The first use of the jacket kept my completely dry in the rain. The water would bead and could be shaken off very easily. This walk lasted 4hrs and it rained for about 3hrs. At the end I took off my waterproof shell and was completely dry.
I was very muddy at the end of this walk so I washed all my waterproof/resistant gear shell, trousers, socks and gloves. I used my washing machine with standard detergent that I regularly use. I air dried the clothing.
The next walk I went on I noticed that the water was not beading on the surface and after 20 minutes I felt damp. By the end of the 4hr walk I was really wet underneath my shell.
I looked online and it seems that there are products that apply water resistant chemicals through wash cycles or spray. Is it advisable to use these? Was it a mistake to use standard detergent? Any other recommendations?
If it supports discussion/feedback I can list the products and provide URLs. The jacket was expensive and I would not expect low performance like this.