits that I brought worked really well. I tended to wear the Obi Paries bottoms because they stayed in place better than the Obi Bayonne Bottoms (little ties on side). I truly love the Obi Makeba Top because it has a really athletic look to it but it also stays in place and doesn’t come off, even when the waves hit you over and over. The Minimalist II Board Short has such a nice hand, soft and smooth, and with a low-rise, they fit well but came untied a few times. I had to stop and re-tie them in the surf. I started to double-knot them and this took care of it.

Playa Nosara – this is a super great beach for learning to surf because it is all white sand with no rock or reef in the water. High tide offered big waves but they were spaced out so that you had a chance to get into them without being hit right away. The biggest waves we encountered at high tide were 9’9” and could be somewhat overwhelming, but we got used to them. Low tide offered smaller waves that came at you with more frequency. Our little group of friends surfed all of the tides every day, but it seemed that the guys preferred the high tide sessions and the girls preferred the low tide.

The rash guards. They were great for keeping your bathing suit top in place but also kept me from getting sunburned as we were in the water 6 hours a day. The one gripe I have about the rash guard is when you came off your board and got hit by a wave, it would slide up like it wanted to peel off, exposing the midriff. It didn’t really matter so much that it flipped up, it just got annoying to keep pulling it back down. Being able to tie your rash guard into your board shorts would be super, especially in long surf sessions. The Men’s Patagonia Rash Guard that I brought for my husband to use had this option, but the women’s did not.

To sum it all up, this vacation rocked and I want to surf. It’s all I talk

about at work and I trace the waves in the catalogs with my finger. Jeremy, my workmate, thinks I’m insane. What do you do if you’ve caught the surfing bug but you live in the mountains?

Kite boarding? Hmmmm . . . . . . .maybe my next adventure.

[Photos: Tfunk]

Patagonia wordsmith Craig Holloway recently interviewed Eric Unmacht, an editor with Patagonia's Creative Dept., on his unlikely career change from the exciting world of international reporting in Cambodia to the life of an editor for a clothing company in Southern California. As Craig finds out, the switch hasn't taken Eric very far from his passions:

Craig: What were you doing before you started working at Patagonia, and how did you find your way here?

Eric: I was living in the Bay Area, but only for a few months. I had just gotten back from Southeast Asia, where I was working for about six years as a freelance reporter for print and radio news organizations in the U.S., Europe and Asia. I was based in Cambodia and Indonesia.

I was looking for a change after working as a reporter and started applying to nonprofit environmental organizations. I didn’t want to work in news anymore but had no intention of working in the outdoor retail industry, or even in business in general. I grew up in Los Angeles and heard about Yvon Chouinard and how great Patagonia was, but never really thought about working here. I was in Ventura surfing with a friend who worked at Patagonia and she told me about an opening for a job as an editor. I applied and got the job.

Craig: What is it about Patagonia as a company that you admire most?

Eric: What I admire most about Patagonia is that they try to lead the environmental movement by example, and with humility, instead of just telling people what to do from a self-righteous position. Also, its promotion of human-powered sports that focus on getting people out in nature and having fun.

Craig: You received a Master of Science Degree in journalism from Columbia University. What is the most important lesson you learned from your education there?

Eric: Eat oatmeal every morning. I had a professor who told us that at the beginning of his introduction to reporting class and it was actually great advice. My beat for the semester was in the Bronx and when I’d go up there and start reporting, I sometimes wouldn’t find time to eat until I came home at night.

Craig: You were a reporter for Deutsche Presse-Agentur and also freelanced while living in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and Jakarta, Indonesia. What type of news stories did you report?

Eric: In Cambodia, most of the world’s focus was on the efforts of the United Nations and involved governments to set up a Khmer Rouge tribunal. When I wasn’t covering that, I got to do what for me was the fun stuff – working on the many interesting feature stories in the country, from its crazy attempt to set up a stock market to its long tradition of traveling countryside opera. I loved doing feature stories, especially ones that had lots of colorful sound for radio.

I didn’t have nearly as much feature-writing time when I was in Indonesia with all the hard news. Stories on terrorism took precedence since it was 2004-2006. At the time Indonesia was still often being mislabeled a “hotbed for terrorists and Muslim fundamentalists” since it was after the first Bali bombing. That perception didn’t seem to fade until an explosives expert responsible for that attack and a series of other bombings, ironically a Malaysian, was killed in a government raid right before I left. I don’t think there’s been a major bombing targeting Westerners there since.

Craig: Has your experience while living in Southeast Asia, where people live with less, influenced you to live a simpler lifestyle in the U.S.?

