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When it comes to outdoor sports, a jacket is an essential part of your kit! Extremely versatile, this technical piece of gear needs to be chosen with its level of weather protection in mind. To help you find your way, here’s a handy guide!
To help you understand the different levels of weather protection offered by outdoor jackets, here are a few key points to guide you towards the right one.
In outdoor sports, you’ll often hear about DWR treatments. Short for Durable Water Repellent, DWR is a water-repellent polymer applied across the jacket’s outer layer. In practical terms, it acts like a thin coating of varnish, repelling water and preventing it from soaking into the fabric.
Particularly well suited to hiking enthusiasts, it keeps fabrics breathable in all conditions. It also protects moisture-sensitive materials, such as down, to help keep you dry. However, its effectiveness has limits, especially in heavy rain. That’s why you’ll also need to make sure you choose a waterproof jacket.
Waterproofing is different from water repellency. It uses a laminated membrane to create an additional layer that acts as a barrier against water. Its rating is measured in Schmerber, expressed in millimetres (mm). This comes from the water column test, which involves placing a fabric sample beneath a column of water to determine the pressure at which water starts to pass through.
Bear in mind that this rating needs to be considered alongside several other factors. For example, when you’re moving, whether walking or running, you create additional pressure on top of that exerted by falling rain, which is rated at between 1,000 and 2,000 mm. You’ll therefore need to add this figure to find the right outdoor jacket for you.
Finally, when assessing an outdoor jacket’s weather protection, you also need to consider how breathable its fabric is. This is essential to stop you from getting drenched in sweat during your outings. To assess this, you can refer to its RET rating, which measures resistance to evaporative heat transfer:
Some outdoor jackets also express breathability using MVTR, or Moisture Vapour Transmission Rate:
To choose the right level of weather protection, you’ll need to consider several factors: your weight, the type and duration of your activity, the temperature and the weather. For a short bike ride in light rain, you won’t need heavy-duty protection. In this case, look for a waterproof rating of 2,000 mm with a RET rating between 6 and 20.
Mountain hiking is a different story. In mild conditions, with light rain and an easy route, a waterproof rating between 2,000 mm and 5,000 mm may be enough. However, in most situations, and for longer expeditions in changeable weather, you’ll need a minimum waterproof rating of 10,000 mm. Bear in mind that walking and the weight of your backpack already generate pressure equivalent to around 8,000 mm. Finally, for extreme sports enthusiasts and keen trekkers, look for protection rated at 30,000 Schmerber!
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