Wet Weather Gear

People don’t have to travel or hike to encounter rough and harsh weather conditions. Often enough, we encounter harsh weather in our day-to-day lives, so much so, that we often search for a permanent answer to our problems of discomfort. In cold weather there are plenty of methods to keep warm. Warmth in most cases is very easy to obtain. It’s staying dry that can present a challenge. One important thing to remember is that if you can’t stay dry, you can’t stay warm. Being wet can have serious consequences for a person, especially in cold climates.

The right wet weather gear will often be determined by what activities a person gets up to throughout their day. Some people simply walk their dogs, while others choose to cycle, run, walk, and hike. Or maybe you’re the person who simply wants rain gear for travel, standing out in the rain while touring cities of the world. Maybe it is just for your walk down to the milk bar. Whatever the activity or lack there of, there is something to suit all situations and exsertions.

What Makes Rain Gear Waterproof?

Well, every company that designs wet weather gear will have their choice of fabric. Some fabrics are more versatile than others. Usually, a company will have a complete range of rainwear to suit all price points and customers. The fabric itself has to be waterproof, but to be completely waterproof an item must be seam sealed. Seam sealed means that all areas, which have been stitched and thus have seams, need to be sealed. The method of doing this is simply by sealing the stitching points with waterproof tape, which binds to the fabric of the outer shell. All jackets will also have a DWR (durable water repellent) bonded to the outside of the shell. This DWR will differ slightly between each manufacturer, but it serves the same purpose. It prevents the fabric from wetting out, which means that it prevents the fabric from saturating. Saturation can occur without water actually penetrating the garment. A person would just feel the fabric become slightly weighted down, cold and wet to the touch.

When a fabric becomes wetted out, it means that the DWR has worn off and needs to be replaced. By this time, the saturation point of the initial face fabric has reached its maximum and therefore suffers under further water weight. There are many things that can alter the effectiveness of DWRs, some of which can completely strip a repellent clean off the garment. Dirt and general wear and tear tends to be the most common reason for the loss of a fabric’s DWR. The number one reason could be laundry detergent due to its harsh chemical makeup, but most people refrain from washing their garments so detergent probably remains one of the more rare causes of DWR loss. The fact is people should take better care of their rainwear. A DWR can be very easily rejuvenated by keeping the garment clean. To do this a person would need to use a non-detergent or Tech Wash to clean, and depending on whether or not the garment has a lining, a DWR spray or wash-in would be used immediately after the initial wash. We recommend using Nikwax products for cleaning and servicing all types of wet weather gear. As long as a person maintains their garment, the shelf life will be prolonged.

So What Makes One Garment More Waterproof Than Another?

Technology is the best reason, and depending on the technology a fabric will be more or less durable, lighter in weight, waterproof and breathable. Waterhead or a fabric’s waterproofness is measured in milimeters. Most of the basic rainwear out in the market will have a waterhead of around 1,200 – 3,000mm. What this translates to, is if a splotch of this fabric were to be taken and put underneath a tube of water, it would take up to 3,000mm of water pressure to saturate it. Now this may sound like a lot, but over time it is actually very low. Once again, it is water pressure, not just water that causes a fabric to saturate. Therefore, in some areas where heavy downpours are frequent, a fabric with this low of a rating could saturate relatively quickly. When moving up the technology scale to better fabrics, a garment, which has 20,000mm of waterhead is far more likely to keep you drier for longer and in such terms, this garment is more durable than its 3,000mm counterpart.

Durability

Durability of fabric is very important. A fabric, which has such a high waterhead rating of 20,000mm would also have a more versatile durability, which means that it would be more conducive to a wider variety of climates, situations and activities than the lower-end fabrics. Other than durability, a higher waterhead usually indicates a higher level of breathability.

Breathability

Breathability is perhaps even more important than a higher waterhead. The reason for this is because a person is more likely to get wetter from sweating than from the rain falling on them if the breathability of a garment is limited. Any person who engages in a reasonable amount of activity, even travel, should consider moving up to a more breathable garment. Breathability determines comfort. If you sweat less you remain more comfortable. The way breathability is measured is by determining how much of a person’s moisture vapour can pass through the fabric in a 24 hour period. The amount of vapour is measured in grams. Most garments will have a breathability rating equivalent to their waterhead; thus, a jacket, which is rated at 10,000mm will often be measured at 10,000gms/24hr. The highest breathable ratings will be found with Gore-Tex or eVent products, which have a breathability beyond 30,000gms. Another factor which will often dictate breathability is the weight of the fabric.

Convenience

Of course, the convenience of a lighter garment is both weight and space saving. The lighter the fabric’s weight, the more breathable it should be, but this is not gospel, as there are many garments out there which are light, but hardly have any breathability at all. Generally speaking, if you know a garment is rated at 20,000/20,000, you can assume that that garment is very light and packable. Only some garments, like the more bush bashing 3 layer Gore-Tex XCR jackets will have a higher bulk/weight ratio due to their purpose as a garment, which is suitable for the harshest of environments.

Where To From Here?

What you should take from all of this is that wet weather gear, although made to serve the same purpose, has different advantages and comfort levels depending on the quality of the technology used to create it. The more it costs, generally, the better it is to suit a wider variety of environments and activities. It will also have a longer shelf life.

Like all outdoor clothing and gear, rainwear especially should be an investment. Most top end rainwear will have a decent shelf life if a person cares for their gear, and depending on what technology has been used to make the garments, a person may never need to replace them. Such an example can be found with Gore-Tex products. Gore-Tex has proven itself to be the market leader in its field. If your rainwear has the Gore-Tex stamp, then it is guaranteed to keep you dry. It has the Tri-Factor. Gore-Tex is known throughout the world as being the most waterproof, breathable, and durable of all products.

Gore-Tex, like all other rainwear products, comes in many different styles and thicknesses to suit a wide variety of uses. Gore-Tex, however, has one element to it that no other fabric can claim. It is Oleophobic, which means that the membrane keeping you dry does not get affected by deet, permethrin, sunscreen, dirt, oils or detergents, which would normally destroy other garments over time. The beauty of all this is that Gore-Tex loves to be cleaned. It can be washed with normal detergents and should be put in the dryer on a high heat cycle for roughly 35-45 minutes. This high heat drying serves to rejuvinate the Gore-Tex membrane. The more often you wear your Gore-Tex products, the more often they should be washed. People who choose to go for Gore-Tex see the value for money. They feel the performance and take pleasure in its versatility. Some Gore Jackets may cost around $400, but if it lasts a person 40 years, then it was well worth it. Quality remains long after price is forgotten.