Eric: That’s a good question. I’m not sure if it’s influenced me to live a simpler life or my preference for simplicity has attracted me to certain places and people. All I know is that I’ve always been interested in traveling to countries that aren’t as developed as our own.

Craig: You and your wife, Klara, have a great love for international travel. Is there a story that stands out in your years of travel?

Eric: We have so many stories that it’s impossible to choose one. Klara and I still laugh together about our memories of our time overseas, some of which only someone who has been to or lived in that particular country could understand. If there’s one thing Cambodia teaches people, it’s how to laugh and smile in all situations, even in the face of tragedy. Every person I know who managed to live through the Khmer Rouge has a story of terror and overcoming that makes anything I’ve ever suffered through feel like summer camp. Yet I have some friends there who smile and laugh more than anyone I know.

Craig: Patagonia’s Environmental Internship Committee recently approved your environmental internship with the group, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). What is IUCN and what type of environmental stewardship services do they provide for the global environment?

Eric: They’re an international conservation group based in Switzerland and have a wide range of projects around the world. The reason I picked them was because I saw they were involved in setting up transboundary conservation areas – areas that straddled boundaries of states or ethnic or religious groups. The areas are in regions of conflict, so they are not only important for their conservation merits, but their ability to bring conflicting groups together. I really believe that the environmental crisis the world faces will either pull people apart or bring them together, since we can’t solve many of these problems on our own. I’m really hoping it will be the latter.

Craig: Where will you be living and working during your environmental internship with IUCN?

Eric: I’ll be living in Bangkok, Thailand and Seoraksan National Park in South Korea. The project I’m working on is setting up a conservation area in the DMZ area between South and North Korea. Both sides already have national parks in the area. They just need someone to bring them under one umbrella, when all factors align of course. So that’s what the group I’m working for is trying to do. They say there’s a great deal of goodwill on both sides. It might take time, but getting conservation movements started in developing countries in conflict, before peace and democracy arrives, is important.

Craig: What experiences do you hope to come away with from your environmental internship with IUCN?

Eric: I hope to learn about how international environmental NGOs work, the process of getting conservation agendas accomplished in developing countries, how to devise and implement environmental management plans and how to work with groups with a history of conflict.  The people I’m working with at IUCN are really motivated, so I’m confident I will learn a lot.

Craig: Tell us about your passion for surfing and what it means to you.

Eric: Surfing’s always been a way for me to get back in touch with the natural rhythms of the world. It’s also a great break from the complicated stuff we can all get tangled in during our day-to-day lives. I used to love coming home to the U.S. after seeing so much suffering in Cambodia or Indonesia, and just paddle out with some friends.

[Ed note: In trying to provide captions for the above photos, we mined Eric for additional information. His response adds additional insight into his life and time in Cambodia. Here's Eric's words:

Sorry I don't have better photos. I realized how few we have from our time overseas when I was asked for one. But it got me emailing some friends who came to visit, so hopefully I'll get more like these to add to the personal collection.

But those you have were taken by Czerina Patel, around December 2002. The one inside is me in my office in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, talking to one of the local reporters I worked with. It looks like we're looking at some photos, but it was so long ago, I don't know much more than that.

Same for the one of me outside on a motorbike. I'm not sure what we were looking at, but I am outside my office in Phnom Penh, on the typical mode of transport in Cambodia (after the bicycle, that is). Cambodians will fit a whole family on the back of one of those things...and front. Small kids fit perfect in that space between the legs and handlebars.

In the background you can see a local "gas station" (shell drum with hand crank), "pharmacy" (misc assortment of drugs) and other shops that were across the street from my office. It was just half a block up from the Tonle Sap River...right where it hits the Mekong.]

We test our gear on a variety of levels. Our athletes and ambassadors are responsible for putting the latest designs and fabrics through the paces before we'll add a new product to our lineup. But just because something reaches our shelves doesn't mean testing is over. Once a new item shows up in our catalogs, our Customer Service staff gets busy ground-truthing the latest offerings. They know the questions our customers will be asking, and turn that attention to our gear.

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Products used: Microburst Jacket, Cap 1 Scoop-neck Shirt, Inter-Continental Shorts, Lightweight Endurance Ankle Socks; Huckleberry Shoes.
Activity: Life in Taiwan
Tested by: Ting, Patagonia.com Customer Service

In preparation for my 15-hour flight home with the kid in tow (aka "Mission Evil Spawn Drop"), I thought I would take advantage of her last day of school abroad and stretch out my legs a short hike around a nearby recreational area. I was in Taipei, Taiwan logging eight weeks of volunteer hours with Wild at Heart Legal Defense Association through Patagonia’s environmental internship program. It was a fantastic opportunity to gain insight into environmentalism in a different culture while Patagonia continued to cover my salary and benefits. The timing was just right that allowed Zoe to tag along for the intensive language and cultural immersion, as well as meet her family across the Pacific. The tropical weather would provide an interesting environment to put some of our gear to use.

The forecast showed a partly cloudy day in the upper 70s, but after two months in Taipei I had learned my lesson and set my Microburst Jacket on top of the Cap 1 Scoop, Inter-Continental Shorts [ed note: a close current equal is the Inter-Continental Hideaway Skirt], Lightweight Endurance Ankle Socks, and Huckleberry Shoes. 

Sure enough, I was woken early by the sound of heavy rain. Fortunately, by the time I left home, the rain had eased up. I threw my Microburst Jacket [ed note: a close current equivalent is the Jetstream Jacket] on and stashed my wallet in the chest pocket. The generous hand pocket was more than enough for my water bottle and a banana. The two-way adjustable hood was a nice bonus so I could watch out for those errant mopeds as I maneuvered my way out of town.

While it was cool when I set off, the temperature climbed steadily and the rain turned into a mist. I soon unzipped the pit zips to ventilate. Another half mile or so, I was beginning to wet out; it was pretty amusing seeing the moisture bead up on the inside of the jacket. I tied the jacket around my waist and continued on.

The Huckleberries provided sufficient support for my feet and ankles but it drove me mad having to stop and tighten my laces repeatedly. On top, I was glad that I went with the Cap 1 Scoop since the long sleeves gave my arms some protection from the mosquitoes that were feasting on my legs. The DWR (durable water repellent) kept the Inter-Continental Shorts dry in the rain and did not feel clammy in the high humidity subtropical climate. While it may seem to be overkill to have DWR on a pair of fast drying shorts, I have learn to appreciate how they kept my thighs warm the times that the wind and rain had decided to do the sideways tango and soak my shorts. The DWR also offers protection from the spills that often end up in my lap whenever Hurricane Zoe is around. Kudos also goes to the Lightweight Endurance Ankle Socks that kept my sweaty feet dry and comfortable.

It was interesting testing out our gear in a completely different environment from the high desert. I found the shell selection process much trickier in a high humidity environment. While the Microburst Jacket worked well in keeping me dry from the rain on the outside, the moisture generated by my body heat was just not able to overcome the dense humidity and pass through the membrane fast enough for the jacket to feel breathable on the inside. Instead, it wet out. The lighter Women’s Nine Trails Jacket [ed note: look for the W's Nine Trails Jacket to be available during our summer sale, starting August 12] may have been a better alternative in terms of breathability, but I would be limited in my pocket option and would undoubtedly be a sad, wet mess if I were caught in a heavy rain. For me, I would prefer to be protected by water-proof layers and sacrifice a bit of breathability.

The Capilene 1 is definitely a keeper for its fast-drying characteristics. Most Taiwanese people line dry their laundry under covered balconies, and even with consecutive rainy days, my Capilene 1 could be dried in less than 24 hours. Think about how much quicker the Capilene 2 could dry with its more open weave! Now I am ready for those customers bound for the subtropics.

Here are some other tidbits from my time way…

The MLC would be even more impressive with a two way zipper in the organizer pocket as I prefer wearing it as a backpack and often reach behind for my passport. It would save me time not having to remove the bag off my shoulders.

Duway Skirt had an impressive dry time even in high humidity. I did a load of laundry with Nikwax’s Tech Wash once I returned home. Between the cleaner and dry-time in a dryer, my skirt's water repellancy was revived beautifully.

The Kid's Rain Shadow Jacket in Gold Yellow rocks! It made the kid easy to spot and the reflective strip on the back was especially helpful in the evenings. After getting a few compliments about her jacket, the ever fashion conscious one pleaded with her sweet brown eyes and said, “Mom, I need a yellow kid sized umbrella to match my jacket and galoshes.”

Lastly, the Women's All Wear Shorts' (discontinued) zippered interior pocket was great for change and a nice spot for valuables.

Micah Wolf is a singer songwriter from Maui. Together with the Algalita Marine Research Foundation and photographer Ben Moon, they made this music video for Micah's new song “One By One” to raise awareness about the harmful effects of plastics in our environment. To learn more about Micah and his upcoming release Beyond The Shores, check out micahwolf.com. To find out what you can do to help reduce our dependence on single-use plastics go to Algalita’s plasticsareforever.org.