The Adobe Flash Player is required for video playback. With the arrival of rainy days, waterproof coats are back out of the closets. Waterproof ratings are determined by the manufacturer brand or fabric producer in which waterproof testing is usually handled in-house or through independent labs. What most consumers are not aware of, however, is that there are a number of waterproof testing procedures in use today.
In simple terms — two pieces of fabric from the same exact roll could produce different results depending on the waterproofing test conducted. Today waterproof ratings are becoming more standardized, however do keep in mind different companies and labs may have different testing procedures that produce different results. Five main breathability test methods exist. As a general rule of thumb, the higher the grams of water vapor that pass through, the greater the breathability.
All breathable outerwear designed for active winter sports and rain protection has various degrees of water resistance, but will eventually leak given enough water, time and pressure. Most normal jackets as well as big, tall and plus size winter jackets today feature waterproof, breathable fabric.
Seam taping, sometimes referred to as seam sealing, is a heat applied thin waterproof tape that covers tiny holes made by the needle in the sewing process so the seams do not leak. GORE also offers soft shell fabric and a super light 2. Gore Corporation. This membrane blocks rain droplets but still allows sweat vapour to pass through, keeping you dry on the outside and on the inside. The number of layers tells you how your waterproof jacket is constructed and will give you an indication of its quality.
Made from a face fabric bonded to a waterproof membrane, often with a separate mesh or fabric lining sewn in for comfort and protection. Sometimes this print contains carbon or silica, which makes it feel more comfortable next to your skin. These fabrics consist of a face fabric, waterproof membrane and backer fabric, all bonded together. The backer fabric protects the waterproof membrane and stops it from sitting directly against your skin.
The backer fabric has the biggest impact on next-to-skin comfort — we always look for something soft and moisture wicking. Our most important job as product designers is to choose the right fabrics for the jacket, depending on its end use.
The fabrics listed above 2, 2. But some manufacturers make coated waterproof fabrics too. Coated fabrics are where a waterproof coating usually Polyutherene has been spread over the inside of the shell fabric.
The main difference you'll notice between laminate and coated fabrics are breathability and price. Coated fabrics are much less breathable — it isn't possible to make the coating as thin as you could make a membrane.
Laminate fabrics perform better because we can make the waterproof membrane incredibly thin to maintain breathability. However, the cost of manufacturing laminate fabrics means you do pay more for them.
The hydrostatic head HH rating tells you how much water pressure your jacket can handle before it lets water in. The value signifies the height of the column required for water to leak through. We recommend that you look for a minimum of 10,mm HH for most activities, or at least 20, for proper all-weather use.
It's also worth saying that rucksack straps increase the water pressure on your waterproof as they push water through the fabric. The fabric is placed around the bottom of a cylinder, then water is added until it leaks through the fabric. There are many figures and claims made by companies and the outdoor academia as to what HH is required to keep all water out in normal conditions, however there is no definitive answer. Waterproof rating should be used only as a guide between similar styled and brand garments.
Many other factors such as the design, features and construction of the garment factor heavily in the overall ability to keep you dry. This moisture is a problem as not only does it make us more uncomfortable, it also increases the potential to overheat whilst active, and at rest can cause us to get cold. Being wet in very cold conditions can lead to hypothermia.
There are many different scientific tests carried out by various companies to measure breathability, yet unfortunately there is no universally accepted standard. Hence mentioned that, one of the most commonly seen and used tests, measures the amount of water vapour in grams that can pass through a m2 of the chosen fabric in a 24hr period, simply known as MVTR Moisture Vapour Transmission Rate. The higher the MVTR, the better the breathability right?! A garments breathability is heavily dependent on the environment.
In order to breath and transfer moisture to the outside of your jacket, there must be a humidity differential between the 2 sides of the fabric. Hiking in say Tully Northern Queensland, Or in Litchfield south of Darwin or PNG Jungles Kokoda — will significantly slow the noticeable breathability of a garment, whereas if you are at the ski fields of the Snowy Mountains, or deep in the Wolgan Valley of the Blue Mountains during August or scrambling up to Mt Ossa in September, then your shell will breathe a lot better.
Other factors than can affect the breathability of a fabric are how clean the garment is. If your jacket is dirty, and contaminated with dirt, grime, oils, etc. Then the pores that the vapour is trying to escape through will be blocked. Also, one of the most important aspects of breathability is how good the DWR Durable Water Repellent coating is on a garment. Below is a list of waterproof and breathability ratings of various fabrics:. Breathability is heavily influenced by the environment, activity levels, cleanliness of the garment and its DWR.
Ratings are only a guide and should not be the sole factor in choosing which garment to buy. In order to maintain breathability, the garment must be cleaned and reproofed regularly. A jackets breathability has limitations: nothing will work in extremely humid, wet environments.
There are many types of waterproof breathable jackets on the market. The following are just a few types available. Each have their own merit, and will perform depending on the conditions the garment is used in and for. Gore has continued to pave the way as a market leader and now produces a number of different fabrics to cater to the outdoor market. Even though Gore is the most well known of the WPB manufacturers, what continues to be seen in the outdoor market is that the absolute top brands in outdoor garments continue to use Gore products as their mainstay of WPB garments.
The smooth texture of the knit backing is soft to the touch, and makes the garment easier to slide on and off over other layers. Designed for sustained use in severe environments and for those that abuse their jackets.
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