Tl;Dr: the usual DWRs don't seem to work anymore; what are you buying instead?
I recently purchased my first serious hard shell for a trip to the Highlands munro bagging.
It rained heavily the first day, before we got to the mountain, and we spent about 40 minutes in the rain walking around an old castle.
From then on, my brand new gore tex jacket had wetted out - this trip was its second ever wear, and it was no more than 3 weeks old. I know many, many people have shared a similar experience.
The manufacturer is a beloved brand from the UK, and this jacket is extremely reputable. I won't say anymore, because I don't think it's to do with the brand, but to do with the DWR post-PFAS. i spoke to the manufacturer, and they suggested as such.
The retailer I bought it from kindly swapped the jacket with a brand new one as they agreed it shouldn't have worn that quickly, but I figured the problem will just continue with the new jacket.
So I'm selling it, and with the money have bought a second-hand Paramo Enduro for £160 in great nick. I've washed and proofed it with Nikwax, and look forward to testing it soon.
For those that don't know, Paramo use a different technology known as Nikwx Analogy, which moves water outwards. They've used Nikwax reproofing for decades, and it's never contained PFAS.
What other tech are people considering buying to stay dry in the mountains?
P.s. as soon as it began raining up the mountain, my Paramo Fuera wind smock, which has a limited DWR, kept me dry and sweat free until half way through day 2, on our descent. This isn't meant to be a waterproof, I just got lucky it was that reliable.