About The Brand: Nikwax

There are quite literally hundreds of wash and reproofer products for your outdoor gear on the market today. Of course they all claim to be the best at keeping you dry in all types of weather and make a song and dance about how environmentally friendly they are. But if you were to talk to any hiker you know they will have heard of Nikwax. Before we starting going on about Nikwax as a brand here is their latest promotional video: Just in case you're not too sure who Nikwax are let us tell you their back story. At the grand old age of 10 Nick Brown and his father would go walking in Scotland. After a couple of years Nick started to become dissatisfied with the waterproofing products available, so he created his own recipe for preserving his boots. This is where the company's name comes from - “Nicks Wax”. Nikwax as a commercial product was first made in 1977 when Nick created his first order with a discarded tea urn and a primus stove. Before he knew it Nick was selling Nikwax to eight countries in Europe! In the eighties Nikwax started to work towards ‘green thinking’, this is when the Nikwax team designed and developed the world’s first water based waterproofing products. This meant Nikwax could steer away from being a company that was emitting harmful and flammable solvents. It’s because of their ‘green thinking’ that makes Nikwax the number one reproofing product in the world! It’s no surprise that the big brands like: Montane, Burton, Salomon, The North Face, Vaude and many many more are and want to be associated with such an environmentally friendly brand. So we have shown you a cool Nikwax video, we have given you a brief Nikwax history lesson and we have spoken about the brands that endorse Nikwax, it's time to talk about some of their products.

TX. Direct

TX. Direct is Nikwax’s main waterproofing agent. The great thing about TX. Direct is that you can either spray it on the garment you want waterproofed or you can use it to reproof your garment in a washing machine, there is no need to buy a separate proofing agent. The reason behind this is purely because of their ‘green thinking’. Because they don’t use aerosol cans for the spray TX. Direct this means you can unscrew the lid and pour it into your washingmachine. TX. Direct has some great benefits including:

• It overcomes gear “wetting out”
• It rejuvenates the water repellency of tired worn clothes
• It maintains breathability
• It prolongs the life of your gear
• It’s very easy to apply
• And has a four year shelf life

Down Proof

So Down proof is like T.X. Direct but for down garments. Down proof adds durable water repellency; reduces weight gain and maintains the insulation and breathability of down filled garments in cold damp conditions. You can use down proof safely in your washing machine even on a low 30°C temperature. The Nikwax down proof works in perfect harmony with the down wash to give you the best possible results. Down Proof's benefits include:

• It prolongs the effective life of your down gear
• It leaves flexible water repellent treatment on individual down filaments
• It’s very easy to apply
• Has a four year shelf life

Nubuck & Suede proof

One of the most popular walking boot reproofers we sell here at Simply Hike is Nikwax’s Nubuck and Suede. The spray system that is used on this reproofer allows you to quickly spray your boots and head out for a day’s hike. You can apply the proofer when the boot is wet and guess what? It will work straight away! The Nubuck and Suede proofer doesn’t just help repel water it also works at maintaining your boots breathability. Here's is a few of Nubuck and suede’s benefits:

• Helps maintain your walking boots breathability
• Keeps your boots dry even when applied to wet boots
• Quick and easy to apply
• Works perfectly with Nubuck and Suede boots in keeping their texture.
• Works best when left to dry naturally

Tech Wash

Tech Wash is the partner of T.X. Direct. You would use Tech Wash to clean your garment before you treat it with T.X. Direct. Tech Wash cleans your garment 100% but does not damage the garment's waterproof membrane. Tech Wash safely revitalises breathability and even some water repellence. To top it off Tech Wash is part of the Duke of Edinburgh kit list! Tech Washes benefits:

• Prolongs the life of gear
• Maintains breathability
• Maintains original water repellency
• Suitable on all fabrics
• Easy to apply
• Does not contain fluorocarbons

Base Wash

Lastly we will talk about Nikwax Base Wash. Due to the structure of most synthetic baselayers (and some socks) Nikwax have come up with a cleaner which enhances a baselayer's wicking properties. It still cleans 100% and doesn’t interfere with any membranes built into the baselayer. As a plus it’s perfect for removing all types of odours! Let’s take a look at Nikwax Base Washes benefits:

• Speeds up wicking on closely woven fabric
• Refreshes and removes odours
• Enhanced rapid drying time
• Guaranteed performance for 4 years from manufacture
• And the old chestnut….it’s easy to apply.

So there we have it! Our introduction in Nikwax. We of course stock Nikwax ourselves so to see our full range click >here<. We would love to hear your views on Nikwax, how long you have been using it and what is your favourite Nikwax product, just comment below!