I haven’t done anything special to care for the north face men’s waterproof jackets
other than to wash it often. I’m sure the north face men’s insulated jackets have been washed upwards of 100 times and the north face women’s waterproof jackets really looks just as good as the day I got it. The durable fabric and color has held up beautifully.
I have mostly washed it in warm water with similar-type colors and then tumble dried it a bit (not recommended by manufacturer) and then let it hang dry. Patagonia uses symbols on their care tags and the instructions for the jacket say to wash in cold or warm water, no bleach, line dry and no ironing.
The north face jackets have been very comfortable to wear under my backpack or under a waistpack. There isn’t a lot of excess material to the jacket, so it doesn’t bunch up underneath the waistbelt or harness. The absence of north face men’s fleece jackets> seems to eliminate possible irritation points under the harness straps.
The north face men’s softshell jackets is not only lightweight but the north face is very packable. Without bulky seams, the north face R2 Jacket compresses nicely to fit into the top hood of my pack or when I stuff it into a daypack.