How to Maintain Tactical Clothing
We are dedicated to providing you with the best tactical clothing on the market. It’s comfortable, it’s functional, it’s rugged, and it’s durable. But the truth is nobody wants to read the care labels. Right?
In order to make the most of your UF PRO gear and prolong the lifetime of your tactical clothing, appropriate care is needed.
Proper Care Will Extend the Lifetime of Your Tactical Clothing
No matter how rugged, durable, or tech-advanced your gear is, the chances are it will fail at some stage unless you take proper care of it. It might shrink, discolour, rip, develop leaks, or start stinking despite washing.
To make your gear last longer, follow our top tips for tactical clothing maintenance. In this guide, we go over regular maintenance, care when washing and drying, care while you’re on a mission and exposed to the environment, and how to store your gear properly – everything from choosing the right storage space to storing it in a way that ensures your tactical clothing doesn’t become damaged when not in use. As well, we provide you with maintenance tips for gear requiring special care, like your winter jackets and waterproof gear.
1. Check Your Gear Often
Regular maintenance and gear inspection are your first line of defense when it comes to ensuring the longevity of your tactical clothing. Make sure to regularly check your tactical apparel for structural damage. If you find any, repair it before the damage worsens.
Regular maintenance and gear inspection are your first line of defense when it comes to ensuring the longevity of your tactical clothing. Make sure to regularly check your tactical apparel for structural damage. If you find any, repair it before the damage worsens.
Burn Loose Threads
If you see a loose thread, don’t cut it off but carefully burn it with a lighter. This will melt the end of the thread into a tight ball that secures the stitch.
Stitch Holes
Exposure to particles of sand, dust, salt (found in your sweat), sharp objects, or moths can produce small rips in the fabric. Make sure to stitch them up before they rip further.
Check Buttons & Zippers
Regularly check for loose buttons and ensure that your zippers operate smoothly without getting stuck. Secure or replace them accordingly.
2. Care when Washing and Drying
2. Care when Washing and Drying
Washing and drying is an important part of taking care of your tactical clothing. But ironically, this is also a step during which considerable damage can occur if not done right. This is why you should always check the care labels on your garments and follow their instructions.
Close Zippers & Velcro
By closing Velcro fasteners, zippers, and buttons, you will not only extend their lifespan but also prevent damage to other garments that might get stuck and damaged in your washing machine.
Empty Pockets & Remove Pads
This will ensure your pocket items and pads stay safe, prevent abrasion-related damage that might occur during the wash cycle, and protect your washing machine from damage by foreign objects.
Wash & Dry Inside-Out
You can help prevent colour fading as well as protect any fabric treatments by turning your garments inside-out when washing and drying them.
Choose the Right Products & Cycle
Technical fabrics use special treatments that are susceptible to harsh chemicals. Avoid products containing colour intensifiers, bleach, and fabric softeners. Check care labels for additional information about appropriate water temperature and wash cycle settings.
Separate Garments or Put Them in A Washing Bag
Additional care should be taken when washing delicate functional fabrics, such as those commonly found on your tactical shirts. Either separate these items or put them in a washing bag. We recommend using a lower cycle setting.
Air Dry
You don’t want your tactical garments to shrink, deform, or discolour in the dryer. Therefore, all UF PRO tactical clothing should be air-dried on a drying line. We recommend drying your garments inside-out and in the shade. Put away your laundry as soon as it is dry.
3. Care on A Mission
Understandably, when out on a mission, taking care of your gear might not be a priority or even a possibility. But your gear is ultimately what helps to keep you safe and at the top of your game. Therefore, you need to perform at least a minimum amount of garment maintenance in order to be able to rely on your clothing.
Understandably, when out on a mission, taking care of your gear might not be a priority or even a possibility. But your gear is ultimately what helps to keep you safe and at the top of your game. Therefore, you need to perform at least a minimum amount of garment maintenance in order to be able to rely on your clothing.
Use the Right Gear for The Mission
This might seem obvious, but it’s so incredibly important to use the right clothing for the conditions. Always be prepared for any environmental changes and use gear built for the intended purpose.
Dry Gear when It Gets Wet
It’s recommended that you rinse and dry your wet gear as soon as possible. Avoid drying over a direct source of heat, such as an open fire. When possible, dry your garments inside-out and avoid leaving them in the sun.
Brush Off Dirt & Rinse
To avoid damage to the fabrics, brush off dirt and rinse and dry sweaty garments as soon as possible. This will also help ward off foul odours, mould, or rot.
Keep Velcro Clean & Closed
Velcro won’t hold if dirt, water, snow, or ice get in the way. Keep it closed to prevent it from getting dirty. If it does get dirty, clean it as soon as possible.
Care when Storing in Your Backpack
Try to clean and dry dirty, wet, or sweaty garments before storing them in your backpack. It’s recommended that you fold or roll your clothes before putting them away inside any type of rucksack.
Watch out For Sharp Objects
Sharp objects such as loose wire, thorns, and branches can easily tear your apparel. If a rip occurs, stitch it up as soon as possible.
4. Proper Storage
4. Proper Storage
Your gear can deteriorate when not in use. Don’t let that happen. Carefully choose an appropriate storage location to reduce the risk of deterioration.
Store in A Dry and Airy Place
Keep your wardrobe well-ventilated to prevent damage from heat, dampness, or musty conditions (which can also attract moths and other cloth-eating bugs).
