April Showers: Buy the Right Rain Gear
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by Jason Merrick & Rob DelucaSo what rain gear is right for you?
Well, it depends on why you need it, when you’ll need it, and where..
Are you fishing for Alaskan King Crab in the middle of the North Sea? You need a bright orange rubber suit and nerves of steel. For any type of aerobic activity that doesn’t involve claws and months of oceanic solitude, though, you’ll want something waterproof and breathable. Waterproof so you stay dry; breathable so you won’t overheat. A good rule is: the faster you’re moving, the more breathable your garment should be.
How Does Rain Gear Work?
In a nutshell, waterproof breathable fabric contains a membrane, coating, or layer with a high surface energy that prevents liquid water from passing through it, but allows water vapor to escape. Rain doesn’t get to your skin, but the sweat you generate canescape, both of which help you stay dry and comfortable.
What does waterproof actually mean?
Good question. A fabric is classified as 100% waterproof if it keeps water at a pressure of 25 PSI from passing through it.
To put this into perspective, a hard rain generates about 2 PSI. While this doesn’t seem like much, any activity increases this pressure. If you weigh 170 pounds, just sitting creates about 7 PSI, while kneeling creates about 18. Now imagine bumping into boulders, trees, and wearing a backpack. Straps on a 40-pound pack can push the pressure to 30 PSI as it rubs and shifts throughout the day.
Also, dirt and body oils contaminate the garment, lowering its surface energy – and consequently, its waterproof-ness. Cleaning will restore some of its protection, but it will never be as waterproof as the day you bought it. So you’ll often lose a little waterproofness as time wears on. Be sure to take all this into account when buying raingear.
What about Breathability?
Breathability ratings are far more subjective. First off, there’s no standard test like that for waterproof fabric. More importantly, not everyone sweats the same. But breathability is still very important. A plastic bag is waterproof, but since it doesn’t breathe it will collect moisture on the inside which will make you cold and uncomfortable.
A fabric’s breathability rating, represented in units of g/24hrs/m2, tells how many grams of water vapor pass through a square meter of fabric in a day of laboratory testing. A fabric with a rating of 10,000g/24hrs/m2 is considered highly breathable. Fabrics with higher ratings tend also to be higher in price, while lower-rated fabrics remain more affordable, but the point is, the more breathable and waterproof your gear, the more comfortable you will be during high-output activities and heavy weather.
While a breathability rating is not entirely useful in the woods, it’ll give you a good benchmark to make comparisons when choosing a garment. Specifics on Rain Gear
Since the general rule is the more rigorous your activity and the heavier the weather, the higher waterproof and breathability ratings you’ll need, you have to know a little more about the different fabrics companies are using. That way, you’ll be able to make the right choice for your rain gear.
Specifics on Rain Gear
Back in the day, the only waterproof fabrics available came from third-party manufacturers, and as a result, obtaining a waterproof shell meant shelling out serious cash. By now, however, most outerwear companies have developed their own proprietary waterproofing technologies, to supplement their high-performance lines with more affordable options.
Low-Output Activity in Mild Wet Weather: It’s tough to beat the value and performance of PreCip and HyVent, two proprietary waterproof coatings from Marmot and The North Face, respectively. They offer decent waterproofing, while remaining breathable enough to prevent overheating during casual activities like easy day hikes in mild weather.
Moderate Activity in Constant Wet Weather: When you start moving faster, or plan to spend a longer amount of time outdoors in the rain, you should consider upgrading to a more breathable fabric. Patagonia’s H2No HB, Helly Hansen’s HellyTech XP, and Mountain Hardwear’s Conduit are all examples of “next-level” membranes, providing a little more weather protection and breathability without breaking the bank. You might also start looking at garments that feature Gore-Tex’s entry-level Performance Shell fabric. Gore-Tex tends to be a little higher on the dollar scale, but because it is an actual fabric rather than a coating applied to fabric, it lasts longer and maintains performance under heavy use.
High-Output Activity, Extreme Wet Weather: When you’re really getting after it, or the skies are throwing their worst at you for days on end, it’s time to put aside your frugal instincts and get the best technology you can afford. This is where the third-party waterproof fabrics still reign supreme, and likely will for years to come. Gore-Tex offers two high-performance fabrics: Pro Shell and PacLite. The former is a 3-ply fabric made to withstand a lifetime of abuse, while the latter is an ultra-light option for weight-conscious endurance athletes. Both are extremely waterproof and very breathable. The only other fabric offering anything comparable is eVENT, which uses its Direct Venting technology to surpass even Gore-Tex in independent field tests for comfort under extreme conditions. The only issue with eVENT tends to be availability, as the construction processes and the eVENT fabric itself are both expensive and scarce.
More?
If the above selections didn’t tickle your fancy, check out our rainwear categories: