Ultralight. Packable. A fortress against the most erratic conditions the mountains can throw at you. The Stormfront Light Jacket and Pant will be a vital part of your system for many years to come.

But there are a few things you need to know to keep your Stormfront Lite - and other Sitka Gear with GORE-TEX® - waterproof and breatheable. 

The enemy is called "wet out." It happens when water saturates the outside layer of fabric above the GORE-TEX® membrane. Even though no water can get in through the membrane, the barrier of soggy fabric keeps your sweat from evaporating through and makes you feel damp and clammy. To prevent wet out, Sitka Gear fabrics are treated with an ultra-thin Durable Water Repellent polymer. DWR penetrates the fibers and lowers the surface tension of the fabric, causing water to bead up and roll off instead of being absorbed. 

DWR lasts a long time, but it isn't permanent. Regular wear and tear, and exposure to dirt, detergents, insect repellent and other impurities can shorten its lifespan. The good news? Restoring the water repellency of the Stormfront Lite and other Sitka Gear is easy. Just machine wash it, rinse it and put it in the dryer. Washing removes dirt and other contaminants that can clog the breathability of the GORE-TEX® membrane, while heat from the dryer helps redistribute the DWR treatment on the fabric's surface. 

If water fails to bead up on the surface of your Sitka Gear after you've washed and dried it, don't worry. Just apply a topical DWR treatment like ReviveX, and it will be as good as it was on day one. 

To keep your gear functioning like new for years to come, we're giving away a bottle of ReviveX Spray-On Water Repellent. To enter, just answer this question in the comments below. We'll pick one lucky commenter at random!

Are you following these steps to increase the life of your gear?