Avoid Direct Sunlight
UV rays can be bad for fabrics and fabric treatments. To prolong the lifetime of your garments, store them away from direct sunlight. An enclosed wardrobe or a clothes closet are possible storage choices.
Prevent Nesting/Animals
Avoid putting your gear away in storage rooms or attics where they will be vulnerable to rodents and pests. Apply moth repellent if and where appropriate.
5. Care when Storing
Identifying an appropriate storage location and creating the right storage conditions is just the first step. Additional care should be taken in how you prepare your garments for storage and how exactly you store them.
Identifying an appropriate storage location and creating the right storage conditions is just the first step. Additional care should be taken in how you prepare your garments for storage and how exactly you store them.
Wash & Dry Before Storing
Wash your clothes before storing to remove bacteria and dirt. Make sure your garments are dry before you put them away.
Empty Pockets
Remove any heavy or bulky objects. Such objects can cause your garments to become deformed while in storage. Ensure that no food or organic waste are trapped in your pockets, as these can cause rotting and attract pests.
Close Zippers, Velcro & Buttons
Closing zippers, Velcro fasteners, and buttons will help them last longer, prevent the garments from losing their shape, and prevent physical damage that might occur due to the fabrics getting stuck on the closing systems.
Fold or Hang Your Pants and Shirts
When storing your shirts and pants, you might choose between hanging or neatly folding them. To prevent wrinkling or membrane ruptures, avoid excessive compressing of the garments.
Hang Your Jackets
When storing your jackets, we recommend you hang them, especially if they’re made of GORE-TEX or have received a waterproof treatment. Empty the pockets first to avoid deformation.
Long-Term Storage
When storing your seasonal or mission-specific garments for a lengthy period, it’s recommended that you periodically air out the closet, refold garments, and move things around within the storage space. Most UF PRO gear can also be stored in vacuum bags.
6. Special Care
6. Special Care
Mission-specific tactical gear might require special care.
Insulated Clothing
UF PRO winter clothing uses synthetic filling which is less sensitive than duck down and other natural fillings. Synthetic filling also dries faster and recovers its shape quickly after being compressed. Consequently, you can safely store these clothes in a vacuum bag during the off-season.
GORE-TEX
While you can machine wash your Monsoon and other GORE-TEX gear, doing little more than rinsing it off in the shower will be enough to prolong the lifespan of the waterproof laminate. Be mindful to avoid sharp folds that might damage the laminate during storage. It’s recommended that you loosely fold or hang your Monsoon garments.
Elbow & Knee Pads
Elbow and knee pads should be removed from your garments before washing. Hand wash them according to the care label instructions and make sure they’re completely dry before storing or reinserting them into the garment. Store on a flat surface.
Get More Intel on Tactical Clothing Care
Proper care of your gear can help ensure that it keeps serving you well for the longest possible time. Tactical clothing is highly functional and purpose-built to meet the tactical demands of military and LE operatives. Understanding the materials used in your tactical garments is key to helping you give your military uniform the care it needs.
Check out our blog to learn more about the materials we use and the design features we implement. There, you’ll also find more information on how to wash and care for your UF PRO garments.
The Science Behind Tactical Clothing
Watch our topic spotlight and BEER:30 videos for a deep-dive into the nitty-gritty of gear materials, gear care, and UF PRO design features.
Beer:30 | Tactical Winter Clothing
Is My GORE-TEX Garment Leaking?
Frequently Asked Questions
Remove the knee pads from your pants and wash them by hand. Then dry them on a flat surface, being careful to avoid exposing them to direct sunlight.
You can put Velcro in the washing machine but to avoid damaging other fabrics in the wash, it is recommend to close them before washing.
Always follow the instructions on the manufacturer's care labels. As a general rule, you should avoid washing such garments in hot water or setting the machine to high spin cycles. Always completely air-dry your freshly laundered military uniforms.
Different materials might require different types of care, including washing and should be washed separately when that’s the case. Be mindful when laundering delicate materials and avoid washing them along with sharp objects or shoes. You might consider putting your delicates in a washing bag and using colour-guard laundry sheets when washing different colours together.
Maintaining camouflage patterns is no different than maintaining your other tactical clothing. Always follow the care instructions on the garment’s label and make use of the tips we’ve outlined above. You might consider using colour-guard laundry sheets to avoid colour bleeding.
Fabric material does play a role in how long the colour lasts. The more cotton or natural fibers a fabric has, the quicker it might fade. You can prolong its life by washing your garments at lower temperatures, drying them inside-out, and avoiding direct sunlight.
Different stains will require different care to be removed. You can read more about the different ways you can remove different stains in this blog.
FR clothing can be washed according to its care label. Just as with any other tactical garment, the appropriate care will depend on the materials used.
Browse UF PRO Tactical Clothing by Category:
UF PRO Pants
Known for world-class wear comfort, functionality and reliability the UF PRO pants make sure you are going to stay at the top of your game in any terrain and any weather condition.
UF PRO Shirts
Browse through state-of-the-art ED combat shirts for weather conditions ranging from blistering hot sun to sub-zero degrees, moisture-wicking base layer shirts and a wide selection of tactical shirts.
Accessories
Upgrade your UF PRO gear with our tactical accessories ranging from tactical knee and elbow pads to zip-in liners for cold temperatures and MOLLE pouches that securely store all your essential gear.
UF PRO Jackets
Built for deployments in which severe weather & rough terrain will be factors. Browse our industry leading combat, tactical and EDC jackets.
Tactical Clothing
Highly functional and purpose-built tactical clothing that is designed to meet the high demands of military and LE operatives.
