Close all zippers and fasteners to protect the fabric. Empty all pockets and turn the jacket inside out.

For best results, machine wash the down jacket/coat in cold or maximum 30°C water with a special down detergent. Put the down jacket alone in the washing drum (capacity at least six kilos). Use the delicate or wool program. Reduce the spin speed to 400 to 600 revolutions maximum. Follow up the main wash with an additional rinse cycle.

Carefully (!) remove down kits from the machine after washing. Since it is still very heavy despite the gentle spin cycle, careless handling may result in tears at the seams or inner seams or chamber separations. For this reason and to protect the technical gadgets, you should also NOT put tennis balls in the machine when washing. Avoid bleach and fabric softener as they can damage not only our environment but also your APACHE STAR kits.

The great art of down care is to carefully dry the soaking wet down. Only in this way can you return it to its original state. Ideally, you should use a tumble dryer, as the down is stirred up at the same time as it dries. It is important to have a capacity of at least six kilograms. Otherwise, it is better to use a laundromat or a professional dry cleaner.

We recommend a low temperature (cold) of 40 to 60 degrees. With many dryers, the short program is a good choice. In addition to the APACHE STAR down kit, put two to three tennis balls in the dryer. They will help with puffing. After the first drying cycle, a jacket is usually still damp or rather wet. Carefully shake it out. You can gently push palpable down lumps into the center of the chambers. Note that wet down often collects in the corners of the collar or at the hem. How often your down jacket/coat needs to go back into the dryer depends on the length of your APACHE STAR kit and dryer. Repeat until only very, very little residual moisture is noticeable (cabinet dry). After drying, shake your kit well again. Spread it out loosely on a clothes horse and let it dry overnight. Finally, shake it out once more.

The basic rule is: as often as necessary, as seldom as possible. If you wear your APACHE STAR kit only in everyday life and otherwise store it dry and clean in the garment bag provided, you will enjoy your kit for a long time even without washing it. Proper airing is often enough to keep a down jacket/coat fresh for a long time.
Vulnerable areas such as collars or cuffs can also be treated with a damp sponge and some functional detergent if necessary, without the need for a complete wash.

If you travel a lot and also do sports, you will probably want to wash them more or less regularly. However, once or twice a year will be enough in most cases for a down kit used in normal mountain sports use.