Care Guide

Good gear lasts if you treat it right. Most of what wears out technical apparel happens in the laundry: the wrong detergent, too much heat, and fabric softener. Get those three right and your gear will hold its stretch, its finish and its print for years.

Check the care label inside the garment first. Where it differs from this page, follow the label.

The basics, for everything we make

  • Wash cold, on a gentle cycle.
  • Turn garments inside out, and close every zip and hook-and-loop tab before washing.
  • Use a small amount of technical-fabric detergent or a mild liquid detergent.
  • No fabric softener and no dryer sheets. Softener coats the fibres, kills water repellency and traps odour.
  • No bleach.
  • Hang to dry, or tumble on low. High heat damages stretch fibres and bonded layers.
  • Do not dry clean.
  • Do not iron printed camouflage. If you have to iron, do it inside out on the lowest setting.

Softshell jackets — Astraes and Helios

Wash after heavy use rather than after every wear. Dirt, sweat and body oil wear down the fabric and its finish faster than washing does, so a clean jacket performs better than a dirty one.

  1. Let mud dry, then brush off the dirt and grit.
  2. Empty the pockets, close all zips, and wash cold on a gentle cycle with a technical-fabric detergent.
  3. Rinse twice if your machine allows, to get all the detergent out.
  4. Hang to dry, or tumble on low.

Pants, leggings and base layers — Kaos and Mitchell

Stretch fabrics last longest with cold water and low heat.

  • Wash cold and inside out, with similar colours.
  • Keep them away from anything with hook-and-loop, which snags the knit.
  • Hang to dry, or tumble on low. High heat breaks down spandex and costs the fabric its recovery.

Denim — Solly Jeans

The Solly is a stretch twill: 83% cotton, 15.5% polyester and 1.5% elastane.

  • Wash inside out in cold water to hold the colour, and wash them less often than you think you need to.
  • Skip the softener. It strips the water-repellent finish.
  • Hang to dry. Heat shrinks cotton and wears out the elastane that gives the fit its stretch.

Caps and hats

Keep structured caps out of the washing machine. It bends the brim and crushes the crown.

  • Spot clean with a soft brush, cold water and a little mild detergent.
  • For a deeper clean, hand wash in cold water, then reshape and air dry on a form or a rolled towel.
  • On the Warrior cap, take the hook-and-loop badge off before cleaning.

Shemagh

The Shemagh is 100% viscose, which is soft but weaker when wet. Hand wash in cold water, press the water out rather than wringing it, and dry flat.

Patches

Our patches have a hook-and-loop backing, made for sleeve panels and other loop fields on jackets, packs and caps. Take them off before washing the garment, and close or cover the loop field so it does not collect lint. If a patch gets dirty, spot clean it with a damp cloth.

Caring for printed camouflage

Our patterns are printed, so the same things that fade any print fade ours: heat, harsh detergent and long hours in direct sun.

  • Cold wash, inside out, on a gentle cycle.
  • No bleach and no optical brighteners. Many whitening detergents contain them, and they dull print colour.
  • Dry out of direct sun where you can.
  • Do not iron over the print.

Storage

Store gear clean and completely dry. Hang jackets rather than leaving them compressed in a pack or a bin for long periods, because long-term compression flattens insulation.

If something fails

Every Virtus piece carries a 90-day warranty against manufacturing defects — stitching that fails, hardware that breaks, a seam that comes apart under normal use. If something fails that should not have, get in touch through our contact page with a photo and your order number. For more on fit, materials and returns, see our FAQ.